LONDON TO-DAY

Evening Post, Volume xciv, Issue 73, 24 September 1917, Page 8

LONDON TO-DAY

AIR-RAID WARNINGS

CABINET CHANGES.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

LONDON, 24th July.

I suppose nobody but Mr. Lloyd George could have braved the fury of the Morning Post to bring back to office the picturesque personality of Mr. Winston Churchill. " Winny's " follies in the last eighteen months since he stood down from the Admiralty with so, much decorum and drama would have killed three great, reputations stone dead. Somehow he has ' .managed to survive, them, and the protests of the dignified against his restoration have sounded like little more than squeaks. The fact is the Dardanelles Commission, as far as it has gone, has shown that the faults of' Mr. Churchill were by no means the worst.' He was always an active hitter with a constructive policy, and the country is about tired of the other thing. The academic tirades of the prehistoric days before the war have lost all attraction, and such of the public as are not now in khaki in some shape or form • are longing to get on with the war. The Cabinet shufflo is altogether extraordinary. Sir Edward Carson's move from the Admiralty does not hurt the Admiralty at all, for Sir Eric Geddes, who takes his place, is one of the wizards of the 'war. The Navy has never lacked fighting capacity or spirit, but it has time and again been crippled, for lack of material, and Sir Eric is not the sort of man to allow that to continue. The war was won in 1914 on the equation of seame^ but has still to be won on' that of ships. Sir Edward Carson's elevation to the War Cabinet is one of those astuite manipulations of personalities at which Mr. Lloyd George is an adept. Nobody sapposes that he takes to the Cabinet any- , thing it did not already possess; but his closer absorption into the directing heart and brain of things does obviously improve the outlook for the Irish Convention. For the rest, the Cabinet changes are most remarkable for, the inclusion of Mr. Montagu. He and his co-religion-ist, Mr. Samuel, were two of the most! able of the old Cabinet—men who must obviously have been heard of , again in public life. But Mr Montagu's, re-.' appearance so soon is Startling in its suddenness. Only a week' or two ago he made a speech on the administration of the India Office, which in the bad old pre-war days' of restraint and ultrarespectability would have finished him off entirely. He said in effect that the whole system of governing India was hidebound and rotten. Within a fortnight he is suddenly called on, ac it were, "to prove his words," and he> has cheerfully undertaken to do so. "Anything a man is asked to do now lor his country," he says, "by those who are responsible' for guiding iis , destinies, must be done. Nothing else matters—no personal, no political considerations." ALARUMS AND EXCURSIONS. The workings of the official mind under the impetus of a, minor necessity, have been laid bare during the last week or two over the raid warning controversy. When warnings were first demanded, the official reply, according to medieval .formula, was that they would do more" harm than good. They might delay output by stopping factories "at all hours of the day"; they might induce death from heart shock; and so on. Wherefore, the authorities decided that they should not be. Then cam* the great daylight'raid. It was known to the officials an hour esulier, but kept an absolute secret.. It was Saturday morning, ; and more than one mother, no doubt, has regretted the little ones sent out into the crowded streets on' errands which could well have waited. The officials afterwards- admitted that four-fifths of the casualties .occurred in the streets. Since then the : ''Cuthbert«" have tumbled over each other to devise warnings. First o£ all, fat policemen were sent along the streets carrying placards with the words: "Police Warnings! Take Cover!" Those who saw the placards fled, more in sorrow than in anger. Then the officials tried syrens. Four of them, all close to*l Blackfriars Bridge, were set going about midday ; and it k recorded that they were heard above the traffic almost, as clearly as the booming of the guns from Flanders. Then, they tried sky rockets, specially exhorting the public to watch them burst. This, too, seemed rather flat. But on Sunday morning the real thing came. About half-past eight a furious bombardment commenced, irregular and Ta.pid and growing steadily louder. People half-dressed tumbled out of bedrooms and made straight for 'the cellars. Very few . questions were asked. Nobody could doubt that it was the terror of the air'once more upon us. It lasted a quarter *of an hour, then ceased, and timid heads were popped out to search the skies and discuss the raid. In point of fact, the bombardment was the latest devise for. giving warning. Three maroons were sent skyward from each police station, -and the collective result was enough for anybody. Nobody is disconcerted now, especially as'the officials have promised to reduce the quota to two maroons, and to endeavour to synchronise the bangs so that the public will understaral jthat it is th<y wanjteg and not the raid. The warning on Sunday was perfectly genuine, but the raid spent itself on Harwich and Felixetowe. ■.'..'. ' ';, " FURTHER INVESTIGATION." Talking about officials, Mr. Macpherson made a slip the other day when he denied point blank that any aeroplanes had escorted Princess Mary ,on her visit to Southend. He has now explained, " from further ■ investigation," that on the occasion of the visit the secretary of the R.N. Hospital had approached the commander of the depot squadron in the neighbourhood and asked for a, guard of honour. The squadron commander replied .that if he- had any machines flying on that day in the ordinary course of training he would raise no objection to their flying above the railway. In acknowledging the courtesy of the arrangement, Sir E. W. Wallington wrote: . : . " I hope thai nothing will be done in any' way to interfere with the services of the Royal Corps, as they may have more important places to defend.. I have spoken to Princess Mary, and hey Royal Highness quite concurs in this." On the da-y in question, Mr. Macpherson continued, five training machines were, practising formation flying as part of the ordinary training,.and this flight flew eight miles up the 'railway and back to Southend. These were- ordinary training machines, each manned by a.n instructor and pupil. They were not. armed for lighting. This action was taken by the squadron commander without reference to any superior: authority, and he stated that since., the', flight was an ordinary and proper pai't of the training, for which lie was responsible be did not consider any reference necessary. Consequently, headquarters were not apprised of the fact. To another rumour that 'planes were withdrawn from London to accompany the King and Queen in France, Lord ■ Stamfordhani 1 has replied : "There is no truth whatever that any aeropla-nes were withdrawn from London to give a ■display before His Majesty, or for any dbj^k .eynnwted with ww Kln*'» v*j»it