LONDON TOPICS

Evening Star, Issue 20255, 16 August 1929, Page 14

LONDON TOPICS

PARLIAMENT ; [Feom Oc* Own Coeesspondknx.] July 4. The formal opening of the new Parliament attracted far bigger crowds tha/n usual round Westminster, despite the absence of the King and Queen; but the proceedings within the House of -Lords lacked much of their customary elan. Lord Sankey’s debut as Lord Chancellor was made with great dignity and aplomb, however, and his reading of the first Labour King’s Speech in our history was, in its slow deliberation and careful enunciation, worthy of any cathedral dean. An immense crush of visitors, mostly asking for Labour M.P.s, invaded the House of Commons’ precincts; and there was an unmistakable air of bustle and excitement about the place which contrasted sharply with recent experience. 1 hear the demand for seats in the visitors’ galleries exceeds all records. LABOUR’S POLICY. Naturally there was keen lobby interest in Mr MacDonald's policy as outlined in the King’s Speech. Obviously the Prime Minister and his colleagues are, true to their declared intention and the tactics of the parliamentary situation, playing for safety. The question of safeguarding the iron and steel and cotton industry, the drink problem, and electoral reform aro relegated to the distant future by inquiry: legislation is proposed only as to factory conditions, slums, housing, and pensions, plus the Trade Disputes Act, and administrative action confined to Rhineland evacuation, recognition of Russia, unemployment, and reorganisation of the coal industry. , All these look safe measures, except perhaps the coal project and the Trade Disputes Act. On those two questions Labour might, particularly if it proposes to repeal the latter, encounter a difficult situation. KING GEORGE’S HOME-COMING. Everybody commented on the King’s bronzed face and cheery smile when the Court returned to Buckingham Palace after an almost unprecedented absence from London. There was an immense multitude in the streets, and His Majesty got a wonderful reception, the whole affair making a thrilling contrast with the dark December day when a motor ambulance whirled the invalid Sovereign away to Bognor, and a wan Royal hand saluted silent crowds of sympathisers. But it must be said that His Majesty was not the main actor in the popular scenes.. No famous diva or great actress ever had such an ovation as the little Princess Elizabeth, when the King stepped opt upon the palace balcony with his vivacious granddaughter in liis arms. It was good to see His Majesty so alert and cheei;y, but X thought there was still some trace of his severe illness' in the King’s eyes, which were heavily underlined. His Majesty showed great pluck in facing the ordeal of an open carriage in sucli bitter weather. M. FRANKLIN BOILLON. The war debt question, between America and France assumes an acute reality following Washington’s demand that Paris must either pay forthwith the £80,000,000 due for war material left behind in France by the American army or sign the general debt settlement. The situation is complicated for Franco by Mr Churchill’s statement that Great Britain will expect a like amount if France pays America the £80,000,000; but M. Poincare’s great stumbling block is M. Franklin Boillon, who has worked up a fever of sentiment against the American demand. This is the : remarkable personality—-half-English and half-French —whose mission to Turkey caused us so much trouble after the Ghanak episode. M. Franklin Boillon is a pronounced Anglophobe, and his extreme “ Gallicism ’’ may yet land France in serious difficulties.

LORD PASSFIELD’S BARONY FEES. A recommendation has gone forward to the proper quarter that the fees in connection with the barony conferred upon Mr Sidney Webb, the Secretary for the. Dominions, should be remitted. This is in accordance with precedent, for when Lord Oliver, Lord Thomson, and Lord Annold accepted peerages from Mr Ramsay MacDonald in the last Labour Government the fees eventually were remitted. This means that something like £330, the standard fee for a barony, will be charged to the funds of the Exchequer. 1 am told that it is more than probable that fees will be remitted in respect of other admissions to the peerage in the New Year's honours list and' also the dissolution honours. The remission of fees in respect to political, honours is becoming a very frequent occurrence in latter years. In the case of the earldom bestowed upon ‘Mr Balfour fees amounting to £2,253 were remitted, and in the cases of the barony for Lord Birkenhead, the earldoms for Lord Haig and Lord Beatty and Lord Kitchener the lees were all remitted. The fees for an earldom invariably amount to over £2,200, those for a viscouutcy to about £900,-and a,barony about £350. ROPE TO VISIT ENGLAND. One sensational result of the recent entente between Mussolini and the Vatican, which constitutes the latter an independent sovereign State, and heals an ancient quarrel between Italy and the, Pontiff,’ is that His Holiness will shortly pay visits to several great Catholic families. I am told that one of these will entail the Pope coming to England, where he will be the guest of the Duke .of Norfolk at Arundel Castle. It will be a historic event, because no Pope has yet, in all the long annals of the Roman Vatican, set foot in this country. Before Tie reached the chair, of course, the present Holy Father knew England fairly well. Ho resided for some time near the Brompton Oratory, and frequently travelled on a bus, usually as an outside passenger, to the , British. Museum reading room. AN OLD TROUBLE. The views so strongly voiced by Captain Disey, M.P., are undoubtedly those of a considerable section of the Tory Party. They believe firmly, and nothing ear; shake their simple faith, that protection, tariff reform, safeguarding.—call it what you will—has never yet failed on its merits as an election plank, but always and only because it was put forward in too milk-and-water a form and too apologetic a manner. It is an article of faith with this group that Protection is the only possible answer to Socialism in the form of poli-tico-economic propaganda, and they are resentful that their leaders will not see the light. But these are not, I fancy, the views of a majority of Mr Baldwin’s supporters, but it may be rather difficult to compose the differences within the ranks on this subject. IF anything like serious disagreement about his- leadership is manifested, I believe Air Baldwin will promptly quit the arena.

IMPERIAL WAR MEMORIAL. • ' I hear that another war memorial, of micro interest and significance than usual, is now nearing completion. It is one of Imperial import, and is a tribute to all those soldiers of the overseas dominion and colonial forces who gave their lives in the historic struggle. The main feature will bo an impressive stone pylon, round the. base of whch some fine sculptury. will commemorate each of the Imperial oversea units concerned. These groups are now being designed and worked out in London studios. The French Government has, with its usual sympathetic consideration for all such works, approved a suitable site for this ambitious project, which will be one of the most notable, and, it is hoped, not the least artistically worthy, of all western front memorials. . TIMBER OUT OE STRAW. The timber trade, I hear, is much interested in a project now being started in Canada, by which it is proposed to manufacture boards out of compressed straw. These boards, it is claimed, will be equal to a good hard wood like oak, will be .fireproof, and can bo turned out in 14ft lengths, with a thickness of 2in, If tho scheme is a success Canadian farmers will find a new and profitable market for their straw, and a new timber suitable for heavy work will be produced at a much lower cost than the wood now being used. KING OF SPAIN. The King of Spain seems to have made still another circle of friends in London. He is very popular wherever he goes, and ho has a particular group of admirers, men as well as women, who wait outside tljp entrance of Claridge’s Hotel, where he is staying, to see him go out every morning, They are the same people most days, and the King has got to know some of their faces, for lie smiles graciously, and raises his hat ns though they were old friends. Ho has had a busy time during his stay. But he likes to rush here, there, and everywhere, see everything of note that is going on, and sandwich unconventional calls upon his friends and those of Queen Ena between his more formal engagements. Sporting events have attracted him most. He‘hns watched the tennis at Wimbledon, seen dirt track racing, played polo’, sat through a lifcttle cricket, and made minute inquiries about speed boat racing. Tho Queen and her daughters are expected here before the end of the summer. YSAYE IN WAR TIME. It seems incredible that Ysaye, the famous Belgian violinist, now seriously ill with diabetes, for which ,1m has just undergone a successful operation, can be seventy years old. War workers vividly remember the verve and youthfulness he displayed at a concert, organised for war charities by Susan, Duchess of Somerset,_ and given in her fine double drawing room at Grosveuor square. The violinist’s two sons, baring snatched short leave to be present, were dancing attendance on their distinguished father, both in the uniform of the Belgian army. Only a year or so ago Ysaye, then a widower, married one of his pupils. Susan, Duchess of Somerset, one of the first of our American peeresses, did much for Belgium, and has the Queen’s gold medal for her services. THE VESTRIS INQUIRY. Now that the Board of Trade inquiry into the loss of the \estris is drawing to a close, I may say that a friend who was in New York soon after the event contrasts the methods of the two countries to the great advantage of our own. The American proceedings had nothing judicial about_them. The loading attorney indulged in an abundance of invective, told interviewers in advance what he proposed to prove—and did not always do it—cited the opinion of negro stewards on points of navigation, and generally surrounded tho whole affair with an atmosphere of prejudice. Meanwhile the newspaper headlines in giant capitals sought to shake the confidence of the American public in the safety of British shipping. The campaign, I gather, did not succeed. Hero, though the inquiry has been belated, it has been conducted in a spirit of judicial calm, and I expect tbo finding will be nearer tho truth. LORD PASSFIELD’S WIFE. So long as Lord I’ass Tie 1(1 and his wife remain at home, no difficulty will arise from her decision to adhere to the name of Mrs Mebb. But when they go to the Continent —as they are fond of doing—complications will arise such as those which used to embarrass the judges of the Scottish Court ot Session! These gentlemen generally assume territorial courtesy titles, but until about a quarter of a century ago their wives did not share the hououi. Hi us it was distinctly awkward when a re-spectable-looking, elderly gentleman signed an hotel book ioi\ hunselt and his companion as “Lord Kincairncy and Mrs Macintosh.” Eventually directions were given that the courtesy- title should be shared. The wile ot a Court of Session judge is ex-officio a leading figure in Edinburgh society, ami equivocal incidents of the sort 1 have indieated did not suit then* dignity -