LONDON TOPICS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26025, 13 December 1945, Page 5

LONDON TOPICS

FIRST FALL OF SNOW ROAD TRAFFIC INCREASING WOMEN SPENDING MORE (Rec. 10 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 12. Britain’s first cold snap this winter brought snow to many parts of the country, and with sharp frosts probed weak points in the people’s health, as well as in many motor cars that were out again on the roads after lying up for several years. Biting winds sent a number of annual maladies soaring, of which the common cold is the most prevalent. Previously it had been denied that an influenza epidemic was abroad. Undoubtedly, there are many suffering with it, but statistics apparently showed that the number is not above the average. Anybody owning a repair garage today has enough work for 24 hours a day. Not only laid up cars Require attention, but with the retention of the purchase tax on new cars and the decision to export half of Britain’s output, many old vehicles which would otherwise have been scrapped are being doctored. Of new British cars, 43 post-war types have now been produced. They are produced by 14 different companies, and range, with the purchase tax included, from £293 to £1958. During the last few weeks traffic has increased enormously, and in London it appears to be almost back to the pre-war congestion. One result is that the streets are frequently.muggy with belched exhaust, which had been noticeably absent during the war. The House of Commons This week, as every week, the House of Commons' is attracting the nation’s attention. Now it is the debate on the Washington monetary agreement, against which several newspapers are campaigning. Last week, of course, it was the censure debate, which was expected to be full of bitter personalities but ended on a note of geniality. It is generally considered that the Opposition was premature in its motion, and one of the chief items of interest that emerged was Mr Attlee’s engaging reply to Mr Churchill. Perhaps, after having worked with him closely during the war he understands exactly how that great man’s mind works. At all events, he made the House rock with laughter, with Labour members leaning forward in their benches chuckling and applauding It is not anticipated that this.week’s debate wnl reproduce anything like the same atmosphere. „ . , . . . Next to politics, Britain’s chief news at the moment is the continuation and expansion of crime. Robberies and getaways are the growing concern ot the Home Office. The hunt for armed deserters is being speeded up, and a campaign has been begun to recruit 1600 more policemen. The October crime wave figures alone were the worst ever recorded in Britain. There is lingering interest in the sale of the contents of the former German Embassy, which has now reached the grand total of nearly £73,000. So much indignation was aroused by the sale of Hitler’s bust that every piece of silver engraved with the swastika was withdrawn from sale. Housing Programme The housing situation is now producing the right type of news. Mr Aneurin Bevan has announced that 24,000 new permanent buildings are under construction in Britain, and that the temporary housing programme is now producing between 500 and 600 a week. By the middle of next year the housing programme will be in “full flood.” In London the number of men engaged on war repairs damage is to be gradually reduced in order that about 40,000 men drawn from the provinces may return home to build new houses. More money, it is said, is waiting to be spent in Britain this Christmas than at any other period, but there is very little to buy. About 1,337,000,000 Treasury notes are in circulation, 100,000,000 more than last year, but Christmas shoppers are compelled to “ make do ” with inferior presents. It is estimated that women are spending 14 per cent, more than they did a year ago, chiefly on dresses, hats and coats. Kinemas and Theatres The film of the week is Bernard Shaw’s “ Caesar and Cleopatra,” which is said to have cost £1,000,000 to make. In technicolor, it lasts two and a-quar-ter hours. It is elaborate, and the latest product of the policy which aims to capture the American market. Vivienne Leigh and Claud Rams, in the leading roles, give polished performances. The London stage ends the year with a record of having 10 plays running continuously throughout 1945. They are “ Sweeter and Lower,” “ Private Lives,” “ See How they Run,” “ Blithe Spirit,” “Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary? ” “ While the Sun Shines,” “ Happy and Glorious,” “Arsenic and Old Lace,” “No Medals,” and “The Years Between.” The great popularity of the theatre, as indicated by these long runs, is supported by' heavy advance bookings for the various Christmas shows. Books most in demand are reported to be “The Green Years,” by A. J. Cronin; “ Sparkling Cyanide,” by Agatha Christie; “Miss Bunting,” by Angela -Thirkell; “Battle of the Narrow Seas,” by Peter Scott,” and “ Only Ghosts Can Live,” by Guy Morgan. Waterloo bridge has just been officially opened after being in use for three years. The ceremony was performed by Mr Herbert Morrison, who thus had the satisfaction of seeing the end of the controversy in which he had been personally concerned for nearly 25 years. There was great opposition to its building. Mr Morrison admitted he would have been a bit. sad if anyone else had been asked to open the bridge.