“THE MAIL’S” LETTER FROM LONDON

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 11 April 1928, Page 8

“THE MAIL’S” LETTER FROM LONDON

COMMENT ON CURRENT EVENTS

POLITICAL AND SOCIAL DOINGS

THOUGHTS IN THE ABBEY

(From Our London Correspondent,)

LONDON 23rd Feb

Sitting in Westminster Abbey on Tuesday with the sunshine streaming through the stained-glass windows •"■•- kite the memorial .service began to tin’ Hail of Oxford. I could in” previ-nt my thoughts wandering back to .■ 'cry oil tel cut scene- the ratnv Not»eml>et night lime veals ago when member.-, ol the Ibui-a' of Common' w •lit .Aim to St. Margaret's Church tor tiie tltanksgiv uig

ice on the signing "I tin A t ml-l wr. In t'loiit pew sat Mr A.-quith and Mi p.niiar Law . with the t ear- -I reaming down their lace.-. 1 tidet a cold exit"

inr. both wen' men "t i 11 1 •> 11 -i • .i 1 1 ••ti <> 11 and the thoughts of both ilia: >' gin lllllst hit ve been with t lie dea: U h.va d

miiis 1 hey had given in lit, nntioiinl cause. Both were deeply -treTum. .Old if their lierea venient did not 'h'litim

tin>ir lives 1 1 did tilil' it to lob H **t tn tercst. Mr Asquith was lertainly never the same man aftel lie lost hi' sWi La', in..ml ami among the mourners on lues dav mingling with the political veterans, were not a few of Raymond s cutitem pnlanes whose friendship with lorn was a passport to his lather s (carl \ nil 7 M EM l ' K A hi August 1917. a large -tail a. pulled tip tiotselessh and almost 11,1 lint iced a' an advanced railhead "" Vim\ Ridge, and two civ iliaits and two generals got out. One of the civilians was a stout, elderk gentleman, wearing a very baggy, ruffled grev Miit. IDs long iiair was falling over his coat col lar." and he had mi an old' cap. Sonic kind of white fluff, possibly bom tie motor vugs, was liberally scattered over. Ins clothes, and his whole appearance was >n strange contrast, with the smart khaki, .scarlet, and gold of the genet als A glance at the head and features instantly revealed Mr Asquith Alter shaking hands with one or two sub,alt cnis who stood a bout. and watching an aerial battle, the late statesman and his party moved olt One of the generals was his one-armed son. Brig -Hen. Asquith. Carelessness m dress was perhaps ope of Lord Oxford's few ecconlnettles

ANOTHER MINISTERIAL GLOBETROTTER Mr Ch’m.sbv-Goro who ts about to ’ ts::t the Malay States and other outlying- Imperial possessions, ts alreadv well tra veiled He saw something of Palestine during the war. and since then he lias been to the West Indies and to East Africa oil official missions. As a son-in-law of Lord Salisbury he may be said to belong to what used to be called ' the governing families, but he has personal qualities which make him independent of his widespread relationships. Chief among them is a ready sense of humour. Unfortunately, from the point of view of political advancement, though of no other, he is the heir to a peerage —that of Harlech —and therefore doomed to exile, sooner or later, from the Mouse of Commons. Otherwise it could be confidently predicted that he would go a long way up the Ministerial ladder.

Moscow roMKIiV Alter llnMi Loinh.ri visit. whull will not bo concluded till tin* «*ml of March, the Iviny; nml ((tni'oii of Afghanistan will I'cfuni home via Germany and Russia. Thus Ivins Anianullah will he in the unique position of being the first crowned head to he entertained by the Russian Soviet. 1 hough Moscow eagerly desires to make the niuh of King Amanullah s visit, tor diplomatic ret sons tlfat are onlv too obvious. the manner of his reception naturally presents a comic problem. How can a Communist Ministry, sworn foes to till kings and nobles, show adequate welcome to their Afghan Majesties without making themselves look ridiculous? 1* is stated that former Cz.irist Foreign Ofiice officials tire now being consulted in the delicate matter, but one tiling is certain. Moscow will. whatever its brethren may think or say. sacrifice political principle to diplomatic expedicui v.

AUSTRALIA’S GOVERNOR Lord Stonehaven, who has been delighting the Australians by his determination—at the age of 54—to acquire the local swimming stroke, is a profound believer in the doctrine of physical fitness. During liis varied taieer. military, diplomatic and political, he has maintained his habit of securing at all co-ts a dad. spell of evciv’se. He sboots, rides, and plays sueli games as are possible to a short-sighted man. and though he is short of incites he can hold his out. at most, of them. He had an advent'.nous time in Somaliland and. as becomes a kinsman of the famous Sir David Baird, fear is known to him only by name Since he went to Australia as Governor - General lie has visited places which none. i,t his predecessors on- seen At the oui.eeak o' the European wai he was private .-e"Hary to laid Kitchener, and enthusiastically supported Iln- view formed hv his chief the moment he look office, that tin itr iiense i,incase in the, strength of the Army would he necessary. f.ord Stonehaven is no speaker, but he has organising powers of i hi... order. RUINOUS SUBMARINES

It was a grievous blow to naval disarmament and national economy alike when the Washington Pact, mainlv owing to the i oposition of Franco, t-atied to agree upon any .submarine limitation The French are now laving down at St N a zaire a super-submarine which is re garde*! as some sort nf coiiufei i v onv big O submarine class The new French boat to have a surface displacement <v 1560 tons, a submerged di..placement, of 2060 tons, and proportionate, equipment Though this is bigger than the Olioron. the latter is not our largest- submarine An X boat recently limit at Chatham has a lugger surface and submerged di? placement than the French boat. Rut some notion what this -iilmiai me com potitnn means mav lie gathered from the fact that tile XI cost con-nhuahlv more than L'l .000.000. So Hie up to-date post War submarine, tor which vv c have to thank the Germans, is as expensive to Timid and almost to maintain a- **■ preAVnr baUloxhip

; PLUCKY ENGLISHWOMEN \ One hears much just now of So .citify women’s gay doings and prepara Tons for a brilliant, season that the news ol some intrepid gill going a loin info Ihi mids.l oi a strange people strikes will: a sharp contrast. Four years ago Col Wingate's daughlei Rachel, when oiilv 2,2. having taken Inn decree at Cain bridge and learnt Arabic and Persian, went |o India atul look up missionary work among Mohammedan women whom no man was allowed to teach She- n attached to a Swedish mission at. Jvash

gar m Chines*; Tuvkeu an •■■• here, her home letters take 54 clays to reach her. and J : e jv .-i.'ptuafran cn'iliHilion by ,i mountain ! ;i>j■ and a vast desert Allii! her fearless FiigitMiv.niiian. is Miss 'W'l'lriile It.'iiham. veil.,' 11.'.s ,11st tini'iiei! ,; fniir years' walking tour in Asia and \ Iric.'i Het quest [nr rare (lowers took her up into the Himalayas ami to the nl Kilimanjaro. \ I) lea s highest ini • iM II a 'll illtiMAs HARDYs i;iot;i:.\l , HKli I'lie 1111 <'nl l .-11 .if M i s riiiiinas Hard;. I i a I: te .a' he: late liiisliamj will he welei uiied liv those iiilmiate friends will *. nil his rerent dealli. testified In her lileless rare ln| him. Snne went sn far as te sa\ that this prolonged his life. >he was tile great ailllmr's nlher self. When 111- i’nilid Imt nil'll' Up In London In see 'li"s" dl anial ised at Ramos Tliealre it was Mrs Hardy wlm did the liniinurs. < >ri cri na 11 v ilis secretary, she was married in linn in 1014. twn years alter the death nf his first wile. Site is tiii* aiitlmr nf unmet nils honks for i Ini • ili-ii. a. well .1' mans maga/nic articles ami reviews a tael ulmli was stated earlv in i'W'ia i.tli.-ial reenril nf Tin.mas I |.a I'd V s ea reel . I'liU. Ml - I lardy well equipped as a writer Inr her onerous task, ami that it will lie sympat helically linin' is a foregone i"tn l:i-mn. after the author's mam poetical trilmtes In her as one nf twn bright sunied ' wnilteii i\h' wire identified witli hi* prolonged working days. LATENT PETIT'! CRAZE rmminent and r-all ir - irmife'i: t. u ha nriintsiii that, the marl.*-, tit England iff

-' > > becoming overcrowded. imi faldng up motor hunt tug. One hundred people [nun'll the Rritislt Motor iinat ( tub last vrai' Alining them was Major Segrnve. tiie famous iiintni' rarer, wlm holds t Ii" laud -p 1 reelU'd. He lias taken up tile spoil yen, eiillmsiast ieally. He lias had two hnat s built. and lie is hating a third to take in Amei i".a. ilii- vittr with whieh

attempt, to win hark the I?t if isli International I'rnph; that, was wrested from ibis country main years ago. I'lie }Vince of Wales and Prime George veto also among last vein s new mem hers. Nov that the Prime has been •-■•.ad© Master of the Merchant Navy, hei mends to eti|oy the thrills of motor boating tu a greater extent than he has ft one in the past, Small outboard motor boats are now being built for £7O. they are capable nf 35 miles an hour, and they prolific ail the thrills that one gets from trave]ling at 75 miles an hour on a motor cycle round Bruuklauds. This year these little craft will be seen lowed behind touring .am and fixed fn the (Ops nf saloon ears.

THE rOrUT OF PEDLAR* I'lie lii "tlier of ls.nl Ucuuchainp lias taken over the Hand and Shears, the ati- • tent. Smithfield hostelry, in order to develop an interest.mg social experiment. hor several centuries, during the great Part liolomew Fair, at this inn was held a Court PiePoiidie. similar to tile one held at I’.ristol. There is some doubt as ■o ilm di riv ■ >mn of rim term, hut lawyers preiei to rail the institution the Court of Pedlars, which seems, after all. to convey the sense ~f ils functions as well as an\ The Court of Itiistv Feet v.. ottlil seem in he the proper derivative f'nm tiie Frenelf pietl pmulre. and this in a sense is upheld in Dr. Murray's New English Dietionary. where tiie Court- is d> scribed as one for wanderers and wayfarei s." Ail these interpretations may he adequate, lull the Court of Ped Ini's should take the l.uiiv of the present. gener.it ion. Any wa v. pedlars usually have dustv feel.