At long last! I finally found an old-timer dealer who remembered this rod. Only a few came into New Zealand in the 40's and they took years to sell through the retailers and were listed until the mid 50's. On examination he remembered it well especially the weight as compared with the carbon of today. His comment was that he was not at all surprised at it's survival as they were almost indestructible. He also said that with the advent of hollow glass these became so redundant that many would have ended up as garden stakes.
In conclusion I have used this little gem from yesteryear and find it very similar to cane in action (A Little Hardies "Gem" springs to mind) and on opening day proved it's worth by taking a 3 1/2 lb brown from a tangle of briar and willow stump on my favourite small spring creek. It is very comforting to know that no matter what diabolical hoop you put into it or what heavy brush you crawl through this rod won't break!