LONDON TOPICS

Evening Star, Issue 18532, 15 January 1924, Page 9

LONDON TOPICS

POINCARE'S PREDICAMENT. PRE-ELECTION VIEWS.. ‘Thom Our London Coerespondent.J November 29. Mors intimate pews of what aptually happened during the sitting of the Ambassadors’ Conference last week reveals an interesting situation. M. Poincare’s scheme, strenuously backed by Marshal Foch, involved the seizure of important railway centres beyond the existing area of French occupation, and drastic measures otherwise. At one time there threatened a complete rupture of the Entente, under which Italy and Belgium would have been associated with ourselves. France would have boon completely isolated, and we should have withdrawn from European affairs en bloo. Apparently, M. Poincare hesitated in face of such a contretemps, and is now, according to some authorities, seeking a now diplomatic orientation. But others, quite as well informed, regard the French Premier as hopelessly committed to his forward policy of smashing up Germany, and in danger of political debacle should he even substantially modify his attitude.

LIBERALS AND LABOUR. Whatever else may be in doubt, one result of this General Election is sure: an abiding quarrel will remain between the Liberals and Labor. This fact may have great importance, in the event of the election being a close thine. Liberals are accusing Labor candidates of a deliberate dog-in-the-manger policy. Labor candidates are being put up in constituencies where they cannot possibly win the seat, but must split the Freetrade vote. At the last General Election there were about 250 triangular contests. This time there will be even more. The Liberals assert that Labor’s policy ip this matter is dictated solely by a desire to prevent the Liberals returning to the new House of Commons as the second biggest party, and consequently ousting Labor ns the official Opposition. As Freetrade is more an article of religion than politics with the Liberal Party, this jeopardising of the supreme issue, as it considers it, for Labor's purely selfish Parliamentary ends, is causing very bad blood indeed. THE ASQUITHS. For a veteran two years past the Psalmist’s allotted span of life, Mr Asquith’s election activities are remarkable. And Mrs Asquith’s lively interest in the fight and. close association with her husband are no less .so, because. “ Margot ” is now, in years as well as fact, a grandmother, though nobody would dream of classifying her among the old ladies of our generation. Mr Asquith will have the platform support of one of his daughters, Lady Bonham Carter, who is reckoned a fine election hand, but the other, Princess Bibesco, eagerly though she may desire to share in the glad fight, is debarred by strict diplomatic etiquette. She is the wife of the Rumanian Minister at Washington, and no longer technically an Englishwoman. So she is rigorously kept out of the fun of the fair. Mr Anthony Asquith is too young yet to be available for platform purposes, but they say, although ho has not the paternal or fraternal flair for “ firsts ”• at Oxford, he promises to shino at the union as a debater. ** ’ELECTORAL PSYCHOLOGY. I have received a breezy letter from an ex-service friend who is at present “ serving for the duration ” as one of the huge battalion of Parliamentary candidates m the General Election campaign. Ha emphasises ous interesting point in electoral psychology, it is no longer a discreet stroke of electioneering strategy to offer to kiss the baby. In fact, according to my alert correspondent, it is an error in tactics—what the W.O. used to ..catalogue as “an unfortunate incident.” What seems to have happened is that the women electors, as well as the men, have experienced a revulsion of feeling about candidates who kiss the baby. This, my friend is disposed to attribute to the newspaper cartoonists and comic writers overdoing the old joke. “It might,” writes my friend, “ on occasion bo a good move to offer to salute mamma herself, but, as you value your election forfeit, don’t slobber the baby!" MOTOR ROADS. There has been much talk of making great main motor roads across the country, and reintroducing something like the old toll-gate system, as a means of finding work for unemployed and also, of helping in"tho motor transport development. But I gather that tho project is not enthusiastically viewed by the Ministry of Transport, who offers various objections, including the difficulty of getting tho necessary Act of Parliament through, particularly in face of the certain strenuous opposition of the powerful railway interests at Westminister. One of the projected motor roads of which a good deal has been heard is that between London and Liverpool, greatly fancied by Lord Montagu of Beaulieu; but the odds against it “eventuating ” _is rather long. • Nationalisation of roads is regarded as too well established to be challenged nowadays. ONE BETTER. * A Swiss inventor claims to have perfected a marvellous machine that goes one better than the dictaphone, and eliminates even tho typist. In the old days one dictated to a shorthand typist, who afterwards typed out her shorthand notes, more or less accurately. Tho next stage was the dictaphone, into which you talk what you want to say, and, without the necessity for shorthand, the composition is slowly reproduced, so that later a typist can type it out. This machine is now used extensively by all sorts of people, literary men, schoolmasters, and business men. But the Swiss invention, if its claims prove accurate, eliminates even the typist. This machine actually types the words as they are uttered, spelling them correctly, and attaining a rate of from sixty to one hundred words a minute. It sounds incredible, but we are living in an age of incredible miracles. THE CRUSADERS. Opinion is at least sharply divided about the propriety of the new Crusader movement. And even Royal patronage docs not reconcile hostile criticism. The Crusader movement is a semi-secret society with the admirable aim of fostering patriotism and religion, but strikes outsiders as something between the Italian' Fascist! and the American Ku Klux IClan. The uniform consists of a cowled monkish gown, over which is worn a white surplice with Orusador’s cross and belt. The main point of criticism directed against tho movement is its utilisation of tho Unknown Warrior, who lias been made First Knight of the Order, for what many people regard as “publicity” purposes. Next week the Duke of York will be present at tho ceremonial placing of a wreath on the Unknown’s Abbey tomb. It might become an ill-omened precedent for vulgarising something regarded by millions of citizens with profound reverence. NO MORE “ZEPS.” It is officially stated that after tho delayed completion of the giant airship for the United States Government the famous Zeppelin works at Friedrichshaven will close down. A friend who was recently over there tells me that the > reason is Bolshevism among the worfemeh, which has so retarded work that the American Zeppelin, due some months ago, will not be ready before Christmas, and possibly not until the spring. The dapper little manager of the works, Captain Zchmann, who wore a blue lounge suit and talked perfect English, stated as much to my friend, and give him the reason bluntly. Captain Zehmnnn is an old Zeppelin pilot, and dropped a good many bombs on or around London in the thrilling war nights. My friend noticed that all the messengers and door-keepers about the Friedrichshaven works wore old soldiers who had been badly wounded. Most of them were sunns either an arm or a leg.