GOSSIP FROM LONDON

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22908, 3 January 1940, Page 9

GOSSIP FROM LONDON

RATIONING PROPOSALS CRITICISED

SCHOOLS TO REOPEN IN VULNERABLE AREAS

(rnoir ova own corbnspondent.) LONDON, November 13. Notice of the rationing of butter, bacon, and ham; the decision to reopen schools in vulnerable areas; a week of first nights for the theatre world' have provided topics for discussion. , , Rationing has long beep expected, and it was generally believed that it would include several other coffi-j modities.ih addition to bacon vmd butter. The assurance by Mr W, ». Morrison, Minister for Food, that other supplies are adequate, and that ■ it J is not necessary to extend the rationing for the time being hag naturally been g At time, however, it seems that the Government can introduce no fresh measure these days WJt bout a simultaneous cry being raised that u had created another "muddle. _ un the very day following Morrisons statement It was announced that ne is facing a "revolt" over his plan, and that- he may have to postpone it from the "intended date of December 16 to after Christmas, i „ „ There are several Morpbers of Parliament said to be opposed to any form of rationing at present; there are others who say that the weekly portion allowed—a-quarter of a pound of butter and baeon ; per person—V, iu have to be increased. There is criticism' that better arrangements to ensure stocks of both these commodities could have been made at tne beginning of the war. „ Most members of the Labour Party, however, are in favour of rationing immediately, arguing that, otherwise, poorer peopie will n°t get their shareOne way and another, it seems. that a Minister’s life is by no means a happy one those days. Education in War The problem of reorganising the life of school, children began before the outbreak of war and it p w*s to remain a problem for the dotation. Although thousands of children have been rem°ved from the vulnerable areas—and many have been brought back by their pqrqn s—there PtIU J f main about 750,000 in those districts likely to be bombed. The question is, should those children gn. tg risk being trapped during air raidsThe dovamment has decided to open schools in vulnerablevareaa and in explaining to the House °i L , or s! the reason to r this decision, Earl De La Warr (president of the Board of tte who could be at school in fomnaraUvo safety are, in fact, still .In the vui nerable areas and rcceivmghtUeor no education. They are getting tne worst of both worlds. They are. running unnecessary risk, and rmsstn? social care and schooling—and a great number of them are acquiring habits of idleness, if h?t worse. o . "Such a situation cannot be aU°wed to continue. There, are only two solutions, liie first is to get all the remaining childreii out of the vulnerable areas. Only compulsion’ could do this, and to compel the of three-quarters of- a million children to partwith them for an indefinite period is a Step Which the qovernment would, riehtlv I think, be unwilling to take in g pny hut the most desperate clroumS *S S ' find' ourselves! therefore, driven back to the second solution—, some measure of reopening the schools in vulnerable areas. If the rai ds roallv come there can be no nice orderly evacuation as before. There will just be a rush and every one Will have to take his chance. The Government will do its, best to help, hut, it just won’t be possible to dp much,” ■

Theatres Reopening v /Looking oh. the lighter ride London has had tho/busiest ffieatre week since 1 the war broke ou b fewer than seven theatres reopened, including the Coliseum.: the_ Cruerion. and the Piccadilly, . Atj the Eggjg Jack Hulbert and Cicely Courtnoidge' started another run pf Under Your Hat" (which is to be produced in? New Zealand by a London comnany), and at the SavUle, Da-ry Lupino is to begin a new musical Pl With Lupino is his ,18-year-old daughter, the latest member, of the Lupino family to appear on tho West End stage. Since 1642, every .Lupmo has been °on the stage, so that A?* toinette Lupino is. following fapidy tradition. Kt week Jessie Matthews and Sonnie Hale are starting- .Come Put to Play," and Tom appear in "His Majesty s Guest st. the Shaftesbury. . / . , . Entertaining the troops is alsoOG“ cupyipg a great many members, of the theatrical profession, and,Lcslie Hen’son is arranging to take the first concert party over to France. In the company will bo Florence Desmond, Mary Ellis, and Bmme Hale, Many companies are already .scattered ••Somewhere in, Englahd entertaining the troops; nightly,

Sergeant Questions Minister It is rarely that a sergeant has, the temerity to question a Cabinet Minister about his pay, but lack/of precedent did not deter Sergeant-Pilot Robert Perkins, M.P., an old Etonian, from inquiries in the House, of Commons whether Sir Kingsley Wood was aware: that - “Mr Rathbone has. re-: ceived only three days’ pay since the war started,/and that I have had only a fortnight’s pay?" "Mr Rathbone was Sergeant-J. R. Rathbone; also ,an M.P. Both attended the House In uniform. . .. Sir, Kingsley Woods-reply was, x understand that because of an error two sergeant-pilots, of whom Sergeant Perkins was one, were not . paid for the period ending September 27. The mistake has -been rectified and. the tWo sergeants will receive all arrears of pay." He promised to look Into other cases of which Mr Perkins said he knew. ' , . ■ Such are the practices of democracy. The: thought of a German air force man questioning Goering -in the Beichsfag ;: oh 'a ■ similar point ISOUO for j interesting speculation,