SCENES IN DOWNING STREET

Evening Star, Issue 21075, 12 April 1932, Page 1

SCENES IN DOWNING STREET

MISS D. WEST'S LECTURE There was a fair gathering, com* posed mostly of women, in the assembly hall of the Y.M.C.A. last night, when' Miss Dora West, a former member of the secretarial staff of Mr Lloyd George, delivered an address on 1 Behind the Scenes in Downing Street. Mr F. W. Mitchell presided. Miss West said it had been her good fortune to have been in close touch with probably the most dynamic force in British politics, Mr Lloyd George, and she was a profound admirer of his, and hoped to work with him again.' Mr Lloyd George was at his best when the light was thickest, she said, and his great idea was to find a job and get on with it. Before going to Downing street Miss West had looked upon politicians as gods apart, but before long she found that they were very ordinary men, and might even be called “ the Empire’s charlady.” Miss West went on to tell a number of interesting stories of her work with Mr Lloyd George and other; heads of the Government in England.There were only three houses in Downing street, she said, Nos. 10, 11, and 12. No. 12 was composed entirely of Government ofjices, No. 11 was the residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and No. 10 was, of course,the residence of the Prime Minister,Miss West described in detail her impressions of No, 11, and said that it was much more roomy and commodious than it appeared from the outside. The Irish situation and the events leading up to the arranging of peace with the Sinn Feiners was referred to by Miss West, who also dealt with the attitude of some of the people in England at the outbreak of war, and Sip Lloyd George’s method of getting things done. A number of other men whoso names have become well known to the world were mentioned by Miss West, who was accorded a hearty veto of thanks for her address.