“THE MAIL’S” LETTER FROM LONDON

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 4 September 1934, Page 3

“THE MAIL’S” LETTER FROM LONDON

LONDON, 12th July. The keynote of the Government's offer of assistance to the owners 01 tramp shipping is once again the "bargaining weapon." The paramount condition of the granting of the £2.000,G0u subsidy is tint (he money shall be used So as to neutralise the eftecls of foreign shipping subsidies. Mr Runciman is still looking towards trade agreements with our rivals, and, as before, lie has required to be armed with tariff and quota weapons. So now lie wishes to be able to make use of the subsidy. In theory the idea is good, and if he tan utilise the shipping industry so as to nullify the effects of the State assistance ‘granted” tc foreign competitors, he may succeed in achieving more successes similar to tint winch he undoubtedly scored by the removal of Frances discriminatory quotas against us. The Government’s proposals for the scra-nping of obsolete tonnage are also largely dependent upon international understanding, for limitation of our own mercantile fleet can hardly be helpful so long as there is a suiplus ol foreign tonnage seeking cargoes. The exact form of financial help for tile building of new vessels has not yet been explained, tboiign it has now been ascertained from an official source that the condition on which the favourable terms are offered is that three obsolete vessels must- be scrapped for every new ship it is proposed to build. I understand that at present there are few, ,f any, shipowners who are tempted to take advantage of those privileges. LOVE APPLES The history of the tomato in England is a romance of enterprise. I am just old enough 10 remember vaguely the first appearance in our shops of this new and fascinating fruit-vegetable. That was 50 years at most, and my first impressions were that the "love apple" looked rather nicer than it tasted. But the public has acquired a taste for tomatoes now, and in tho Home Counties alone we now grow under glass every year about 50,000,000 pounds weight of them. the tomato industry gives regular employment to 25,000 people in this country. This important development we owe, originally, to the enterprise of a Liverpool shipping magnate. To-day the tomato is an indispensable part of the national menu, and, I am creditably informed, plays no unimportant part even in our jam and marmalades, not to mention our cocktails SAME AS DRAKE

The new O.C. submarines, RearAdmiral C. P. Talbot, knows his job. What lie does not- know about "tin fish,” whether the torpedo or the submarine variety, is hardly worth knowing. Two hours after we declared war in 1914, he was in the Heligoland Bight, in command of E 6. He was right through the naval side of the 1914-1 C trouble, and his experiences would make a. real best-seller if reduced to virile print. He was bring up a bitafter getting to the rank of captain, but since promotion to flag rank just over two years ago, lias made rapid progress up the ladder. Like so many' other fine naval seamen, below and _ aloft, his county is that of the sea king. He is a Devon man, like Drake, and, given the opportunity, would live right up to the Nelson tradiiion even to-day. We may hear more about him before his R.N. career finishes.

T HEAR- THEE SPEAK ! Kenya’s new London Agent, Colonel C. F. Knaggc, has sampled adventure. With his slightly grizzled hair, mild ini occ-ni blue eve, and shy manner, nobody could imagine lie had been an Inniskilling Fusilier, fought campaigns in strange hinte"lands, and escaped crucifixion by Chinese bandits merely because his mule owners, - who were anxious about their pay, managed to rescue him just in time. Or that lie is an intrepid big game hunter, who killed a charging buffalo with his last bullet at fifteen paces. Or that ho had spent a night on a blockhouse at 120 degrees whilst Waziri crack shots sniped him. But what appeals to me about Colonel Kuagge is his account of Kenya as ahome from home. “No winter, no extreme heat, and no income tax.” That seems to be (lie place some of us have been looking for. HERALDIC TROPHIES ‘ So far tho public is responding nobly to the enterprise of the Royal College of Heralds in staging its first exhibition in four-und-adult centuries. Visitors keep ou discovering fresh objects of great historical interest and value. The number of such things in the College’s keeping is almost inexhaustible. There are, foi instance, the Young Pretender’s inscribed garter, and the sword, dagger and ring of James .’V. of Scotland, tho latter arc believed to have been salvaged from the dead body of the King by the Earl of Surrey, victor in the little-advertised battle of Flodden Field of which Scotsmen talk much less frequently than of Bannockburn. The ring, with a gift of 14,000 francs, was sent to King James by Anne of Brittany, Queen of France, as Sir Walter Scottduly mentions in "Marmion.” It is •queer to think of these romantic relics lying in a neglected building off Queen Victoria street JUDICIAL SOCKS

We owe to the Mayor of Romney, Major Toiclunaii-Derviilc, Lhe piquant revelation that one of liis Majesty’s well-known judges knits his own socks. The Judge in question is Mr Justice Luxmorc, whose name at ail events Irn.s a West Country ring, and he admits the soft impeachment, while strenuously denying the Major’s suggestion that the socks are "a bit lumpy. ’There is no earthly lease,i \vli\ a man. whether a Judge or not should nol knit socks just as efficiently as any needlewoman. During the war knitting was one of tlm favourite occupations of wounded warriors iu hospital and 1 know at least one distinguished old cavalry General, an Irishman too, who always knits the family jumpers. But the temptation, in the case of a fudge, must be very strong, one would imagine, to bring bis knitting into court. It would be an ideal occupation during dreary longwinded orations by eminent but sometimes depressing K.C’.’s. HIGHLANDERS AT THE PALACE

It is appropriate that a battalion of the Cameron Highlanders should be temporarily doing guard duty at Buckingham and St. .Tame’s Palaces. The King has been for many years honorary colonel of the regiment. Tt has always been th... most Highland part of

CURRENT HAPPENINGS UNDER REVIEW POLITICAL AND SOCIAL EVENTS (From Our Own Correspondent)

the Highland Brigade, recruited, as it is, mainly from Inverness-shire and tho region beyond, and having little infiltration from the more .southern areas, lhe Camerons —not to be confused with the Caineronims, who are a- Lowland regiment, with Glasgow and Lanarkshire as their recruiting ground—suffered heavily during the early' days of the war, one battalion losing almost the whole of its officers. Many years ago a proposal was made to merge its identity in that of another regiment, but such a storm of protest was raised that the idea was hastily dropped. NOT TOO OLD AT EIGHTY Owing to a fall Professor Sir Flinders Petrie has had to cancel his lecturing arrangements for the time being. A mishap of Ibis kind, in the case of most men over eighty years of age, would be no light- matter, but Fir Flinders is extraordinarily robust for his age, and should make a. good recovery. Just to silence tiic tc-o-old-at-forty slogan and make it ashamed of its puerility, Sir Flinders at tho age of seventy declared that he had nearly a score of books to write before 1 1 is career was ended. Sir Flinder’s ancestry is a- strange one for a celebrated Egyptologist and archaeologist. His mother was the only child of Captain Matthew Flinders, an Australia!'. pioneer and explorer second in distinction only to the great Captain Cook. His grandfather explored new worlds, Sir Flinders pioneers old an I vanished ones. ATLANTIC VETERAN What is going ultimately to happen to the old Mauretania? This famous Atlantic veteran, whose voyaging and steaming records are not going to be beaten in a hurry, even by the latest modern liners, for sheer efficient consistency over a period, looks as fit today as ever, and, as she steamed out of Southampton last week-end, with her white super-structure gleaming in the sunlit sea air, what a picture for any sailor’s eyes. Whether she will make any other journeys across the Atlantic remains to be seen, for she has already been put down for one luxury cruise trip. Afterwards, it is reported she ma,v be broken up She is a- chef d’oeuvre of vhe Tyneside shipwrights but though she was much the better boat, fate lias decreed that (lie Lusitania, her Clydeside sister liner, should become the historic vessel. The Lusitania lies full fathoms deep, but the Mauretania still jousts the waves. GLASSES WITH A HISTORY There will shortly be auctioned in London a valuable collection of Jacobite drinking glasses. This is the most complete collection ever brought to a single auction, and was gathered by an enthusiast who thoroughly understood his hobby. One goblet has an engraved portrait of Bonnie Prince Charlie iu a tartan jacket, and there arc rose-tinted ones of rare charm, with other engraved designs of Jacobite import. It is a far cry Irom the London auction room to the romantic scenes at which fervent Stuart partisans drank from these old goblets. Bu; their fierce devotion still breathes in Browning’s vivid lines: King Charles! And who’ll do him right now v King-Carles! And who's ripe for fight now ? King Charles ' And here's in hell’s despite now • King Charles! WARM CONGRATULATIONS M. Barthou is said to have shown himself a. true diplomat at his meeting with Sir John Simon. Instead of bunching into the subject of safeguards he congratulated tin British Foreign Minister on winning the Parliamentary Golf Handicap! 1 can imagine nothing t etter calculated to put Sir John Simon in a good mood F’or, in winning the handicap, lie realised one of the minor ambitions of Iris life. All through the summer lie lias been getting away from lhe Foreign Office and from the House of Commons with unwonted celerity. Several evenings a week he could be seen on the links at Walton Heath assiduously practising under the watchful eyes of James Braid. He has even taken j cottage c» the fringe of the links so that he could get play at odd moments. The nearest parallel to such concentration was that of Lord D’Abernon who, when ho was Sir Edgar Vincent, actually had a private golf course laid down and engaged his own Drive tc professional to get into training for the occasion.

PRIDE OF SCHOOL A more varied show of old school ties, those emblems that so strangely infuriate Bolshies, was never seen than along Henley Reach on the last day oi the regatta. The Monkton Combe colours were much in evidence, and the wearers were uisliy proud of the West Country school's crew. Though beat on eventually by a much elder and very fast College eight, the boys showed great form and immense Muck. Moreover, the stroke who sot the pace so magnificently for Lca-nder’s winning Grand crew, W. G. R. M. Laurie, is an old Monkton Combe boy. Under the shade of Henley’s historic trees, between the races, I listened to wonderful accounts of that alma- mater. The school used to bo a monastery, and has romantic underground passages. These, I was assured by hefty athletes iu boat ing rig. are haunted by authentic ghosts, who lift kitchen at night ami tlnnv dial ’s about.