NEWS FROM LONDON

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23946, 23 October 1939, Page 12

NEWS FROM LONDON

THE KING’S WORKING DAY • SIXTEEN HOURS MEETS THE QUEEN AT BREAKFAST (From Our Own Correspondent) LONDON. Sept. 19. According to the Sunday Dispatch, the King is so busy dealing with wartime documents and State papers that he and the Queen meet only once a day —at breakfast. Very occasionally they are able to have dinner together. All the meals are as simple as possible, for the household has been placed on a’ war-time basis of thrift and economy. To save the King’s time, a new room has been arranged adjoining his study. He receives his numerous callers there and is still within reach of the three private telephones on his study desk, lie has increased his “office ” hours from 10 to 16 hours a day. The King’s cherished “family hour” at tea with the Queen has had to be cancelled. Now a tea tray is brought to his desk, and one of his secretaries pours it but as they continue working. Besides attending to State, and official correspondence, which has more than doubled in quantity, the King has to sign batches of officers’ commissions and similar service documents. Three times a day come detailed reports from the War Office, the Admiralty. and-the Air Ministry, and at, least six deliveries of Government papers arrive daily. At noon comes a special case which the King unlocks himself, for he possesses the only key. The Queen spends long hours in her own little study, following the progress of women’s work. Prayers were offered on Sunday for the two Princesses, who are so far away from their parents. Post on the 800 l Perched on the roofs of almost every West End kinema from now onwards will be a man whose job is to listen for an air-raid siren. Should one sound, he will warn the announcer waiting at the stage by “buzzer,” phone, or messenger. The show will stop and the audience told of the warning. Then it is up to them. If they want to, they can stay and enjoy the show. If they wish, they can go to shelters, Mr S. E. Bedford, of the Leicester Square Kinema, said: “At first I found myself nervous. But you easily get used to waiting, although at times it does get a little lonely up here.” Mr W. Woolley, look-out man at the Odeon, added; “At first cars accelerating in the streets gave me a bit of a start, but now I am quite confident.” In the West End the kinemas are open only till 6 p.m. In the suburbs they will remain open until 10 p.m. Propaganda Methods Princess Bibesco (nee Elizabeth Asquith) advocates a better " war of words" from Britain to the world. She has just returned from a tour of many European countries, where she has studied the various propaganda methods. “There is nothing wrong with the quality of our propaganda abroad,” she said, “ but the quantity has been lacking—no doubt for mechanical reasons. The essence of German propaganda is its ‘ pom-pom ’ quality—constant reiteration of the same points. “ In wartime one cannot say the same thing too often. I think it important that we should reiterate constantly that the Allies are not fighting for Poland, nor even for each other, but to preserve for the future principles which to the ordinary man are sacred.” She was very strongly impressed by the sympathy shown towards British people by Italians of all classes. Novel Scheme for More Daylight

The Home Secretary has under urgent consideration a great many suggestions made by individuals and by public bodies for the conservation of daylight during the coming winter months. All are being considered on their merits.

One ingenious scheme has been sent in by a Cax-diff motor engineer, under which dawn would break at 9 o’clock every morning throughout the winter. This has been recommended to the Home Office by the National Industrial Council of Wales and Monmouthshire. The proposal is that the clock should be advanced by 50 minutes on January 1, 25 minutes on February 1, 50 minutes on March 1, 50 minutes on April 1, and 60 minutes on May 1. June and July would see no change, but clocks would be put back 20 minutes on August 1, 40 minutes on September 1, 50 minutes on October 1. 50 minutes on November 1, and 25 minutes on December 1. Iffie memorandum claims that its adoption would secure a great economy of gas. oil and electricity, and enable workers to .have more leisure hours in daylight at the close, of the day.