LONDON TOPICS

Evening Star, Issue 19020, 15 August 1925, Page 4

LONDON TOPICS

BENI DERKEL EPIC [From Odr Corhespondint,] June 25. It was unfortunate that, just at the height of the London season, the weather gave the impression of icebergs off the Thames estuary. In Hyde Park Society slavered under warm wraps that concealed all its pretty butterfly effects, . and the foreign cavalry officers, over for the Horse Show, looked blue in their gorgeous uniforms, and one or two called for their riding cloaks. The only people who could keep really warm and comfortable were those engaged in hot art controversy round the Epstein sculpture at the Bird Sanctuary ! Just now the park gardeners arc giving us their most lavish flower scheme, but these fairy children of the sun sadly lack their parent’s genial warmth to show up all their beauties. And the Serpentine boatmen, who did a roaring business during the recent heat wave, are now lacking custom. Yet London takes an optimistic view, and hones for once to get a really fine, sunny Henley week. FOREIGN VISITORS. London is not nearly so full of visitors, either from the country or abroad, as it was this time last year. There are certainly fewer Americans about, large bodies of them having gone on direct to the Continent, chiefly attracted by the Holy Year celebrations at Rome. This, of course, is a big loss to hotelkeepers, but they are hoping that we may see a revival of tourist traffic from Germany and other Continental countries this season similar to the invasions of pre-war years. As it is, large numbers of foreigners are now visiting England. Alany Germans are to be seen among them. This is, no doubt, due in a measure to tho advertisements ■ in _ German _ papers wherein tho attractions of Wembley have been set forth. The tourist agent is also active in tho publicity lino to, a much greater degree than hitherto, and our favorite summer resorts are being brought to the notice of Gorman tourists desirous of holiday trips round England. DESPERATE FIGHTING. The peculiarly desperate character of the Jlorocco fighting is shown by tho Beni Derkel epic, where the lieutenant in charge of an advanced post, sooner than fall alive into the hands of the Riffs, blew up himself and the six survivors of his Senegalese Tirallcurs’ platoon. There is more than mere military bravado behind this tragedy. Most warriors who are disciples of the Prophet have the tradition of mutilating their vanquished foes in an abominable way. “Roll to your rifle and blow out your brains,” is the advice given by Kipling’s Indian frontier soldier to wounded comrades, and failure to take such action led to some terrible dramas when the Italians were cub up by the Abyssinians at Adowa. Lieutenant Lapeyro will no doubt bo honored by Franco for his death-be-fore-surrender valor, but thora was grim practical wisdom in the French officer’s heroism. WATCH THE FRANC. One of the best-known chartered accountants .in the city told me to-day that ho expects to sue the franc at 309 to the £ by the end of October, and would not be very surprised if it were worse than that. He expects that tho July difficulty, when Treasury bills to a vast total have to be met, will be tided over with only a small influence on tho exchange. But ho does not see bow the autumn commitments, which are twice those of July, can possibly be mot. The holders in France, many of them small investors, will not reinvest in these bills, and inflation is tho only way with which to meet them, without the* reforms which tho present state of feeling in France will not permit. THE BACHELOR BISHOP. Dr Winnington Ingram, whose silver jubilee as Bishop of London is to be marked by the presentation of a motor car from the diocese, wan previously Bishop of Stepney for three years, so that ho has been in the episcopate now for nearly thirty years. He is unmarried, keen on sports, and of a very cheery disposition. By virtue of his motto, “Don’t bo afraid to be human,” he has gained tho affection of all classes of the people of London, and lias proved himselt an ideal ruler of the See. For thirteen years ho labored in the East End. On first, coining to Bethnal Green as head of the Oxford House, he experienced much difficulty in winning the friendship of the people in tho slums. He alludes to this fact in his book, ‘ Work in Great Cities,’ pointing out that one has often not only to [earn, but lo practise what is described as ihe “ foot-and-door trick.” It is ruination to the boot, be says, and sometimes hurts the toe, but it consists in rapidly passing the foot in the moment, tho door is opened, in order to secure/ at any rate, a few minutes’ parley. As to'what may happen, he says that after long hesitation the door will he opened about half a foot by a little girl. Ton will hear a distant voice from the wash tub in The rear: “Well, Sally, who is it?” Then Sally will answer at Hie top of her voice: “ Please, mother, it’s religion.” You will require, observes the bishop, all your presence of mind to cope with that. AMUNDSEN. A prominent member of the Royal Geographical Society gave mo the opinion to-day that Amundson, though he did not reach the Pole, has done a real service to geographical explorations, if only by demonstrating the practical value of aviation in its cause. News of the explorer’s safety came as a great relief, for, in spite of the soundest arguments of experts directed to showing that there was no real ground for anxiety, there is no doubt that anxiety was felt. Always in Arctic and Antarctic exploration there has been an element or the unknown—the possibility of something happening that could not have been foreseen. This, moreover, is confirmed by the very news we now have of Amundsen, for in the various conjectures that had boon published as to what might have happened to him none seems to have hit on what precisely did happen. NEW WARSHIP PROGRAMMES. From’a very good source I learn that it is premature to talk about a new naval programme having been formulated by tho Government. The facts are that a committee of the Cabinet has been engaged for some time in considering the whole question of the ships and vessels of the Navy which are due for replacement within the next few years, and the best means of making good this wastage in our naval power and of paying for it. The Cabinet has not yet come to a decision on the subject. Earlier in the year it was hoped that conditions might be favorable for another naval conference, and, although this has not yet materialised, it is well within the bounds of possibility. But certain ships, particularly cruisers, must be replaced whatever comes, and the problem is not one which can be settled olf-hand. A promise was given during tho Navy Estimates discussion that as soon as any new construction was agreed upom a Supplementary Estimate would be introduced. Thus the matter is quite independent of the ordinary Estimates this year, and before the _ Admiralty can get the ships they consider essential the Treasury must arrange to find the extra money. COINS FOR LITHUANIA.

The prestige of the British Mint still stands uuassailcd, even if the charges made for the minting of coins are higher than similar charges abroad. The latest country to order coins in London is Lithuania, following th® ex-

ample of Poland, which recently placed a considerable order here, which has now been completed. Lithuania requires silver on a more moderate scale, but the contract just signed by one of the four Anns of assayers to the Bank of England is said to amount to £IOO,OOO. Lithuania also has her stamps printed in London. LACE—THE BELGIAN PROTEST. With a Gallic bitterness, probably only finding precedence in the far-away days of the Congo incidents, Belgian journalists are commenting on Mr Baldwin’s proposed ad valorem tax of 3-‘3 1-3 per cent, on all imported laces and silks. Headed by the ‘ Neptune,’ of Brussels, the Belgian Press is full of indignant screeds. England, we are told, knows-.quite well that the great lace centres of Turnhont and Bruges give work to thousands of cottagers, each of whom depends solely for daily oread on the oraplojnnent of hand looms in the home. The ‘ Neptune ’ goes on to say that some of the refugee population winch sheltered in England after the 1914 invasion went so for as to prick out in parchment “ For England’s benefit ” the Belgian, Incomakers’ most treasured heritage of design. It is claimed that by such secrets, being yielded up English lacemakers were given a gift equalling that of a national art. “ Now, with one disdainful gesture, England shuts the ontrv to her markets in our faces.” All Belgian newspaper opinion is agreed that it is morally certain that with the imposition of these new taxes Belgian lacemakers can no longer compete with the growing English lace industry. New markets must he found—a hopeless task, it. is said—or “our ancient industry must he submerged in bankruptcy.” A QUICK REVENGE. It is really astonishing how rapidly the two-seater habit is spreading. At most of tho smaller South Coast seaside resorts nowadays the front becomes congested at week-ends with London cars, tho majority of them two-seaters, owned by small suburban people, who would a year or two ago have regarded “ a car ” as tho preserve of pseudomillionaires. And in seven cases out of ten it is the wife who takes the wheel.’ A friend just back from one small Sussex coast town tells of a notable change there within twelve months. Just outside the town there was last year a grim official notice in big letters to this effect: Drive slowly and see our scenery; Drive fast and see our magistrate! That notice lias now disappeared, and half the local shopkeepers dash about in their own two-seaters. Thus rapidly does the “ spirit of the age ” petrolpermeate even tho backwoods! LONDON AND THE NATIONAL TRUST. London does not come directly into tho new acquisitions mentioned in the annual report of tho National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty. Still, Stoke Poges, where additional land has been secured so as to preserve as much ns possible of the spirit of Gray’s ‘Elegy’ and Box Hill, to the public part of which additions have been made, are not far away. Indeed, the same may be said of Hogback Wood, near Beaconsfield, and Albury Heath, both of which are like the first two places named, within easy reach by road or rail. Little Bookham Common and Banks Common adjoining it, which have been presented to the trust, are nearer still, and well known to all walkers in the beautiful Surrey homeland. There is a more direct reference in tho fact that a new beech has been planted on One Tree Hill to replace in time the present “ Ono Tree,” which is now dead. By the way, W. S. Gilbert, whom nothing in his day seems to have escaped, has a reference to One Tree Hill in ‘ The Sorcerer.’ SONG BIRD PROTECTION.

It may bo taken for granted that any movement set going hero in connection with the campaign inaugurated at tho recent three-day conference in the Duchvof Luxemburg to save song birds in Europe will have the active support of Earl Grey of Falloden and Commander Hilton Young, M.P. Among parliamentarians they are, perhaps, our two most enthusiastic students of bird life. Wo have long had our own protective measures, and some birds, which it was thought were becoming rare, are now seen in good numbers again. Curiously enough, when Mr Hilton Young was recently in Iraq he came across some English birds which a'3| only rarely met with in this country. In bis view there are between thirty and forty real songsters among English birds, and these have no equal in any other country. It was estimated, in a report published in connection with the campaign started in the Duchy of Luxemburg, that one and a-half million song birds were shot in Belgium alone in 192-3, and that in the same year over four hundred thousand skylarks wore exported for food from Belgium to Franco. It is to put an end to this enormous traffic in song birds that action is now being taken.