DO YOU BELIEVE IN PROGRESS?

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29832, 26 May 1962, Page 10

DO YOU BELIEVE IN PROGRESS?

IBy

WHIM WHAM]

"We must have progress "—Novel suggestion bv witne«s before the Parliamentary Select Committee on the Ashing industry. We must have Progress? I suppose we must. And if We must progress, we must, or bust. And even Busting can be done impressively By up-to-date Techniques, i.e., progressively. We must have Progress. That’s what People say. Sometimes I wonder why they talk that Way. It’s not as if it GOT them anywhere, Or made their Sorrows easier to bear. Progress is it a Thing, a Word, a Dream? A hundred Years ago it went by Steam Sir, can You bear to think how we’ve progressed Since then? And has it ALL been for the Best? TV is Progress in these Islands now (I expect we’ll keep the Payments up somehow); In every Suburb sprouts that ugly Crop Of Aerials, chimney-top by chimney-top. Old Stuff elsewhere, served up to Us for New It w’as all Progress (once!) for Others too. We must have Progress? Must we? Don’t we leave That grand vague Aim for Others to achieve? Their changing Arts, their Science, their Invention, Anything else that You may care to mention, The Kiwi gets the Lot! That wingless Freak, With No-remittance Licence in its Beak, Comes scavenging among the Scraps and Litter Of man’s untidy Progress . . . These are bitter Words, do you say? O.K. That's what they are. It’s Five O’Clock. I’m dry. The Pub's not far. Come! Join me in my Progress, to the Bar.