LONDON JOTTINGS

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 June 1925, Page 8

LONDON JOTTINGS

THE BUDGET PROPOSALS.

(Special io “Star.”) * CHELSEA, May 2. Mr Churchill's Budget, which has been so anxiously awaited, was made public last Tuesday, when the House was crowded. The Budget speech lasted for 2| hours, and was as spectacular as Mr Churchill could make it. Lloyd George came in for a number of allusions, and seemed more and more amazed each time he was singled out. Members arrived early in the House to book their seats, Sir Bertram Faile arriving all booted and spurred and dressed for the Row. Others turned up in golf clothes, and the Member for Stroud was down at Westminster' as early a.s 5.30. Every seat in the House was taken, Mrs Churchill and' her son Randolph and daughter Diana being among the most interesting spectators. John Barrymore, looking all pale and interesting and Hamletish, sat in the Distinguished Strangers’ Gallery. Mr Snowden, the Chancellor of a year ago sat opposite Mr Churchill deeply interested, and at times smiling pityingly. The McKenna Duties which he (Mr Snowden) insisted on abolishing last year in the face of much hostile criticism, have been reimposed by Mr Churchill who has also

imposed a tax on silk. A widows and orphans’ pension scheme is to be introduced, and the income tax has been lowered a shilling in the pound for most people. Altogether, the Budget seem? to have been a success. We shall have to pay a little more for silk and for motor cars, but if the imposition of a tax on these goods—which compete too nearly with the manufactures of England, thus ’causing unemployment—will help to brighten the trade in this country and lessen the unemployment it will be worth the extra expense on business.

LOUD SPEAKER’S QUAINT USES. The loud * speaker is being put to some quaint uses in London. The Tivoli, one of London’s biggest picture houses in the Strand, has loud speakers echoing the laughter of the audience watching the picture play of “Charley's Aunt.’’ A great bill tells what hhe extraordinary noise is—for it is extraordinary, and resembles nothing so much as giant waves breaking on a seashore. At St. Pancras railway fetation the invention is being used to tell travellers about the trains. An un-een great voice booms out over the station, telling the stations, the first stop, the ultimate destination/ and all the other scraps of information generally rendered by a guard. It was a man’s voice that boomed out the directions at the trial, but the officials have decided a woman’s voice will prove less harsh. A practical i

joker is immensely enjoying himself at the expense of wireless enthusiasts. So here, too, is another use for the invention which has brought about the ‘loud speaker.’ At irregular intervals for some time past, listeners in to the London programme have heard a voice calling, “This is the British Broadcasting Company of Paris.” Always a slight French accent has been detected in the voice, and in addition to his announcement, the mystery broadcaster proceeds to give a programme of his own. Sometimes he sings a song, at others he broadcasts a gramophone recon'd, and if he feels like it, he may give both a little vocal and instrumental music. At'present the whole affair is a complete mystery and. the culprit has so far been too cute to overdo his little joke and risk detection. But the wireless people are out to catch him. and are hoping to trip liiin at one of hi.s nroerammes.

iii'b p lu^L muinivM, “ON WITH THE DANCE.” Only one ‘first night’ this week, but a really great ‘first night,’ for Charles B. C'jciirane, one of the biggest theatrical men in London ‘returned’ to rescue the Pavilion from pictures. Mr Cochrane’s successes have been many, but his losses recently reduced him to bankruptcy, since when he has made a return—and a very brilliant return. Ho conies to town, again with a magnificently produced revue written by the increasingly popular Noel Coward, and Iris company .is by Al (jo Dolykia. There was no doubt of success aftcj.\ the first half hour. The revue had been well j-chearsed, and given its trial in Manchester, so camo io J/ondon. as slick and finished as a revue should be. Ernest Thesiger, who created (ho wle of The Dauphin eq.....,’, m i ,1

in Shaw s ‘‘St. Joan,” has left the drania, and is one of the mainstays of “On With {he Dance,” and Leonide Massine is responsible for some wonderful dancing. Cheers and Howers and much applause greeted the end of the show, and Mr Cochrane made a neat sjusech in response to the repeated shouts, “It is more fun being born again that being born,” he said in the course of his remarks; and everybody was glad this great producer had once more ‘found his feet,” It is good that Ji real show has come to rest in the Pavilion again, for this fine theatre standing in Piccadilly Circus, seems utterly wasted on pictures. It is a revue of dancing. There never has been such a crowded three hours of spectacular (lancing, Ten or fifteen dances - all different and all of exceptional merit, are packed into every quarter of an hour. There seems to be as many people able to do freak dancing,

I'iH’li minute of which is a valid mimic hull turn, as (here are able to waltz «r fox trot in an ordinary revue, In ti|e acting part, the place of honour iw given u> DelyGa, who supplementH h<r part by sumo wonderful dresses. ‘Wonderful' must be applied to every, tiling about “On With the Dance,” and it will undoubtedly make a very lengthy stay at (he Pavilion, THE SEASON BEGINS, Ihe ‘Season’ may be said to have commenced, and a groat gathering of social celebrities assembled a( St, Afargaiet e, Westminister, last Wednesday, for one of the prettiest of weddings, though there have been a great many very lovely marriage ceremonies of late. An added interest was given to Wednesday's affair in the fact that the biidegioom, Mr Koger Wethercd, is u famous golfer Cyril Tolley, alou fam. uUs uu the gulf course, w,i- one of the u 1., i . 11m bride was Jf jss Elizabeth •‘ncmlis'.i Bcntimk. who looked very lovely m a chiffon and silver embr'od ■.nt wedding dress worn wdh a pale i»n.k <lnffun tram cov.oed wit) old BiU’-tl’s lace, Iler bridal bouuuet ’••as a diuunutive affair male of imil maiige bju,- > 'ins and white heather, 1 Lt bridesmaids looked like a group of ,-uii maidens. All were dressed in >«lljw chiffon, with wreaths of king- < ups amj vk it bunches of daffodils, iwu tiny children in yellow held the pink train and two not smh tiny ciiddien ivmplvled ’he group, Ihe same day another society wed dmg took place at St .Jame-N ( lunch, wht-ii Miss \do n Emmett was married to Captain Alastair Campbell. This an enloelv white wedding, bride wod Lii ivinaidi all in the ivnvvntioirid i uluur but a touch <M humour was mid' I lo Ihe uttaii by the tlllV dail.'.dl t«i d Lady Moira Combe, who at the L-l Uiihuti decided llotl the duties o| a ttfidesJgiaiil weir nut unite to her lik si..' and iia d o lulls i|y that she had I i !<- ail nd 111 in I lie s h unh Ird i ,itl s. ■ 11! I a 111 ■ an* jo ■ ■ ft 1 ; 11 de II ■>- i ii‘ •* Li'.ii.ib!,- vddum' .pi I p .sj.-i thtm hm limit to Urn nr„

iety of styles,in Which to dress these little people. At one recent marriage the child bridesmaids appeared as boys of the powder and patch period, wigs and beauty .spots all complete; but, m all justice; one must add tha% though such innovations are quite attractive and permissible, there is an air of the fancy dress party when so definite a period costume is chosen. Big balls are on every hand, and last night at Claridge’s was held the Feast of Shawls Ball. The array of ■shawls was overwhelming, Spanish . shawls predominating, but there were other varieties, Cashniens, Italian, and some., various fanciful styles. One of the most original was of painted silver lame, with the colours of the pattern reproduced in gay silks at one comer. DRESS.

Mrs Gordon Craig had some biting things to say on 1 the Englishwoman’s dress during the course of a lecture t given by her yesterday under the heads in “Dress,” “The representative Eng- - lishwonian would rather be badly > dressed, than conspicuous by being too - well dressed,” she declared, adding, s “All she needs is courage and conceit.” ’ Another comment was “To be well . groomed is more important than to be well dressed,” a truism every woman . knows in her heart, and should praci tise more than she does. How often is a charming outfit completely spoiled by badly dressed or uncared for hair, by a collar not quite clean, or even a grubby looking handkerchief. Hands and arms, uncared for will mar any evening frock, and yet so many women “can’t bother.” “I do most of my own work,” you hear offered as an apology, which is no apology at all. Some house fz I 11Z ill / fit 4-

gloves and a little forethought, and their hands )vould be saved from the ravages of the housework. Another complaint Mi’s ,Craig had was against tho present mode of almost uniform dressing. “Women’s dress has become so uniform that the wearei’s have entirely lost their person'llity. It reminds me of my Noah's Ark days, when it was difficult to distingu'sh between the wives of Shorn, Ham and Japheth.” Personally, I think that the present day modes arq the most sensible that the women have enjoyed for many a long year. There jnay be a uniform look, but the fashions arc sensible, comfortable, and thoroughly healthy, and, where a ivpman has a little originality, though the cut of her clothes may be severe and uniform, yet there are a hundred littio ways in which she can vary it from the wife of “Shem or Ham.’l Mrs Gordon (Jraig is tho daiighfer-in-law of Ellen 'Terry, and

I; wife of Gordon Craig, famed for bis < unique stage settings and quaint ideas i about the theatre, i’ OXFORD BAGS, 'l'be Oxford undergrad nates are rc- ’ sponsible for the setting of a thorough. - ly ludicrous fashion for mon. Some wag invented what 1 believe is called "Oxford BugH,” which are trousers cut with such a quantity of material in them that it would appear as if they . decided to compensate the’cloth jnann- -■ facturcrs for women’s gradually cut- . ting down of materials. These "bags" make a sailor’s trousers look silly, Today in the tube I saw a suit on a very silly looking young man. He was a 1 study in rich red brown, a coat cut , mlicli as his sister’s might be, and these enormous .stupid trousers, at least , three-quarters of a yard around the bottom of each leg, and worn as long as possible; only the shining point of his perfect brown shoes showed, ami down the front of each enormous lump of material a perfect crease, Ifc wa.s probably a nice young man, and in time, if all men decide lo envelop themselves in such quantities of unnecessary material, wo may becojno accustomed to such sights, but to my scornful eye ho looked a horror. These atrocities are bad enough when made 'n the colours which young men effect lor their “flannel bags,” I have seen a number of such tilings and regard them rather as a ‘rag’ but a suit! Women have giown seiniblu in dress, so num must now bo the foolish sex. Heaven forbid Mich a fashion shouid spread.