WELLS'S PLAN

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 75, 30 March 1932, Page 14

WELLS'S PLAN

"CALL IN THE EXPERTS"

OPTIMISTIC ABOUT ENGLAND

i\o GREAT BANGER

H. G. "Wells camo again to New York cheerful about the future of England and pessimistic about world economics. He saw civilisation in a condition of "probable collapse"; with the fall being greater than those of Greece and Korne because our civilisation is more "crazy." He could set no time limit for the ending, hinting only that it might "well be soon. As to what •will happen then, well—"I'll write you a book about that.'' The latest appearance of Mr. Wells —he had not been in this country for a number of years—was genial, says the "New York Times." On board the Aquitania he joked with tho photographers and compared himself to Charlie Chaplin, and then observed the proprieties of the port by remarking on the skyline for the benefit of the newsreel. In his talk afterward he spiced his remarks with bland and whimsical observations. He has written, a companion piece to the "Outline of History," but when he leaves here it is to do a novel. The course of his terse comments ran from his personal lack of admiration for Premier Mac Donald to the end of the world. He touched briefly on such diverse things as the need for community building and the potential advantages of birth control. He declined to say anything about the gold standard or Bernard Shaw's reflections on Russia. He said he could not spare the hour it would take to go into tho former, and he did not wish "to interfere with the processes of Mr. Shaw's soul." His thoughts on world economics and the future of civilisation were brought forward by his being asked an opinion of President Hoover's "six-point plan." He said: "If you wi^forgive me an opinion, I do not think that even the United States can manage its financial and economic affairs alone. "There are three main factors in the world depression to-day. The first is nationalism in finance.- The second is the currency break-down, due to no readjustment after the World War. There was. an increase in. population after a period of great waste;, a need for more money and there was lens. There was a restriction that has strangled economic development. The third is .something that has happened now for the first time in history—production had run beyond any possibility of consumption.' -' ECONOMISTS NEEDED. Mr. Wells was asked what the remedy might be. "One remedy would be to fall back upon economic science before it is too late/and beat tho thing as a world problem," he said. "Put the economic leaders in charge, not the politicians, and they will be able to do it. If you have a. world health problem you naturally consult with doctors and biologists. Politicians are necessary intermediaries, not to work out a problem' but to hand it over to the experts on that particular thing—as in health and mining. They know what steps can best.be taken." He declined to name any of the economic leaders ho would put in charge. He said he knew several, but their names might not be, so clearly recognised in this country, and the whole thing might cause ill feeling of one Gorfc or another. He then remarked that the "primary thing just now is to recognise cosmopolitanism." "If wo do not work together," he asserted, "the whole world will 'bust.' " "I'll chuck in one thing you haven't asked me," he added, "as it happens to bo an obsession of mine. That is that collective enterprise in the rebuilding of cities is. the only way to fill up the_ gap between over-production and limited consumption. New forms of employment must be found, and the obvious thing is to consider the immense architectural possibilities. AYe must accept the responsibility of rehousing all of mankind, rebuilding cities and reclaiming the roads and countrysides. Community work is necessary. .Mr. Wells said the world must also have "control of currency or we are lost." He advocates a single world currency as a part of his cosmopolitanism or internationalism. He took issue with the liberal use of the word "depression" to fit these times. "I don't have faith in the talk of 'cycles,' " he,explained. "They have never been regular things. And, besides, this is more than, a depression; it is something that never happened before. There will be no recovery unless ■ new methods of correcting it can be reached." He was. asked about the potential downfall, of modern civilisation. # "An absolute collapse of it is possible," he- said. "This one may fall as rapidly as any civilisation can. But the cause is not exactly comparable to Eome, because the Eomans were near to the ground, and there was no great mechanical system to crash down upon them. This is such a crazy edifice we have that it will fall hard." "What will happen then?" He smiled and replied, "I'll write you a book about that." IN GERMANY. Mr. Wells said ho had heard from friends in Germany who "were anxious" about tho situation there. He said he did not know "what the odds are," but there seems a possibility "of the Bolshevik frontier coming to the Ehine." But the Hitlerites "may upset the cart."' He thought there was some danger of "warfare breaking out"—not like the World AVar, because "history never repeats," but some local fighting. There was a suggestion that the present Japan-China disagreement might be that, and he admitted the possibility. To a question of "whether the world could afford" a war, he remarked, that "they never j think of that until afterward." Early in the interview, which took place in a quiet corner of a deck after he had finished tea, Mr. Wells'a opinion of his Premier was invited. He said: ■"I have no great admiration for Mr. MaeDonald; he is a very self-conscious and theatrical person." To a question as to whether the Premier "has suffered in your esteem" because of recent manoeuvres, he said, "No, I knew all about him before." Nothing "very dreadful" will happen to England, the author thought, as it is "a very stable nation, and never in its history have there been great political panics as elsewhere." MR. SHAW'S SOUL. He said of Mr. Shaw—who went to Piussia for a ten-day visit and returned to praise it: I"I don't feel that I should interfere j with the processes of Mr. Shaw's soul. iHe is my senior, and I respect him very much." iAs to whether he thought (he Soviet is getting along all right, he observed: |"I am surprised they are doing as well as they arc. They will be able to produce something that will look like success." Mr. Walls's contact with the photo■jraphers allowed Mm. a geniaL. ihiek-

set, ruddj' man in a brown business suit. He posed readily, but when he decided ho had had* enough there was no more. A newsreel cameraman asked him how long it had been since his last visit to New York. He gave the date 1922, and then went on to say he wanted "to see what changes there have been in the New York skyline." There was a twinkle in his eye; he was at least one up. He was asked whether he was expected to return to "Your Metier," the novel. "Do you really think I am a novelist?" ho asked, and in mock gratitude rushed forward to grasp the. reporter's hand. "When I'm finished in New York I'm going back to write a novel," he said. . ; He has.come here "to sit on the roofs and indexes" of his new book. He is "interested in the two thousand million people in'the world, and interested in what they do and how they do it." • Barbers were once surgeons and dentists as well as ■ hairdressers. Bleeding was a supposed remedy for most complaints, and as there were no anaesthetics the pole was provided for the patient to grasp when the incision was made. During the operation the arm was bandaged with tape, which was criss-crossed round the pole when not in use. AUCTIONS.