The Brussels Post, 1973-09-05, Page 9And still writing •
Seventy 'yours as a newspaper reporter •
(By Ron Shaw)
Ott the Goderich Signal Star)
w.E. Elliott is well-known to
eaders of the Post, as a
result of a series of histori-
cal reviews which he has con-
tributed over a period of many
years). For nearly 70 years W.E.
Elliott has gathered the news
and although last week he cele-
brated his 90th birthday, his name
and journalism remain synony-
MOUS. Bill Elliott returned to Gocle-
rich, where he had been born,
alter 50 years as a journalist
but retirement from active
service failed to put an end to
newspaper stories bearing his
by-line.
Journalism was never a plan-
ned career. Mr. Elliott gradua-
ted from business college as a
gold medalist, but news stories
filed with the London Free Press
when he began working as a cor-
respondent for regional papers
attracted attention from The
Toronto News • and in 1906 he
was invited to join their staff.
"I started with The News as
a reporter," Mr. Elliott recalls,
4 ibut I really wasn't very good
at it so they transferred me to
relegraph.'P
In the early days of the cen-
tury, before newspapers had wire
services and the help of a re-
liable telephone system, news
rem outside the city arrived: at
a newspaper by means of tele-
graph.
An operator took down the
copy and at The Toronto News -
LE. Elliott took on the job of
rewriting it to finished form.
Working conditions fOr mem-
bers of the press were strenuous,
to say the least, during the 1900' s
and the money wasn't uch
better.
"I was working in my father's
grocery store," W.E. recalls.
"He paid me more than I was
worth so I had purchased a $50 -
coat at McLean' Brothers."
"It was quite a coat, broad-
cloth with a muskrat fur lining
and a lamb collar, and I wore
it to my interview with the City
Editor of the Toronto News."
"He seemed to admire the
coat and looked me over pretty
thoroughly. when he decided to
hire me he said the News usually
started new reporters at $10
per week, but he'd give me $12.
That coat, got me an extra $2.
per week!"
In 1909, he moved to The
London Free Press where the
money wasn't much better and
the hours were just • as bad.
"We worked seven days a
week and the hours were brutal,"
he recalls. "Day shift was from
10:00 a.m, until midnight and the
night shift started at • 7:00p.m.
and finished at 3:00 a.m.."
Despite the less than ideal
working conditions W.E. Elliott
remained with the Fre@ Press
for 8 years, with the exception
of four years' service With the
First .Battalion of Canadian In-
fantry during the World War
He served with the Canadian,
force in England, France, Bel-
gium and GerMany,
"We got shot over plenty,"
he explains, "but I never went
over the top."
Before leaving th@Free Press
for service in the armed, forces,
however, W,E. Elliott hadfound
his "niche" as he calls
political reporting.
His career as ,a political re-
porter, 'which would take him to
the press galleries of the House.
of • Commons in Ottawa and the
Provincial Legislature at
Queen's Park, began with the
London Free Press in 1911 and
wound, up with a posting to the
copy desk of the Toronto Tele-
gram In 1947. For 30 years
he followed the changing scene
of Canadian government.
There was plenty of political
activity during those years with
almost continuous campaigns and
the few lulls, in campaigning
filled with party conventions:
• Political reporting was ex-
citing in more ways than one.
;'You must remember that
motor transport, especially in the
early 1900's, was pretty frail,"
Mr. Elliott points out, "and
I had some pretty thrilling
rides."
Reporters today often feel
pressed for time as they rush
back from an assignment and
hammer out their story before
deadline, Fifty years ago the
problem was further com-
pounded.
"There really weren't that
many cars around in those days,"
Mr. Elliott •recalls, "and I cer-
tainly didn't have one."
"I used to hitch ,a ride back
from a meeting with the can-
didate but of course he was in
no hurry. He wanted to stay
around and shake hands. At
times it seemed to take forever
to get back to the office."
If any one thing contributed
to Bill Elliott's success as a
political reporter it was his busi-
ness school training in shorthand.
"I always took down the
speeches verbatim "110 explains,
"and if anyone, charged a mis-
quote I was ready for him."
In 1027 W.E. Elliott left the
London Free Press and joined
The Mail and Empire in Toren-
to. Soon he was in the provin-cial Legislature as the paper's
political reporter. t+
The year 1929 saw Bill Elliott
appointed Editor of The wood-
' stock Sun Review where he
directed a staff of seven until
' 1941.
While in Woodstock he took
a crack at politics from the
other side. Running on a plat-
form of open meetings and public
Information he was elected to the
High. School Board.
, "Committee of the Whole is .a
terrible thing," he observes "and
it is very much, abused."
In 1941, when the World Prices,
and Trade Board was formed, Mr.
Elliott had a look at news work
from another angle.
"It was a, big change," he
admits.
He was Informaiion officer
for the board, in charge of getting
together the handouts supplying
information and answering the
telephone.
"Canadian Press would call
up and ask some question about
the board or its work," he
recalls, "and then in the next
day's paper. I'd read liThe World
Prices and Trade Board said
loday...." quoting what I said.
I guess what I told them was
all right though because. I never
heard anything, about it."
In 1943, alter a letter of ap-
plication noting that he shared
"all the Tely'S nasty and bigot-
ted ideas",, W.E. Elliott cwas
hired by the Toronto Telegram.
Of the time between then and his
retirement • in 1957 he spent "10
solid years on the copy desk."
He remembers those Tele-
gram years with fondness.
"It was a very happy ship,"
he muses.
"John Bassett was one of the
finest men I've met," he obser-
ves. "He was certainly my best
boss and I've told him so."
"At The Toronto News the
publisher just didn't speak to
anyone below the City Editor,
John Bassett knew everyone by
his first name and he would
stop you, to say that was a good • f(Continued on Page. 121
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