LONDON TOPICS

Evening Star, Issue 19639, 19 August 1927, Page 5

LONDON TOPICS

UNIONISTS AND ECONOMY [Frou Our Corresponde-xt.] July 14. I gather that Mr Baldwin’s reply to representations made to him and Mr Churchill by the Conservative economy group in the House of Commons has not given great encouragement to those earnest advocates of national retrenchment. The reply was a confidential one. and, while setting forth the Cabinet’s sincere agreement with the memorialists in their general objective, holds forth little prospect of anything like big practical achievement just at present. In short, the Cabinet’s view is very much that expressed some time ago by the Earl of Oxford, when he showed the impossibility of any drastic cuts in national expenditure. But the economy group is far from convinced. _ It regards our present financial position as perilous in the extreme, alike from the standpoint of industrial regeneration and possible Imperial emergency. The bedrock fact regarded in this quartet is that to-day our Budgets arc, quite apart from all war burdens, a hundred millions above pre-war. In view of out gigantic war commitments this looks preposterous. NOT OUR FUNERAL.

What a difference in our Irish outlook since the treaty. The revolting murder of Mr O’Higgins is just the episode of “a private fight” now. It outrages our sentiments, but does not touch our concerns. It must be regarded as a double sequel. It follows the (political extinction of the physical force MacSwiney crowd at the recent Free State elections, and dates back to the day the young Minister of Finance, with a truly Roman gesture, refused to reprieve his old friend and best man, Rory O’Connor. lint Ireland is no climate for Brutnscs. Between fear and tradition the murderers may never be brought to the rope. Irishmen who deplore the brutal deed will argue that misguided patriotism inspired it. Mr O’Jliggins’s old father, a doctor, was shot down in his own dining room. A brother fell with the Ministers on the western front. The murdered Minister not only was hut looked a big personality. He was the strong man behind the present Free State Ministry. Though articled to.au uncle, a brother of Mr Tim Healy, who was a solicitor, he abandoned that avenue, and, having since been called to.the Irish Bar without the usual preliminaries, intended to follow his uncle’s profession once public work no longer claimed his great abilities. How so obvious a target for irreconcilable gunmen came to be without an escort is the mystery. Mr Cosgrave always has his with him when he moves abroad. And few of the murder gang would care to risk an encounter with Mr Cosgrave’s gunman, whose reputation was established when ho acted in the same role to Michael Collins. When Mr Cosgrave was absent, for reasons frankly stated, from the Dominion Conference ceremony at the Unknown Warrior’s grave Mr O’Higgins deputised for him. A VICTURE OF EMPIRE. It would have been difficult to imagine a spectacle more typical of the Empire and its traditions than that presented in Westminster Hall when the Duke and Duchess of York attended the reception in their honor given by the Empire Parliamentary Association. The dim and shadowy outline of the Gothic Hall was broken and splashed with shafts of golden sunlight streaming through the western windows. These, like tho beams of searchlights, made the color effects of the big assembly still more striking and accentuated the bright hues of Eastern robes and the no less brilliant frocks of modem London, As the Duke and Duchess entered at the top of the flight of steps which led to the southern end of the hall, tho picture was so dramatic that it was recognised in a spontaneous burst of approbation which was distinct from the subsequent cheers of welcome accorded them. The whole panorama seemed naturally to focus itself around the Duchess, who is surely horn to the role. Sincerity alone could have inspired the smiling artistry with which the greeted tho assembly collectively, and the representatives of Empire presented to her. THE YELLOW CAR.

The Earl of Birkenhead, who i.s generally to be discovered behind a tremendous cigar, was fifty-five this week. His post-prandial oratory is alwa.vs entertaining, especially if no reporters arc present. E.E. lias had the most romantic political career of modern times, and it once looked as if his succession to the Unionist leadership was assured; but a certain liveliness of utterance and temperament rather alienated many of his colleagues at a critical juncture. However, Ids administration of the India Office has done much to rehabilitate him in the, regard of his erst while critics. The brilliant yellow of his car once led a little maid of seven to inquire whether "That is the Primrose League.' 1 BRIGHT DEBUT. The House of Commons ha* listened to no maiden speech since “ E.E.’s ” memorable corruscation twenty-one years ago, which had such promise of setting the Thames on fire as Mr John Buchan’s. It was admirable in its logic, fine in its stylo, and brilliant in its delivery. Mr Buchan looks like one of the rare exceptions to the rule that literary men do not make good in the Westminster arena. His popular fame rests on thrilling books of romantic adventure, like ‘ The Thirty-nine Stops ’ and ‘ Grccnmantle,’ but this son of the Scottish manse, with bis solid Oxford record. was Lord Milner’s private secretary in South Africa, served at G.H.Q. on the staff during the war, and has since been our Great War historian. Fishing, door stalking, and mountaineering arc his recreations, and he has a nice sense of humor. When the Arcos raid took place lie complained that “Jicks” had “pinched” his best plot. ANOTHER BEAM SUCCESS. It is gratifying to hear excellent accounts of the new Beam service opened last week with South Africa. The system has been working from the start with compldtc smoothness, and all business has boon cleared, both ways, with an accuracy and prompt despatch that should at once ensure popularity for this latest link of Imperial communications. This result is encouraging a speeding up of the Indian Beam service, which will be advanced to the stage of practical testing next month. Once the Beam service is in full working order with our four groat dominion s—Ca n a da, An s Ira 1 ia, Sou I, h Africa, and India—scientific effort will bo concentrated on seen ring its complete secrecy and its extension to telephony as well as telegraphy. The latter is a development already being tried in the case of Canada, and there is talk of a direct wireless service soon to he inaugurated between t his country and that western dominion on the same lines as the one to New York. ATLANTIC ICE PERIL. The C.P.R. liner Montcalm’s alarming encounter with an Atlantic iceberg, the submerged ledge of which apparently grazed the vessel’s side, immediately recalls the memorable tragedy of the Titanic. That magnificent White Star liner, on her maiden voyage with the late Mr Lmay and Mr W. T. Stead among many other notabilities aboard, struck a loose berg in the night, and foundered with few survivors. The fact that Mr Lsmay, one of the owners, was among them caused regrettable comment. Since then the Atlantic Ice Patrol has been established on very efficient lines, and the risk of such mishaps has been greatly minimised. In some years the Are-

THE ‘SPORTS SPECIAL’

A GREAT ARRAY OF FEATURES To-morrow’s ‘ Sports Special' will contain an unusually big array of features. In the Rugby domain, the Otago-Taranaki match here, the Southland-Canterbury encounter at Christchurch, and the Auck-land-Manawhenua clash (involving the Ranfurly Shield) will furnish a big budget; Soccer derives renewed interest from Otago’s meeting with Wellington; and racing is represented by the Pakuranga Hunt Club’s Meeting. An additional and most attractive feature will be our special representative’s review of the amateur boxing championships.

tic thaw sends more drift ice south into the liner route than others, but “rogue” icebergs are shadowed nowadays like international crooks, and rarely escape wireless report by tho Atlantic sleuths of the patrol. LIKE OLD TIMES. I had not the advantage of being in London when the German airmen were raiding our Imperial capital with Zeppelin and bombing plane. But friends who wore, and who retain vivid memories of those thrilling nights when the ■ maroons sounded tneir ominous tocsin, declare that they have been lately getting quite realistic reminders thereof. Aeroplanes have nightly been zooming overhead, now at a great height, now just above oui roofs, and only the whizz and crash of falling bombs were needed to make it quite like old times again. Th« explanation is a simple one. Our Territorial anti-aircraft men have .been practising, and some of the brightest and best of Hie gallant Royal Air Force pilots have had excellent stuntflying practice, affording the Terriers a" chance to “spot” them with their searchlights and fix them with their “Archies.” It has been splendid training for both parties. TIMBER FAMINE CERTAIN.

Experts declare that, even with the ■utmost safeguards that an Imperial campaign might ensure, a timber famine is now inevitable. Already its potential effects are beginning to show themselves, and unless a, really gigantic effort is promptly made to afforcstate suitable available territory not practicable for agriculture, we may soon be gravely embarrassed by a real timber shortage. While the recommendations of the I 1 orestry Commission’s report are generally welcomed and approved, emphasis is placed by those in the trade on the imperative need for close and energetic co-opera-tion between the home and the dominion Governments and interests. Jt the problem of afforestation is to bp properly tackled it must be on a truly wide Imperial basis. Spasmodic local efforts will not suffice. The strange tiling is that for so many years nothing has been done to counter the obviously inevitable results of reckless spoliation of timber lands. STRAIGHTENING THE STRAND. It may interest a good many people, not only in this country, but in the hinterlands of Empire, to know that at last the dear old Strand w going to be straightened out Within the past twenty years Fleet street has been completely changed, so that us old journalistic warrens havo given place to up-to-date, modern offices. Hardly a vestige of old Fleet street now lingers superfluous ou the stugeBut the Strand, though there, too, big alterations and improvements have recently been made, is still tbo familiar old Strand, with its narrow bottle-neck just between the Tivoli and the Hotc _ Cecil, where a big block of shops juts out into the fairway. These leases aio now about to expire, and within a lew weeks the housebreakers will ho m. ■ Ambitious new buildings will arise m their place, but conforming to tlic broader scope ol the new Strand. 1 will bo one more landmark gone, but an immense improvement trom t.io traffic standpoint, ns well as affordm., a clear, uninterrupted view from the island churches, at the Law Courts end, to the Nelson Column, at the Charing Cross end. “WAIT FOR IT.’'

Kitchencr’s Army had no more sardonic joke than its cheerful parody under fire of the drill sergeant s imm Inn* “Wait for it.” When those dull thuds sounded, like someone slamming safe doors on the horizon, which denoted a. German battery opening up, the battalion joker/invariably sang out (he old slogan "Wait lor it Krupp never kept them wailing uuy lone Those distant thud, thud, tnuds were quickly followed, alter a ii.-ing crescendo of shriek through tnc air, bv the crnsh-hrump-crasli ot the mviving shells. And now they want cxservico men, amongst others, to listen to the bangs of Shocburyness big guns, and report bow soon they hear them. What a golden opportunity lor such .scientific observations t ie Air Mini&l V missed in 1914-18 The Groat W ; r was .staged regardless ol expense, that worked out at about lour and a-hall millions a day, and, seven yeais after, the Air Ministry want ns to sample mm firo! One naive ex-service friend inquired to-day whether be could listen-in to Shoeburyncss on his _cnsl.il seti It would be a great notion to broadcast these bangs, and give lh« British Legion a delicious home-tiom home feeling.