LONDON LETTER TASMAN SOLENTS FOR LONG FREIGHT HAUL

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27603, 9 March 1955, Page 12

LONDON LETTER TASMAN SOLENTS FOR LONG FREIGHT HAUL

[From KEITH EUNSON, London Correspondent of "The Press"}

London, February 24.—The three Solent flying-boats purchased recently by Aquila Airways from Tasman Empire Airways, Ltd., will be engaged on the longest freight service in the world, from Southampton to Ferrn, Western Australia, if a licenceis granted for this route. No freight line serves this area, and application has been made in Britain for the first licence. Aquila Airways is the only major commercial company _°P e £, a a flying-boat service now that T.E.A.L. has decided to use land-based ®jrcraft. They are used for trips* from Britain to Madeira, Capri, the Italian Riviera, and Genoa. The three New Zealand Solents will increase Aquila s fleet to five, phis a Hythe flying-boat. The first of the new Solents arrived from New Zealand earlier this month, the second is expected in March, and the third will probably arrive the following month. Work has started on overhauling the first machine; and it is expected to go into service on the Madeira run early in April. Standard Weight for Pakistan A small metal cylinder has arrived at the Karachi Mint, Pakistan. It proved a severe test of skill for two companies, a firm of refiners and bullion dealers in Hatton Gardens, and another in Kent, for it was the first primary standard weight manufactured in this country since before the war. Following traditional practice, the weight was iridium-platinum (10 per cent, to 90 per cent.) and weighed slightly more than four ounces. Made to Pakistani specifications, it conformed to Eastern reckoning of weight in tolas. The accuracy of its weight was an achievement of great skill because it had to conform to a specification of two parts in 1,000,000. Standard weights and measures are used in most countries and treated with a special sort of reverence. In Britain, they are the responsibility of the Board of Trade.

Big Spending on Advertising Newsaper, magazine, and trade press advertisement revenues, not including classified advertising, totalled £71,988,511 in Britain last year. This figure was a record, according to the Statistical Review of Press Advertising, and was 20.2 per cent, higher than the 1953 total of £59,673,245. These figures are not so fantastic as they appear, when it is realised that many of the big industrial concerns here spend more than £200,000 a year on press advertising. Only five concerns spent more than £500,000 — Cadbury’s Products (£578,007), Persil (£576,443), Nestle Products (£573,121), Kellogg’s Cereal Foods (£563,798). and Mars Confections (£540,926). Three detergent advertisers spent more than £420,000 each and of interest to New Zealand butter interests is the huge advertising bill of Stork margarine—-£410,603. Butter interests, which have many more competitors than Stork, cannot hope to spend anything like that single amount. And this was not the only advertising expenditure of these huge concerns. Poster hoardings, special trade displays, and other forms of promotion, such as free samples, would put the advertising bill for some firms well over the £1,000,000 mark.

Seeing Behind the Scenes The Prime Minister, Mr Holland, saw behind the scenes at a film studio this week when he went to Pinewood to lunch with the managing director, Mr John Davis. He was taken into every department of the studio and expressed his amazement at the range of jobs which the studio harfdled. He saw different sets of three films under production—“ Value for Money ” “Doctor at Sea," and “The Woman For Joe. Mr Holland chatted with Dirk Bogarde, Brigitte Bardot, the Australian star, Diane Cilento, and Brenda de Banzie. Although the former Wellington girl, Jill Adams, was not on call during the visit of Mr Holland, the studio arranged for her to attend the studio for hair styling so that she could meet the Prime Minister.

m. 9® Singapore The next day I accompanied the Prime Minister to Alysford to see at first hand the 40-acre paper mill of Albert E. Reed, who has taken shares in the Tasman Pulp and Paper 7t . was Mr Holland’s last day in Britain and he thoroughly enT u he strain or the coSfnes f ti Un< ? es ’ J re oeptions, meetarld jtke hundred-and-one jobs he has had in London was gone The whic^V&yj?^ B fine luncheonat w .mch Mr Holland gave one of the wittiest speeches of his career* He was in jocular mood and lhe HphS? Ve %u w i?° attende d were delighted with his friendly manner and the way in which he told a story or two against himself. y Or

During his tour of the immense factory he spoke with many of the workmen and obliged the Kent press corps by posing for pictures on -numerous occasions. It was a good day for the Prime Minister. He was rushed back to London to collect his baggage before boarding the airliner for Singapore. Renounced Successions

Many persons spend a great portion of their life trying to get a peerage and a seat in the House of Lords; a few spend a similar period trying to renounce their rights to this honour. One of the greatest protagonists of the right to surrender a title is Mr Wedgwood Benn, Labour member for Bristol. Another is the present Lord Hailsham, formerly Quintin Hogg, Q.C., one of the brilliant young men of the Tory Party a few years ago. They feel, and there are many who sympathise with them, that a title deprives them of the right to do as they wish with their life. Mr Benn has gone as far as appearing before the Personal Bills Committee asking if he could present a Wedgwood Benn (Renunciation) Bill, but the decision went against him. His father is Lord Stansgate and he is the next in direct line to inherit the title. Mr Benn spoke for an hour and a half and was congratulated on his case and the eloquent manner in which he presented it. He told the committee that he had formed an ambition early—“when other little boys were still wanting to be engine drivers” —to enter Parliament. He had achieved his ambition and he wanted the opportunity of continuing in what he thought was his life’s work. Mr Benn said that the bill would only “set aside” the title during his lifetime. No one would be adversely , affected, except that his wife would not be ranked as a peeress, but she had signed a statement that she had no objection to the measures. His children remained unaffected. But the answer was no; and Mr Benn is now investigating some other means of achieving his ends. Quintin Hogg has been one of the most outspoken critics of hereditary titles since he was forced tc resign his Parliamentary seat in 1950. Gigli Retires—Again Life in the theatrical world is hard work at the beginning, but the rewards that come with success make it a life difficult to leave. Beniamino Gigli, who made a farewell tour of Britain several months ago, has again announced his retirement—after another farewell tour. He said he to leave while he is at the top of his form when “the public have the right sound in their ears.” At 65, Gigli has been a singing idol for 41 years. He plans now to teach and to make more films. This decision probably means that New Zealand will not now hear Gigli. When I saw him in Glasgow several months ago, he mentioned the possibility of visitipg Australia and New Zealand “if adequate arrangements”

could be made. The Stand-in Scored Imagine being a stand-in’s stand-in and stepping into the leading role of a West End production. The chances against such an occurrence are tremendous; but they worked out this week for 25-year-old Ann Pidgeon. Valerie Hobson, the star of the musical, “The King and I,” caught a cold and was unable to go on. Her understudy was in hospital .with ■ appendicitis; so Miss Pidgeon walked on to the enormous stage at the Drury Lane Theatre as Anna. She was grand. The audience clapped and stamped for her at the finish; even the cast clappea. But the press was not allowed to interview Miss Pidgeon after the performance. They were told by the management that understudies “must know their place.” It was a rule of the house that understudies were not publicised before they were properly established. But Miss Pidgeon probably won more publicity through * not being able to meet the press. Defender of Books Famous in the United States for defence of books banned for their T alleged obscenity—Joyce’s “Ulysses’* and the works of Marie Stopes among - others—Mr Morris Ernst is spending, his annual busy week in London. Opportunity has been taken during, his visit for the London members of : the authors’ committee on obscenity to discuss with him their draft bin. His views on horror comics legislation here are of interest to New Zealand for he thinks they are dangerous measures.” Recent American research makes him think there is no relationship between horror fiction and juvenile crime. Until more is known of the effect of such litera.ur®’ v e suggests, it is unwise to ban it by law. His final word: “There are no delinquent children; only delinquent parents.”