Busy Pilot

NZ Truth, Issue 1152, 29 December 1927, Page 4

Busy Pilot

A PROMINENT figure in the Amery^ entourage (luring the New Zealand

visit of the Secretary of State for the Dominions was Denzil Ardell. It is Denzil's main business in life to prevent, if possible, the furrows multiplying on the brow of his chief — James Hislop, Under- Secretary Of Internal Affairs. What time he has left over is applied to lubricating the machinery in general of that complex department of passports and electoral writs. •

Ardell is another of those civil servants who went through the 'busy, multifarious, P. and T. mill before he was lassoed by a sister department. Now this seems to be a raw deal for the P. and T. Department; but there you are. Anyway, that department has lost a number of Ardells in its time, but seems to have the happy knack of pouncing upon suitable replacements.

Ardell is a comfortable, prosperouslooking servant of State, and not one of the lean variety whose sleep o' nights is troubled. He doesn't get bustled when his ordinary work is stacked up and- he is called upon to assist in piloting a Royal visitor or a Mr. Amery through the land.

As for general elections — well — he fairly revels in them. Before Mr. Speaker releases the writs and the floodgates of oratory, or what passes for it, are opened and Messrs. Bung and Bone-Dry set about their triennial wrangle, Ardell will assist his chief to map out an efficient, Dominion-wide electoral, organization. And then out of sheer devilment or perhaps for practical experience he will assume the duties of returning- officer for a Wellington city electorate and just show how the job should be run.