“T.P.” AT EIGHTY.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 269, 3 January 1929, Page 3

“T.P.” AT EIGHTY.

A WONDERFUL MAN. Mr T. P. O’Connor, Father of the House of Commons, celebrated his 80th birthday a few weeks ago. Though he is crippled by neuritis in the legs and only able to go about in a bath chair, his working day still begins at dawn, and he can turn out 3000 or 4000 words of “copy” a day. Mr O’Connor has been contributing to the “Daily Telegraph” for nearly 60 years. He is responsible for its obituary notices, which are among the most brilliant in journalism, and the more wonderful when it is remembered that they are frequently written under considerable difficulties. Mr George Wyndham died in Paris, and at 1 o’clock in the afternoon “T.P.” was called upon for a long obituary. He was to make a long speech in the Commons, and he did not finish this until 6 o’clock. Then he adjourned to the Irish Whips’ room to write tho Daily Telegraph obituary. For two hours he hammered away on a typewriter. At 8 o’clock he was called away to a dinner engagement, which occupied an hour. Theoi came 70 more minutes’ work, and the result was three and a half columns of the Daily Telegraph. Nor was this article an unusual effort. Most of “T.P.’s” articles are written in intervals between political speeches or Jother public engagements, yet he has the reputation of never having disappointed an editor. Mr O’Connor attributes his powers to the faort that his consumption of alcohol never exceeds a single whisky and soda a day. Among his birthday messages was one from the King.