SOUVENIR PROGRAMME. SIGNED BY SMUTS, HERTZOG AND OTHERS

The scarce Souvenir Programme of the Floral Fusion Fair of the United Party/Verenigde PartyBlommefeest, held at the City Hall and Drill Hall in Cape Town on the 21st. and 22nd. February 1939. it is  an 84pp. booklet in yellow printed slightly oversized wraps. The Fair was opened on consecutive days by Generals Hertzog and Smuts and with introductory messages from both of them as well as other dignitaries. The front wrapper is multi-signed, importantly by both Smuts and Hertzog. Other signatories include N.C. Havena, H.A. Fagan, H.L. Lawrence and Oswald Pirow. It is unusual to have both Smuts' and Hertzog's autographs together and is particularly interesting as this event preceded the bitter dispute between Smuts and Hertzog (over the war) and Hertzog's resignation as Prime Minister, by only one month! Apart from brown oxidation patches around the staples on the covers and some outer pages, this is a very good copy. A probably unique item in this signed iteration.