LONDON TOPICS

Evening Star, Issue 21170, 2 August 1932, Page 11

LONDON TOPICS

MR MACDONALD'S PRESTIGE [Fbou Ocr Cobbbgfombxnt.] June 23. It is almost amazing how, in one short week, the world has changed its mind with regard to the conferences. Cynicism and apathy have given place to hopeful attentiveness. Lausanne may, after all, mark the beginning of a now era, and Geneva may at least achieve sufficient to save itself from failure. The change of tone, as voiced by the Press of all countries, is admirable. It creates an atmosphere of helpfulness, which is bound to be reciprocated by those taking part in the conferences. The change of spirit is almost entirely ascribable to Mr Ramsay MacDonald. He has said the right thing at the right time, and he has said it boldly. Any other British Premier would doubtless have acted similarly, given the same circumstances, but a great deal more is due to the personal complex. At home we have nob yet realised the enormous prestige that Mr MacDonald has gained in every country abroad by his unhesitating stand for country before party. If Lasanue ends as well as it has begun we shall place him among our national heroes. Foreigners have already done so. One can imagine the whimsical smile with which the shade of the late Lord Balfour listens in to the present Lausanne discussions. A decade has passed since the historic Balfour Note was penned, urging that the Allies of the Great War should pool their debts as they pooled their blood. When “ A.J.8.” sat down to compose that brilliant example of restrained diplomatic exhortation he saw clearly to what an economic abyss the world must be brought by any shopkeeping account of war debts. But his advice was both scorned and rejected. And omniscient journalists, said the Nestor of British politics had badly blundered. Time has indeed brought its revenge. All the best statesmen, even in America, are now saying what Lord Balfour said more than ten years ago. It is a unique tribute to the sagacity of one of the most fascinating figures in British political history. L.G.’s COMEBACK. I am told by those who are in a position to know all the facts that Mr Lloyd George, whoso illness has been much more serious in its after-effects than most people realise, was in a state

of absolute perturbation last week when he made his first speech to the House of Commons after so long an interval. He was doubtful not only about his own performance, but still more so as to now an entirely strange assembly of M.P.s would receive it. But he looked extremely well, and has obviously completely thrown off any trouble that ensued from his operation. His speech on the Irish situation was a triumphant and instantaneous success. He got the attentive ear of the House of Commons, and carried the assembly with every word and gesture he used. As it was put to me by one experienced parliamentarian, “ In half an hour L.G. got right back to his former pinnacle as the outstanding parliamentarian of his day.” I hear that since he absented himself so long from the House of Commons Mr Lloyd George has been dividing his time between farming and literary work. He finds absorbing interest in his Churt estate, and is now as expert on farming topics as any old-world Conservative of the vanishing order of country squires. But he has kept pretty close to his desk between whiles, busy on his book describing the events of the Great War from behind the scenes. If it is as frank as it might be; this should be one of the most fascinating and controversial volumes published in our time. But, in addition to these pre-occupations, he has also been seeing a good deal of his former political twin, Mr Winston Churchill. It is not a fantastic suggestion that these old associates, under pressure of political adversity, may join forces again. They would be a formidable duet at Westminster. INDIAN AFFAIRS. As soon as they’ are clear of their engagements at Geneva, Lausanne, and Ottawa, British Ministers will have to turn their attention again to Indian affairs. They will do so under much more favourable conditions than seemed possible even a few months ago. Notwithstanding some continuance of communal disturbances in Bombay, the state of the country is greatly improved, and in spite of sharing in the economic depression, India’s finances are in a healthy state. It is probable that a small committee of Indians will be invited to London in the autumn to assist the Government with the details of the scheme after the decision on the communal controversy has been announced. There is no intention of having another round-table conference on the scale of the last two years. SIR DONALD MACLEAN. There seems to be an epidemic of heart seizures, and the first casualty sustained by the National Cabinet is Sir Donald Maclean, the Minister of Education, who died quite suddenly at his

London residence in Hyde Park. He has been a little off colour recently, and, I believe, complained to colleagues ot not feeling up to the mark; but nobody suspected for a moment that his condition was really serious. Sir Donald Maclean, who was a solicitor, and married one of the Dcvitts—the famous shipping family—had a remarkable parhamentary career. He had a level-headed outlook, a very sympathetic manner, and considerable humour in his composition —qualities which enabled him to wear “ L.G.’s ” shoes as leader of the Liberal Opposition in the House of Commons for some time without conspicuous failure. He was not exactly in the championship class, but distinctly among the highly comnieudeds. MOSCOW AND “ JIX.” The Soviet journals excel themselves in denouncing and ridiculing the late Lord Brentford. Their memories are singularly retentive, and their susceptibilities strangely tender, about the famous Arcos raid in London under Lord Brentford’s Home Secretaryship. Our own home-cured Communists are also satirical on that subject. Yet the Arcos raid revealed some sufficiently astounding facts. I wonder what these scoffers would say, and how they would say it, if Moscow raided some British company’s Bussian headquarters and found there similar secret equipment to that unearthed in the Arcos cellars? But to-day the London Communists are concentrating on denouncing Japan’s alleged warlike designs on Russia. LETTERS FROM TONQUIN.” Next month the ‘ intimate Letters From Tonquin,’ by Marshal Lyautey, are being published at the Bodley Head. These letters were written between 1894 and 1890, and cover Lyautey’s journey out to, and period of stay at Tonquin while he was attached to the headquarters of the army of occupation there. They are delightful letteis. They reveal a gift for literary expression not common iu men of action, are amazingly outspoken, sincere, and intimate, and the product of an ardent and ambitious mind. The book is dedicated to General Gallieni, Lyautey’s chief in Tonquin, of whom he was a devoted admirer. On Gallieni’s methods of colonial administration Lyautey founded Ins own, and this* picture of the growth ot a colonial empire is of special interest in this country. Mrs Aubrey Le Blond, who spent some time in Morocco after the war, and saw the great administrator at work, received the marshal’s permission to translate the work, and Mr V. C. Scott O’Connor, author of A Vision of Morocco,’ one of Marshal Lyautey’s personal friends, contributes an introduction. AIR CONTRASTS. At the Aeronautical Society’s garden party were two Germans, Baron Von Richtofen and Baron Von bchleicho. The former is a relative of the famous German air ace who gave his name io the “Richtofen Circus,’’ a picked air squadron that was the stormy petrel ot the western front, and always turned up on any sector where things were going to be excessively lively. He had a scarcely less famous brother, also an air ace, whose specialty was straffing our sausage balloons. 1 have seen him bag half a dozen in one fell swoop. Both the Richtofens were eventually shot down. I fancy we got one and the French the other. Baron Von Schleische was himself a very distm guished fighting ace, and his compatriots called him the Black Hmgnt. He fought many air duels over our lines, and was a very formidable pilot to encounter. The queer thing is how fine a chivalry marked the airiighting at the battle front, and how deplorable a, lack of it the bombing of defenceless citizens behind the lines. HIGH FLIER. Mr MacDonald regards himself as distinctly a seasoned air traveller. Bat at Ottawa, when he gets there, cur Prime Minister will meet Mr H. U. Moffat. the Premier of Southern Rhodesia, who has beaten Mr MacDatv aid’s aerial aggregate mileage on a single flight. He decided to fly to Loudon from Salisbury, en route for Ottawa, and made the trip in nine days, as against eighteen by sea. '.I his is the first time, but certainly will not be tinlast, that an overseas statesman uas flown to London from his own territory. Yet Mr Moffat showed not the slightest trace of excitement, or realisation that he ]ncl done anything at all unusual, when he sfcppi d cut of fhe air liner at Croydon on the completion of his

long llight. He is, it is interesting to recall, the son of Dr Robert Moffat, who was a close friend of Dr Livingstone. POLICE OCTOPUS. Londoners are waiting anxiously for the first practical test of a remarkable new police equipment. This is known colloquially, if not officially, as a u super-octopus,” and consists of sti'ong coiled steel wire firmly clasped by a spring. Ons of tlicse monsters is, i. understand, now deposited in every police telephone box. If a smash-and-grab robbery is reported, and the car bandits are making off in a given direction, the police on that sector will out their “ super-octopus ” gadgets, and prepare to hurl them into the road m front of the racing car. On impact with the road, tho spring releases the coiled wire, somewhat on the Mills bomb plan, and tho wire entangles the axle and brake drums of the runaway car, bringing it to a full stop within a few yards. Then, I suppose, our sedulously unarmed police will proceed to tackle the armed desperadoes. NO WONDER! 1 have known several ex-Legionaries, and they are all agreed that, though no kindergarten, life in the Foreign Legion was attractive enough for anyone really fond of soldiering, and that the stories about brutalities are fiction. The latest critic of the Legion, m Ins catalogue of brutalities, includes the fact that no socks are served out in the Legion. That is true enough, but the majority of Legionaries find they march better without them, and harden ■their feet by pouring native spirit into their boots. Another brutality mentioned by this same critic is the fact that he got thirty days’ punishment drill for laughing at an inspecting general’s whiskers. I wonder what would happen to a private in any British regiment who laughed in a Brass Hat’s face on parade? Amongst ex-Legionanes who derided these Foreign Legion legends to me were a cultured Fleet street journalist and a Rumanian D.Lit. YO YO. In spite of the fact that “ B.P.’s ” huge impi have taken it up and one Scout patrol gave a public demonstration in aid of charity last week-end, I doubt whether Yo Yo will catch on. This new toy is not, as some people are calling it, a game at all. It is a grooved spool on a string, and yo-yoing consists in spinning and unspinuing the spool while holding one end of the string in your hand. lam old enough to remember diavolo and its official introduction to London at the White City, where the famous athlete C. B. Fry gave an exhibition that did not greatly impress the critics. _ Yo Yo much resembles diavolo, but is simpler than the latter, which might give it a better chance. But who wants to spin a spool in these days? The fact is that new- methods of wasting time no longer make the appeal they used to. Moderns have scarcely time enough as it is. THE CAUTIOUS SCOT. I heard what was to me a new golfing story to-day, and one that has the unusual merit of being absolutely true. Some years ago,_ when a championship meeting was being held at Muirfield, there was, for some cause or other, a strike of caddies. Most, of the players got over the difficulty by caddying for each other, and men who had been knocked out were always ready to act as caddie to others who were still in the running. One competitor, however, made up his mind that, if possible, he would have the services of an experienced local caddie, and he had a look at the strikers. He picked on one stolid-looking chap with mature red whiskers, and, taking him aside, said: “ Look here, I want you to carry for me. If you will I will give you a pound for the round, and if I win the competition £100.” The Scots caddie rubbed his head. He plainly felt the lure of such an offer. Finally he said; “ Ah, weel, I’ll just see you play a few wee strokes first!”