A New Zealander in Sydney Town

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 658, 9 May 1929, Page 9

A New Zealander in Sydney Town

(From, THE SUN'S Correspondent) * SIDNEY, May 3. The news of her husband's crash in France was received by Mrs. Huia Mas© (who arrived in Sydney by the Maunganui) while the steamer was in mid-ocean. A brief radio message did not convey a great deal, and Mrs. Mase had to await her arrival in port before she was acquainted with the details. If all had been well she would have welcomed Captain Frank Mase here in about 20 days’ time. He had been advised by cable that his wife would meet him at Sydney. Mrs. Mase’s faith is not shaken. ' Just you see,” she remarked. “He will be in the air again soon.” Pictures for New Zealand

A New who received a good buffeting on the Tasman this week was Mr. E. Murray Fuller, the well-known Wellington art dealer and painter. Owing to the late arrival of the Marama, Mr. Murray missed his connection with the Narkunda for London, and had to travel across to Melbourne to catch her. So successful was his recent visit to England, where he arranged for a collection of British art, that Mr. Fuller is on his way to the Homeland to secure another lot of pictures for New' Zealand. While in Europe he proposes spending a few weeks with Sydney Thompson, the New Zealand painter, who has been settled at Concarneau on the Brittany coast, for the last 28 years or so. Mr. Fuller told me that he anticipated holding an exhibition in Melbourne some time in October, prior to his return to New Zealand. Captain Holden 111, Captain Les Holden, the popular pilot of the Canberra who discovered the Southern Cross, is down with a stiff bout of ’flu. The change of climate from tropical Central Australia to the wintry Sydney we have known the last few days was a little too sudden. Education Minister Returns On his return from the Dominion, the New South Wales Minister of Education, Mr. Drummond, was kind enough to say that educationally New Zealand has little to learn from New South Wales. The Borstal system engaged a good deal of his time in New Zealand. To find that 20 per cent, of offenders were restored to decent citizenship by this method, he said, was certainly stimulating. “Menin Gate at Midnight” Captain Will Longstaff. the painter of “Menin Gat© at Midnight,” which was recently on exhibition in Sydney, contemplates a visit to Australia before long with the object in view of personally supervising the showing of some of his war subjects. Captain Longstaff must not be confused with Sir John Longstaff, of Melbourne. Some of the New Zealand papers. I notice, have fallen into this error. His “Menin Gate” was presented to the Commonwealth Government by Lord Woolavington. It will eventually hang at Canberra. Mr. Mutch’s Impassioned Outburst

Tom Mutch, M.L.A., erstwhile Minister of Education, and. incidentally, one of the most able this State has ever known, now Independent member for Botany, hit hard at Mr. Lang, his former leader, during the week. Needless to say, these politicians do not precisely love each other. Mr. Mutch declared, with due emphasis: ‘‘lf they offered me a position in the Labour Party on a gold plate, I would not go back while Mr. Lang is leader. Ho tried to cut my throat; but I got into Parliament in spite of him. And he tried to cut my throat in the dark —which, is worse still!” It is one of the calamities of modern politics in this country that the party machine often crushes men of genuine ability. The fate of the others who disagreed with Mr. Lang prior to the last memorable election might yet be the fate of Mr. Mutch. Some consider that his hold on Botany ia precarious and that the Labour machine must eventually win. A noticeable feature during the last two Parliamentary sessions has been Mr. Mutch’s indifferent attendance at the House. Friends and foe alike have commented thereon. —ERIC RAMSDEN.