News Briefs From London

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26792, 8 June 1948, Page 5

News Briefs From London

From E. G. Webber, N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent LONDON, June 6. The first meeting of the British Cabinet since Mr Dalton’s return to office had to move from No. 10 Downing Street to the Treasury Offices because of the noise made by the Guards who were rehearsing the Trooping of the Colour on the nearby Horse Guards Parade-. The rehearsal was in full ceremonial uniform, with the Duke of Gloucester acting in place of the King —who was at Epsom watching his filly, Angelola, run second in the Oaks. Appi-oximatejy 800 officers and men of the Royal Foot Guards and Household Cavalry will be v on parade on June 10, when the actual ceremony taxes place. Thd task of fitting them all out with ceremonial uniform, which in the case of the’ Foot Guards has not been worn since before the war, has been a difficult one for, among other things, military tailors have discovered that most Guardsmen to-day have smaller waist measurements than before the war. This is in contrast to the recent assertion by the President of the Board of Trade, Mr Harold Wilson, in the House of Commons, that the average waist measurement of the civilian population has increased two inches since the war. “ Two for Export ” A well-worn story was brought up to date by, the Dowager Lady Swaythling, when speaking at the annual meeting of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in London this week. ■ A young husband, informed that he was the father of triplets, was taken by the nurse to see his new, family, and told to pick out the one he wanted to keep. “ But surely they are all mine, are they not? ” he asked. “ Oh, yes,” said the nurse, “ but under the new regulation you can keep only one. The other two are wanted for export.” fllr Dalton’s Return Mr Dalton’s new duties as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster are chiefly to administer the estates of what is known as Country Palatine, the revenue of which for over 500 years has formed part of the King's privy purse. Most of these estates lie in Lancashire,, but over 20,000 acres, comprising about one-third of the Palatinate, are in Yorkshire. The revenue from the Palatinate is at present between £200,000 and £205,000 yearly, of which about £90,000 yearly jis paid to the Crown. This Royal revenue dates back to 1399, when the son of John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster, came to the throne as Henry IV. In addition to controlling the Royal estates, the Chancellor of the Duchy has the right to appoint county court judges and justices of the peace within the Palatinate, and has also the gift of some 40 Church of England livings. One of his lesser known responsibilities is to deliver an annual address the Royal Chapel of Savoy and to present a medal to the best choir boy of the year. “Anonymous ” Donor An elderly woman this week approached a policeman on duty at the entrance to the House of Commons and thrust a small packet into his hand and disappeared into the crowd before he could ask her name. The packet contained 21 pound notes and a letter asking the Speaker of the House to accept them as a contribution towards the cost of rebuilding the House of Commons chamber. The Speaker, Colonel Clifton Brown, subsequently inserted .an advertisement in The Times acknowledging the gift, and inviting the woman to come to the House of Commons so he could thank her personally. The cost of reconstructing the Houses of Parliament will be £1,800,000. “ The London Story ” The London County Council has decided to spend £ 11,000 in financing a tableau which will be staged for four weeks at Finsbury Park open-air theatre. The tableau is entitled “The London Story ” and represents the history of an imaginary London family named “The Freemans” from Norman times to the present. It will include reconstructions of many famous historical scenes, including the Great Fire, the Plague, and the Great Frost, and will be entirely acted and staged by professionals. It is the intention of the council and the organising committee to make the tableau an annual event.

The Royal Caledonian Ball The Duchess ,of Atholl, the Countess ,of Lindsay, the Countess of Dunmore, the Marchioness of Aberdeen, and many others brought large parties in full Highland • dress to this year’s Royal Caledonian ball at Grosvenor House. Before the war this ball was always one of the events of the London social season, and although the shadow of austerity dimmed some of its glories this year, it was still made the occasion for one of the biggest gatherings of the clans seen south of the Tweed. • The band of the Scots Guards, in full dress uniform, played for the dancers, and every well-known tartan of the Highlands was in evidence. There were few modern dances, and events of the evening were the Highland favourites The Dashing White Sergeant and the Petronella.