1949-01-21 — Page 4

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CORNEL MAUREEN WILDE O'HARA

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20

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HITE GLENN LANGAN. HELEN WALKER

James Gleason Henry Stephenson-Margaret Bannerman Ethel Griffie-TommyCook Directed by BRUCE HUMBERSTONE Produced by ROBERT BASSLER

Original Screen Play by Wende Tuckack

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WINTER MEETING"

JANIS PAIGE

JAMES CAVIS BRETAIGNE WINDUST HENRY BLANKE

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 1949.

EDITORE PREER BÉRVICE,

COMPANIONO

1003

"What'll I tell your mother? She wanted a girl!"

INSTALMENT. 17:

EISENHOWER WAS MY BOSS

N

By Kay

Summersby.

OCTOBER, a message me along. I was thankful for the from Washington bore the break in routine and appreciative nf- the compliment, for Blood-and-Guts happy news I could join was one of my favourile commar- the WAC's.

ders.

In អ៊,

O'

The most remarkable" of all the witnessES at the Lynskey: Tribunal

He made a million in ten years

by BERNARD HARRIS

Fall the business men A year earlier a company, by who appeared, before the the name of Great Universal Lynskey Tribunal none. Stores, had offered shares for excited more interest than Mr sale to the public. Isaac Wolfson,

*** ́ ́It was an old-established con- cern specialising in mail order It was this little-known self- business-it issued a catalogue, made, millionaire who told the and customers ordered goods. Tribunal that he had formed through the post from its ware- "a very high opinion of Mr house in London. Manchester, Belcher's abilities" and had in And Glasgow, vited him to his office.

And in that office, according

It also carried on a curious

form of business known as "club to Mr Belcher, Wolfson talked trading." It advertised for of the £10,000-a-year. jobs he agents who formed clubs into could offer, and suggested that which the members paid 18, a Mr Belcher was the kind of week, or more. man he would like to have When the subscriptions totted associated with him, in running up to £1, the members chose his business."

goods from the G.U.S. catalogue. The first year of G.U.S. as Another visitor to that office public

bad. company...was have pained Wolfson when he led to a reorganisation of the confessed to the Tribunal that board. he did not know what the initials G.U.S. mennt.

The electrifying cable climax- took Telekoment of impulse, as Mr. Dalton, though he must Criticism by angry investors

25

along.

from the beginning.

Our visit to Nancy was doomed

array

of

our

Suddenly, war broke out at feet. Willle had wandered inside

ed more than a year of anxiety and hope. I had yearned to

It all started at lunch. General become a WAC since carly days Patton sat at the head of the table. on his right, in London, becoming even more General Eisenhower

The Tribunal learned. too. restless with my unique posi- Shavetalt Summersby on his left, an

generals and colones that Sir Stafford Cripps had tion a civilian in North down the table and Field Marshal invited Wolfson to approach

in England, und in Telek Africa,

under the table. Wille, him direct on "matters of ma- As the only civilian Patton's while bull terrier, just as for import." France. member of the official family, I tough as his master, was outside.

Only recently, it appeared. caused untold difficulties in the Army world where every breath and found a little black Scottle in the Chancellor had seen Wolfson and movement is dictated by the private, holy domain at Patton's and had granted him a Govern licence for $750,000 strict regulations. Further feat. He attacked with typical Pat-ment

Telck fought, back with (£187,500) to open stores in more, as one who had gone ton fury. through the Blitz, a torpedoing, all the canny courage of his Scot the U.S.

ancestors. The noise was straight the North African campaign, from the jungle, loud and wild and the pre-invasion era in Engiand, deadly. the V-1, the Normandy. cam-

Patton's Vocabulary paign, the liberation of Paris,

What is he like, this man of Palton let loose with millions who admitted that he ~ENERAL and the push up to the Rhine,

In his celebrated would have, cvery, cuFRO

given Sidney I wanted to get into the war

It was classic,

that officially, not as a beyond-the- vocabulary. pale civilian only suffered, not trade but 1-was-too-frightened to Stanley 135,000 if the chance of buying a furrier's busincas had hear it. I was terrified for Telek. welcomed, by the frowning It took four generals, the Theatre's come off or £10,000 for a dyers

to separate Willle and and cleaners'? Army. I wanted to become a top Brass, formal, normal participant in Telck. And even then they had to the war, instead of a sideshow throw water on the fighters.

General Patton banished Willie to freak civilian.

fusely.

was a

The War Department message wartime highlight of my career, bringing reality to un old, old The only hitch: I could not

'MASK FACE Business is fun

NOW THE BOSS..

I like organising'

A new managing director was appointed. He was manager of a furniture business in which QU.S. was interested. His name was Isaac Wolfson.

Mr. Isaac Wolfson

In 1943 the Wolfson family made G.U.S. "I like organising things," a profit of £50,810 when

terests owned by isaac and Charles. soon became apparent in G.U.S. Wolfson, Mrs Isaac Wolfson, und says Wolfson. That trait of his paid £544,000 for various shore In-

He so organised its affairs another G.U.S. director. that within five years it had be-

Isaac then signed a new contmet. come the largest mail order under which he agreed to devote business outside the U.S. It all his time to this fast-expanding hind more than

2,000,000 empire. customers, employed 150,000 It took over the Tyneside Ply- whole-time and part-time agents wook Works, which was bought to

provide plywood in its club trading.

for the group's Jay's, the furniture; it took over furriers; Polikoff, a wholesale cloth- ing business; Willsons (London and Provinces), owners of a chain of

Wolfson mapped up. compeli- tors, bought up drapery stores bought up factorles, formed new companies.

Before long the G.U.S. brood

dress shops; it went into plastics.

This year put £300,000 to buy

be told the

You would not notice him in of subsidiary, associated, and a number of stores in South Africa.

Somalimes shareholders asked, a crowd. In build he is short and sub-subsidiary companies was an upstairs room, apologising pro-stocky. His brushed-back hair so numerous that no one outside at annual meetings,

names of all the companies owned. "This is Willie's home," General is iron grey. In repose his face the board room could name or controlled by G.U.S.

them all. "We should lock is mask-like, impassive. Ike maintained.

Today there are said up Telek."

But when he starts talking 187 of them, Geortte Patton shook his head. "No, Siri Telck outranks Willle, so about business-his favourite Willie is topic-his eyes light up and he Telek slays right here.

That's Army_protocol."

Dolnted at this unforeseen conlined to quarters, under arrest. bubbles over with high spirits.

LATEST GAUMONT BRITISH NEWS continue to drive the General. After all my experiences driving General Eisenhower,

1 was greatly ment in becoming-o-WAC. But the uchlevement and the privilege were worth

it. Besides, driving harl become, by now, a mere sideline to

in the my duties

office; it natural progress,

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STATE OF THE UNION

SPENCER

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TRACY. HEPBURN · JOHNSON ANGELA LANSBURY ADOLPHE HENJOU LEWIS STORE

•

A METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYCA PICTURE ADDED

SPECIAL ACADEMY AWARD TOM & JERRY CARTOON'! “THE CAT CONCERTO"

IN TECHNICOLOR

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TO-DAY ONI,Y AT 2.30, 5:15, 7.15 &.9.15 P.M. CAGNEY IS LOOKING FOR TROUBLE...AND HE'S GOING TO FIND A RAFT OF IT!

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JAMES

GEORGE

CAGNEY RAFT

EACH

DAWN IDIE

"STATE OF THE UNION”. TO-MORROW! with Sponcor TRACY * Katherine HEPBURN

Long Hours

newness

soon wore

THE however, ami 1 fell

and

routing

of

1

was

was

off.

Then he shouted: "But my Willie was chewing bejesus out of your gawdamned little Scottic-rank or no rank!"

-To Wolfson business is fun. Buying and selling is his life.

Five shillings a week His accent still betrays his early upbringing in Glasgow.

He meant every word when, Thai afternoon, Patien came in reply to a vote of thanks, he back from an inspection trip and

once told his shareholders: "It hurried over to the special suite

a pleasure for my is really Axed up for General Eisenhower in other Charles and me to be back Nancy's most luxurious hotel. the Into

Job. Walking in πιν

to propose a before doing the work we are doing.” The Buss worked long. hours, dinner cocktail, however, he, found

ni

FIRST WAGE: meant

the complete chaos. which desk from early morning late

The suite was filled with smoke, Most of the telephone names, and a screaming French dre at night. calls

the

cleared brigade. visitors

General Ike stood In a through my office for one thing for another, I had to keep up with the General's ever-increasing "fon mail." The press mention of his birthday on October 14 resulted in alandigide of letters and gifts, euch of which had to be acknowledged, And the days were so trusy that often had to remain in the offlee at night to catch up with correspon dence. The only free hours were those after the General left for his house.

I

corner smiling waily as Patton blow in.

Pandemonium

«NICE place you've got here, Georgle," he said amidst the "Only pant-lemonium,

thing

#

a

Patton in-

FROM U.S.

to be

Ideas about name Wolfson went off to the U.S.

But their curiosity

was never was. Full disclosure, It catisfied.

gucdnight be prejudicial to G.Ü.S.

ONE IN NINE __is_a_customér

one in

It seems, however, that to study the business methods of those great mail order pine of the adult population of Bri- tnin is customer of Wolfson, businesses, Marshall Field and though he or she may not know it. Muntgomery Ward.

The total of customers is around

When he came home he paid them 4,000,000, and they spend more than A week with his com- £1,000,000 a compliment

by forming a new panies. company with the hybrid name of

Wolfson's ambition. It is said, is Marshall Ward, Ltd. To unother of

a working -

his creations he gave the name John to make it £1,000,000 England, Ltd.,

day.

was

१

But his highest admiration reserved for Sears, Roebuck, biggest group's assets at £30,000,000. of all the U.S. retail businesses.

In 1943, Just after G.U.S. had laid

and

value the accounts The G.U.S.

For shareholders these assets last year made a profit of just on £3,000,000.

Isaac now 61-was one of u out £1,200,000 in buying the 170 How much of this vost empire family of three boys and five furniture girls.

ile

does Wolfson own personally? The share registers give no clue.

shops of the Juys Campbells chain, Wolfson sald to me with a grin, "We're on the way

Wolf:on's holdings in his own to becoming the Sears Roebuck of Britain."

name are comparatively small. But He chuckled as he added: "Duy the City guess is that the Wolfson some of our shares for that baby family owns at least half the Or- daughter of yours. She'll be worth a inary capital, a holding valued to- fortune when she's 21."

day at upwards of £3,000,000. deals More furniture

followest. How has the Jump from 51. a from Sir Drakes

bought

week- 10 the millionaire class Wood- Drage. The

affected Wolfson? chains were

was

He left school at 14 to help they lit the fireplace for the first in his father's small furniture time, in any honour and it doesn't workshop for 58. a week.

canvassing seem to have

went on the road A chimney. It's fake"

for orders. Somewhat chastened,

He learned all the tricks of One night he stopped by my desk. vited the General and

me to putting a foot in the doorway Benjamin Immediately "I'm knocking off, Kay. Why don't

dinner, and

bought. launched a warm discussion of old and talking until sheer loquacity house and Cavendish

still works is hard as ever. 11's late." you?.

Eisen- effected a sule.

Lapers in handling his memories he and General

They brought the G.US. score up He pores, over business explained that

Sometimes a firm would re- to 400 furniture shops and made his bath, has been known to play. office routine, during the day left, hower shared. I went on up to my

vowed Wolfson the biggest retailer of gin rummy with an invoice in his little time for attending to the "fon room about ten o'clock, finding it but him. Young Isaac mail." "Only time I can get any cold that I had to use the tug ou

In addition these deals gave him work done on this stuff is when the floor as an extra blanket. The that he would make enough furniture in Britain.

would money of buy up all who treated control of 12 stores in Canada, I knew, added. discussion below, you've left for the night,"

He smiled.

"And to ilink I continue far into the night. General him Bo.

slight suffered always never received even one fan lettor Be

When his father opened a when you drove me and Mark Clark morning-after head following these small branch in London, Issue that first day in London-now look chats with Georgie Patton.

Sure enough, he was a very became manager. Une month after General Elsen- grumpy find stern four-star renerul

he set out on hower's birthday I finally got out of when

a hospitul the office on a tip. The General inspection the next morning, Was headed for Third Army heud- quarters in Nuncy, General Patton (COPYRIGHT, TO BE CONTINUED had asked him to be sure to bring

at you!.

NANCY

Breach of Preach

NOSEY ROSIE

ISN'T POLITE TO TURN YOUR HEAD TO STARE AT PEOPLE

*TOMONROW)

OKAY--- I PROMISE --- † WON'T TURN MY HEAD ANYMORE

But. he was still earning only £10 a week. The chance that was to enable him to make a million in less than 10 years did not come along until 1932.

[WELL I HAVE {TO GO NOW--

SO LONG

SO- LONG

FAMILY PROFIT And a new contract

hand.

IIo often leaves home before 7 a.m.. Onds It no hardship to forgo lunch if business presses.

not Hu docs not drink, 'does smoke. le is said to have spent. £30,000 Lefure the wor on This activity in buying and sell- decorating and furnishing his 10- ing absorbed only n part of Wolfson's room flat in Portland-place, W.

Old masters now hang over.his' energies. His contract with did not stipulate that he was to antique replaces. But Wolfson still recalls the board on the mantelpiece He found me to engage in simi- In his old Glasgow home. On it was give his me to the firm. for transactions on his own account. Inscribed. Waste Not, Want Not.

By Ernie Bushmiller

G.U.S.

Fitch's

SKIN. PEP

AFTER SHAVE LOTION makes your face SMILE HAPPY.

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