LONDON LETTER Shipyard Boom: Busiest Since 1922

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 February 1947, Page 6

LONDON LETTER Shipyard Boom: Busiest Since 1922

(From, a Correspondent)..* LONDON, January 26. Lloyd’s shipbuilding report makes cheerful reading after the Government’s depressing White Paper. Figures usually make dull reading, but those for the quarter ending last December show that the present total of 1,937,062 tons under construction has not been exceeded since the boom period of March, 1922. when the total recorded was 2,235,998 tons.

Encouraging'also is the fact that of: the 3,678,481 tons gross under con-1 struction all over the world 52.7 per cent, is actually being built in Great, Britain and Ireland as against 47.3 abroad. America continues to be our best customer, with Sweden a significant second, and it is noteworthy that of the 167,799 tons under construction for the Dominions no less' than 110120 tons are destined for Canada. The figures are gratifying enough, but even the ship-building boom may soon suffer a check through fuel shortage and transport delays, In Marble Halls Already some of our bureaucrats in Whitehall find themselves dwelling quite literally in -marble halls, for they do their work in what was once a ducal town residence. It looks as though the same pleasing lot is in store for members of the Coal Board when they go into occupation. of Himley Hall. They are to take up residence almost immediately, following the nrivate sale which prevented Lord* Dudley’s ancestral home coming directly under the auctioneer’s hammmer. It was at Himley Hall that the Duke and Duchess of Kent spent the first part of their honeymoon and the Duke of Windsor was a requent visitor there. He always occupied what was known as the Yellow Suite, which was specially prepared for his brother and his bride. From the windows there is a glorious view of the surrounding country, including the village of Himley itself. It is in this suite that the Coal Board is expected to hold its periodical meetings. Ex-Gaiety Girl The Countess of Orkney, who died last May, has left £721 in her will. She was before her marriage to the Earl, at the age of 20, Connie Gilchrist, undoubtedly the most lamous of all Gaiety girls. Patrons of the Gaiety Theatre in the Strand, in its palmiest days, adored Connie Gilchrist, and Victorian beaux used to queue up at the stage door to catch a glimpse of the celebrated pictuie postcard beauty. But what really established this Gaiety chorus girl’s lasting fame was the mention of her name during a law case, and the Judge’s naive inquiry, “Who is Connie Gilchrist f That has stood for over half a century as the supreme example of “judicial ignorance.” True, Mr Justice Darling later tried to equal the recotrd by inquiring, “Who is George Robey?” which gave Lord Bn kenhead, then plain F. E. Smith, K.C., the opportunity of making the lightning rejoinder: “The darling of the musichall stage, my lord!” Parlez-vous “Je suis tres content,” Mr Winston Churchill is said to have observed in allusion to the new French alliance when he greeted M. Blum at the Government’s reception at Claridge s. Mrs Churchill is said to have warned the French Premier beforehand that her husband’s French was not P^ r ,“ feet. M. Blum probably knew this from hearsay. Winston’s French, indeed, has always been something of a joke amongst diplomats. It still savours of the school-room . and m the course of an extremely busy life he has scarcely had time to improve The late Countess of Oxford and Asquith told me once Bto^. S French used to give her husband m finite enjoyment. On one occasion, when they were in Pans together, the then British Prime Minister almost took hysterics as he listened to his colleague struggling with idiomatic French. Taxi-driver’s Offer It is good news that the British Legion is exerting itself to e ffi u P ex-soldiers for taxi-driving. London stands in. need of at least another thousand taxis, which means the addition of double that number of drivers. The trouble is; to ' new drivers the geography .the streets. The Home Office test is a very searching one involving close stady extending over several months. Evei ex-drivers who are coming back to the work after six years with the Forces confess to Van eet amusing illustration 01 from time to time. Somebmes they appeal for direction to the fare

himself. On one occasion I was i taken a considerable distance out of imy way. I remonstrated at the end |of the journey. No one could have i been more apologetic than the driver. He admitted he had gone all wrong and. voluntarily suggested a substantial reduction in the fare. “Give me just a bob, sir, and I’ll be quite satisfied,” he said. When I learnt that he had been all through the Burma campaign I gave him more than the taximeter recorded. Fashion Centre Some of the London, hotels are so .crowded with visitors from home and abroad that they are unable to accept further bookings until next month. One of the reasons is the arrival of representatives of overseas dress and millinery houses who have come to see the dress collections of London’s “big ten,” the haute couture, which begin on January 27 and conclude on February 3. The Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers has as its aim to focus world attention on London fashions through British fabrics, and so keen is the interest _ abroad that dress experts are flocking here to examine models and place orders. Two of the “big ten” incidentally have been entrusted with the designing and making of clothes which the Queen and her daughters will wear during their South African tour. There have been private views of the garments, but nothing whatever will be published regarding them until the Royal party arrives in South Africa. An interesting display took place this week when the Associated Millinery Designers of London staged a special show, at the Dorchester, of model chapeaux, many of which are to be exporte dto South Africa for smart women to wear while the Royal Family is there. Princess Elizabeth, looking very charming in a simple blue halo hat, attended the display—the first time she has been to a show of the kind. Art of Caveman The artistic efforts of cavemen of the distant past would seem to have something in common with the extravagances of our ultra-modernists. Such is the impression you form as you walk round the exhibition of aboriginal paintings now on view at Australia House. The pictures are strongly reminiscent of the brotherhood. But the Australian aborigine was not playing at painting like some of our Moderns. He was doing his best with a primitive intellect, primitive tools, ’in primitive conditions, and, if he did nothing else, he left valuable notes by which we gain insight into the ideas and the mental state of his particular place and age. j Largely his efforts appear to have been inspired by somewhat similar conceptions of those which form the basis of most primitive art. He wondered at the sky, the wind, the rain, and the rainbow; and he desired to propitiate the spirits which controlled his destiny.A prime creation was “Wond’ina.” It figures generally in the paintings. It is crude but it was a tremendous ju-ju to the ancient blackfellow. Pen And Plough A newspaper friend of mine in South Africa has decided to give up the pen and return to the plough. Not for him any longer the tapping of the teleprinter, the rumble of the press, the clicking of the linotypes. No more proof-readers nor compositors, just freedom. I warned him of the danger ol droughts to his livestock; I neednt have worried. ; “I have no worries over stock,” he writes to me, “for except for plough oxen and a few cows, I’ve none. My main line is fruit—bananas, pineapples, figs, guavas, pawpaws and olives. I’ve 672 acres, cnlv 12 miles from town on a tarred road. Lovely, lovely country, and there is much natural bush on the place. Good homestead and good water. There is an established banana orchard of 2500 trees. Work is already begun to extend it to 6000. Then there are 65,000 pmes established, and I plan to get up to 150 000. Am making plans to put in 1000 figs and will'also have an acre or two of strawberries.” I don’t wonder that he has c.ecided to copy our old friend Cincmnatus.