London Papers’ Sensational Stories

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 262, 4 November 1938, Page 3

London Papers’ Sensational Stories

PROFESSOR WALL’S VIEW ' “The thing that struck me most in London -was the deterioration of the Press,” said Professor Arnold Wall, who returned to Auckland by the Aorangi after a six months’ trip to England. Although he spent ,most of his time in London, he devoted some time to studying English wild flowers. While in England he delivered a lecture on the future of the English language in the Dominions. The talk was broadcast on short wave by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Sensational stories of murder autl other crime figured prominently in the London daily papers, said Professor YVall. When he lived in London some years ago there were six first-class daily papers of various shades of political views, and they maintained a high literary standard. There were now only two such papers in London. “I take it as a phase they are passing through and am not pessimistic by any means,” said Professor Wall. “The literary publications are just hanging on, and in one or two cases arc running at a loss. The publishers persevere with them so that fine literary traditions will not die out.” Some of the more extreme papers were talking of war as a coming event just as they would about a football match that was to be played, said Professor .Wall. They even fixed the date, and many Londoners seemed to be nervous.