MR H. G. WELLS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 March 1939, Page 5

MR H. G. WELLS

MAY LECTURE IN NEW ZEALAND. (By ' Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The famous author, Mr H. G. Wells, is favourably disposed toward a lecture tour of New Zealand during the centennial year, according to Mr D. O’Connor, who arrived at Wellington by the Wanganella yesterday after managing Mr Wells’s lectures in Australia. Before his visit to Australia, Mr Wells had not lectured before large audiences for years, and, said Mr O’Connor, “he was as nervous and temperamental as a prima donna. “You have to remember all the time that he is over 70, and has a devil of a temper,” Mr O’Connor added. “But to do him justice he soon gets over it, and is always charming in his apologies. In fact, he tells you quite frankly that he has a temper, so you know what is coming and are prepared for it. He has only been used to talking to small select audiences or over the radio at Home, so it was small wonder he was affected when he had to face the flood. But he was soon on terms with his audience. He has a rather small, light voice, so we had to have amplifiers put in all round the hall.”