LONDON TOPICS

Evening Star, Issue 20316, 26 October 1929, Page 29

LONDON TOPICS

SCHNEIDER TROPHY TRIUMPH [From Oob Correspondent.] September 12. The knowledge of the Indian air mail disaster at Jask, reaching tlie public as it did just an hour or two before the start of the great Schneider speed contest, cast a temporary gloom over the otherwise light-hearted concourse assembled around the shores ot the Solent on Saturday. The story went by word of mouth around the spectators on the beaches and afloat, and it was easy to read upon the faces of the crowd the fear that the crash in Persia might be a portent of other calamities to come id the race Premonitions, however, were quickly cast aside as the supermarine, piloted by Wagfiorn, sped like an arrow ovei the starting line and screamed its way out upon its record-breaking flight. , As pilot after pilot took the air excitement became prodigious. Such masterly style did each exhibit—some skimming only a score or so of feet about the water, and others following the course a couple of hundred feet above the pylons—that all sense of the danger of the exploit was cast asjde. After the first lap or two had been witnessed so great had become the confidence of the crowd that even when the news came through that two of the Italians were down no one had anxiety that serious misfortune had befallen them. In the joy of victory which followed the tragedy of the air mail was temporarily forgotten, and it was just as well that it should have been, for the course of our achievement in the conquest of the air cannot be set back by any disas+ers which from time to time are bound to arise. O’ER CANNY RAMSAY. It is a thousand pities that Mr Ramsay Macdonald’s native caution should so often lead him into being equivocal, when he might with so much greater advantage be positive. The ambiguity which he cast over his approaching visit to President Hoover when interviewed by pressmen at Geneva let loose the busybodies and pessimists hero, and rumours of a hitch in the Anglo-Ameri-can naval negotiations were to be heard on all hands. The rumour-mongers are coupling the Premier’s uncertainty about his visit with the news, simultaneously announced, that the Admiralty has decided to proceed immediately with the construction ot two sloops of the 1929 programme. To this they add the fact, announced a day or two carder, that President Hoover has told American naval yards to get on with the fifteen-cruiser programme and, totalling the three items up, they come to the conclusion that something serious has “gone agley ” with the disarmament discussion Prom all the sources of information which I can draw upon, I have no hesitancy in saying that such an inference is entirely fallacious. The negotiations up to the present have been, 1 believe, even more satisfactory than the negotiators dared to anticipate when they embarked upon them. The fact that naval construction on both sides of the Atlantic is to be proceeded will) is one of the best indications that a mutually acceptable yardstick has been found, and that building car now be conducted with a view to ar riving at parity in the not far distant future As regards Mr MacDonald’s visit to America, on the oth°r side of the herring pond thev have already fixed the date of his arrival and ol his departure. Of course, he will g? to America, and no one is so cert?’’' of it as he is himself, only his High land canniness made him unable to b” explicit about it. His subsequent excuse, that his parliamentary duties ma v interfere with the engagement has only made matters worse, for nobody believes for a moment that any political party would take advantage of his absence on such a mission of benefit to mankind. JOYS OP PREMIERSHIP. There can be no doubt about it that the “sweets of office’’ arc proving highly beneficial to Mr Ramsay MacDonald. When I saw him after be return from Geneva I was more than eyer struck with the contrast between his present appearance and that o' the haggard, care-worn Leader of tlm Opposition during th° final months of the ■ last Parliament. Pun-bronzed alert, and brimming over with joie d vivre, one glance at the Premier nowadays is sufficient to give the lie to all those rumours about his failin' health which were so prevalent a year or so ago. As a matter of fact, ho seemed to me to have become younger even during the few davs whir 1 ’ had elapsed since I saw him befor' his departure for the Assembly. This is possibly due to his having clipped off a little bit of the droop from his moustache. Mere probably. I think, is it the outcome of a growing realisa t.ion that he is not only Prime Minister but the leader of a party which i; steadily knitting itself together, THREE NEW GOVERNORSGENERAL. During next year too iviog will have under consideration the selccuon of at least Uuee new uovurnors-Geuerai. in Uctooer next Lord atonetiaven’s term ol omce ceases—and i understand tea. bis lordsfiip does not uesue to undci taxe an extendeo period oi duty - -the itarl ol AtiiiOne completes his ex tenued term ol two years as Governor General in bouth A Inca, and Loro Wiihnguon will mnsii ms term in emnad.. the following year. A rumour is alloat, and there is considerable credence in it, i am told, that the Duke ot lork will receive the Kings commands in so lai as one oi the vacancies is concerned. South Alnca is mentioned as the most likely, and there seems every reason to believe that this is the choice which will fall upon His Royal Highness. the Duke of York will undoubtedly bo prepared to accept the King’s invitation in this connection, for k is an open secret that he, and also uhe Duchess, are anxious to fulfil some duty ol --mpire of this nature. More over, the Governor-Generalship of thri dominion seems to bo the most appro priate for the Duke, his immediate predecessors having been members oi the Royal Family—the Earl of Athlone and Prince Arthur if Connaught. South Africa, too, would be highly delighted to bave a more immediate member of the Royal Family to represent the King among them. This is one part of the Empiie which the Duke has not yet any experience of. Some time may probably elapse before any definite steps are taken in the matter, but 1 shall be surprised if it proves merely idle speculation, WHEN IS PEACE DAY? The sugge.saion put forward by- the Rev. Herbert Dnnnico. M.P.. that a World Peace Day. a kind of nniv r "- i bank holiday to* be nh'-erverl by ell nations, should take the place of Armistice Day is, I think, bound to meet with wide disapproval. As an enthusiastic missionary in the cause of international amity, the Deputy-Chair-man of Committees in the House of Commons is well known and widely re-

spected, and ho has done a great deal for bringiii, about a better understanding between the people of ex-enemy countries and ourselves. Armistice Day, however, no matter what feelings it may arouse in the vanquished nations, is a clay of memory which can only be held sacred in thousands oi our homes, and it will brook no substitution, A World Peace Day is, oi course, a most desirable festival, but for the present, unlike Armistice Day, it has the disadvantage of being of somewhat ambiguous date. Mr Dunnico suggests the anniversary of the foundation ol the League of Nations, or, alternatively, that of the first Hague Conference, fhe bulk of peaceloving people will say: “ Leave the date unfixed until we know that international peace is secured.’’ ARMY EVOLUTION. The most ’inportant phase—and the final—of the year’s Army training began yesterday on Salisbury Plain, and" extends ovei the next ten days. The two experimental infantry brigades will be pitted against each othei, each aided by auxiliary forces, and on the result depends the next stage of tue mechanisation policy. The idea is to discover—given a force of armoured cars as a central core—what is the correct proportion of tanks, light, medium, and iieavy, of mechanised artillery, and mobile infantry that should be added. Directly financial considerations allow armoured forces to be created it is quite certain there will bo a disbandment of a certain number of infantry units. The present War Office exercises will materially assist in arriving at the strength and composition of the now armoured forces, and after that gradual changes will be made throughout the Army to accommodate its component parts to the new formations. BORROWING WITHOUT LEAVE. Manufacturers and merchants who do business with Egyptian houses are full of complaint at the growing irequency with which Egyptian bills of exchange, given by reputable firms, are dishonoured on presentation. One city export house has had bills for over £200,000 dishonoured in the last six months, all of which have been met when legal proceedings were threatened. Apparently the ingenious Egyptian has decided that this is a cheap way of bon owing money. He buys goods costing £I,OOO, gives a sight bill in payment, and then does not meet the bill. In this way he can have the use of £I,OOO for four or five weeks without paying any interest, and can lend it out in Egypt at between 15 and 25 per cent. Ho has to pay the protest charges, something less than 20s, and naturally does so without complaint. Yet he will probably be the first to complain if city firms decide that, when doing business with Egypt, they shall demand cash against document’ instead of bills. THE KING’S SON-TNT /W. Viscount Lascelles was forty-seven on. Monday. The last son-in-law of a reignin" Sovereign was the late Duke of Fife, but, of course. King Edward was Prince of Wales when the marriage was solemnised. The last subject to marry

the daughter of a reigning Sovereign was the late Duke of Argyll, who as Marquis of Lome married Queen Victoria’s daughter, the Princess Louise. The fact of his haying married his Queen’s daughter did not deter Lord Lome from engaging in the political turmoil and entering Parliament. This is an example which Lord Lascelles is not likely to follow, although in 1913 he did' contest the Keighley Division of Yorkshire in the Uniofiist interest at a memorable by-election. Where the Duke of Argyll’s example may be followed by Lord Lascelles is in accepting a Governor-Generalship at some future date. A GREAT SCOTSMAN. Lord Inchcape, whom the recent birthday honours transformed from a viscount to an earl, was seventy-seven yesterday, and few men have crowded more achievement into his years than he has done. Books of reference generally tell you what a man’s recreations are. They are silent ns to his lordship’s; so presumably his relaxation is “ more work.” A catalogue of the business Undertakings he still controls is stapeerin". and w’-en one considers the pnbl'V duties he finds time to perform one is l"ft bre"th!oot Verily he is a dvnemic nerson"l ; fv. He went to India as Chairmen of the Retrench m°«t Co’ —ittee. with rc’-’-lts. Dmt make the Pritish taxerver yearn for h’tn to he ’ioi’ed to r'ir>a'*p th“ task D'nt Qtr ’’Vic Fp'-hlns left nn-fird-hed. t>ossiblv his tord'-Vn’s meditations at Glenapp Castle will lend him to accept—or se^ 1 - the task. A dn’-e----dom would be a popular reward for the man who achieved success in this field.