LONDON TOPICS

Evening Star, Issue 19710, 10 November 1927, Page 16

LONDON TOPICS

OUR SEAPLANE VICTORY September 29. Our decisive victory in the great contest for the Schneider Cup, though.experts here were fairly confident of our success on this occasion, is quite opportune. The R.A.F. has not had much luck lately in many ambitious endeavors, but Monday’s fine triumph will help to sooth ruffled esprit do corps. The gallant victors at Venice, who were meeting in the Italian pilots and engines second to none in the world, were on Monday night toaster, at all R.A.F. messes. Twenty years ago last Monday Henry Farmau made the first cii mlar flight over a kilometre course at a speed of 50 miles per hour. Monday’s R.A.F. pilots touched 290 miles per hour, which must, allowing for turns, have meant over 320 miles per hour at times. And just over a century ago, when Stevenson’s Rocket made its debut, eminent scientists declared that no human being could breathe at 60 miles per hour. Hub even our modern speed merchant) have found that at anything like 300 miles per hour turning involves a strain on the human organ ism that needs careful practice. The internal organs of the body, when the course is diverted at immense velocity, aro ant to suffer severely. While the firm human easement rsponds to the sudden veer of the machine, the more plastic inside fails to conform, and the consequences in the case of inexperienced or unseasoned pilots might he disastrous. 1 hear that our R.A.F. pilots have been most cordially received by their Italian confreres, and keen ness to win the cun has not marred camaraderie. But the fact that two of the R.A.F, pilots have names beginning with “ W ” lias caused much trouble to the Italian officials. There is no such letter in the Italian alphabet, and the endeavor to get ever the perplexity in official placards has been very amusing. But what a queer commentary the Aco is—with twentieth-century seaplanes zooming at 300 miles an hour round the ancient palace of the Doges!

MR CHURCHILL’S FIT. Mr Churchill, ardent optimist as bo is, is probably not unite so well satisfied as he appeared to indicate sonic little timo ago with the results of the first half of the financial year now nearing its close. I understand that the latest figures show the revenue for this period will be something like £1,500,000 above that of tho corresponding period of 192 G. This increase, when one lakes into consideration the particularly troubled year with which it is compared, can hardly be deemed adequate by the Chancellor, who to bo on the safe side, it is to bo supposed, should have found himself with a much bigger margin. Fortunately expenditure fr> r the six months has dropped by some £2,500,000. Against this, however, ir must be remembered that the cost of tho China expedition has not yet been met, and, moreover that the outlay on supply services ■is still to conic in tho second half of the year. If the China expedition, as Mr Churchill has intimated, is to be paid for out of savings. some drnsfir* economics will have to bo practised between now and March 31. F-vcn then, unless the autumn and winter revenue proves uncxpcctdly fruitful, tho prospects arc that the Exchequer will have a. very tight fit to make ends meet this year. B.r. AS PEACEMAKER.

Tho suggestion which comes from Scandinavia that Sir Robert BadenBowcll should be nominated_ns a. ruiulidate for tho Nobel Ponce Prize for 1928 may at first glance appear a littlo surprising. Those who remember tho fertile inventiveness with which 8.P.” turned out all manner of engines of war, both offensive and defensive, during his gallant stand at Mafeking aro apt to wonder what it is that ho lias done to contribute to tho cause of world peace. Even Sir Robert’s greatest work, the Scout movement, has a rather militaristic appearance on the face of it. It is, however, in relation to . this work that tho northern _ countries feci the appropriateness of his-can-didatnre. and when one comes to think of it their view is undoubtedly right. The inculcation of tho “Scout spirit” is doing much to promote international amity and understanding among future generations, far more, in all probability, tha any number of peace pacts and disarmament conferences. PIQUANT DISHES. The worried housewife, who finds the family apt to got tired of tho changes she can ring on ordinary English comestibles, may take new heart from a recent announcement, hi London it is now possible to procure such exotic dainties as bcche-de-mer, sharkfin, bird’s nest, botago in beeswax, tinned snails, and bolachaung. The first of those is politely translated into English as a marine slug, but in its native haunts I suspect it is accustomed to bo known in good plain Anzac a a “sea cootie.” In any case, slugs don’t have legs, and this beast has aplenty. Sharkfin and bird’s nest explain themselves both by name and taste, while botago is nothing more alarming than tho roe of grey mullet, the flavor of which is rendered more cloying by its embodiment with tho beeswax. Finally comes balachaung, an Oriental relish which adds untold piquancy to any curry. Its flavor is easily describahlo in that it consists of tho essential affluvia that forms the basis of the atmosphere pervading all cities cast of Suez—namely, decayed fish. From such a choice it should be possible to provide a menu to electrify the palate of even tho most jaded husband GLUT OF COUNTRY HOUSES. A solicitor friend tells mo there is a, glut of country houses for sale, and that tho man _ who wants a mediumsized place which is not readily accessible from London by train can have tho choice literally’ - of hundreds. He says that a client of his wrote to a firm of agents stating lie wanted a house near a certain market town 50 miles from London. Ho was prepared to pay about £4,000. By return of post lie received particulars of 30 houses, all within eight miles of tho town. Not a single one of those houses could ho built to-day for less than £IO,OOO. The_ explanation apparently is to Bo found in the gradual disappearance of the gentleman farmer. The son of the man who before the war farmed 50 or 60 acres as a hobby cannot afford to do so to-day. The land is sold to tho professional farmer class, and the houses await buyers, ONE OF OUR SECOND CITIES.

Despite the fact that it is the most cosmopolitan of all our great provincial cities, Liverpool is one of the most civically-minded. Its civic week is developing into a recurrent festival. Yet its rise to fame and fortune as our second greatest seaport was sudden and accidental. Until coal developments created the industrial north, Liverpool as a port was negligible. Not the Mersey, but the Deo was our west coast estuary, and not Liverpool, but the charming little hamlet of Parkgate, on the' Cheshire bank of the Dee, was the regular port for sea traffic. James 11. and the fatality that gave us Milton’s Lycidas occurred there. Her wealthy merchant princes have munificently endowed Liverpool, her university and her cathedral j but even their immense enterprise in mammoth docks and submarine breakwaters to defeat the tides mav not enable Liverpool, which disputes with Glasgow the title of second city of the Empire, to survive the fierce competition of Southampton and Plymouth. NEW USE EOR BOOTLACES. The common bootlace, that once indispensable auxiliary of masculine and feminine footwear, after becoming almost extinct, is again coming into popular demand. The revival, however.

is duo to the fancy of the fail* sox only, and ilio laco is not employed lor the purpose for which it was originally intended, it has now been promoted, and from its former lowly position it has risen to adorn the front of rniladiV afternoon frocks or to twine coqucttishly round the crown of her newest felt ' hat. Jji its essentials the luce is the self-same article that can bo bought at any shoe-shop, even including the metal tags at the extremities. Used on a frock, it lakes the place of buttons, the front of the garment being slit almost to the waist, and pierced with eyelifc holes, through which the laco is threaded, and fasttened iu a loose bow at the top. Though ordinary black and brown laces are much in use, others that have been dyed in brilliant hues are to be seen, and form a vivid contrast to the somewhat austere rnet of the frocks, to which Hey add the solo decoratiou, "T.P.” AND FIGHT FANS. Mr T. P. O’Connor, usually the mild-est-mannered man that ever wrote M.P. after an Irish name, is terribly severe on those quasi-fashiouablo ladies who patronise prize-lighting. Our him censor declares emphatically that lie would like to have them all whipped. It seems a drastic attitude to adopt, but, even amongst those men who are the keenest patrons of the modern ring, I doubt whether much real sympathy exists with feminine enjoyment of the fistic game. The aura of blood and sawdust that surrounds the halfnude contestants in those events seems uncongenial to our accepted tradition of feminine psychology. And yet the Roman dames were just as keen on witnessing the death struggles of the old gladiators as our post-war ladies are to see modern glove champions pound each other in the ring. And among these enthusiasts is at least one well-known lady writer, who frankly says she likes a fight. LAST WORD IN WIRELESS. Wireless amateurs are finding much to arose their enthusiasm in the National Radio Exhibition at Olympia. The exhibition, which is rich m its display of new marvels and conveniences for the listener-in, is set out in a most attractive manner, the brilliant and cheery lighting effects being particularly welcome in contrast with the perpetual murkiness prevailing outside. The tendency in the newest wireless sets is all towards [simplicity of control, and there is a markeddiminution in the knobs and gadgets which formerly decorated the panels of the more costly appliances. Those who object to the messiness of batteries will find their wants well catered for in several simple and reliable sets, which merely plug in to the domestic wiring system. _ Others, who prefer storage batteries, but dislike tho periodic task of hauling them round to a garage, will see apparatus which enables them to do their own recharging at home. The show is full of wonders, but perhaps the outstanding one is that apparently all sizes of pockets are catered for by the exhibitOtSi