MARGINAL NOTES

Southland Times, Issue 25310, 13 June 1935, Page 8

MARGINAL NOTES

The Detection Club in London draws its members from what one. of them called the “better-class detective story writers.” It was founded by Mr Francis Iles, and has Mr G. K. Chesterton as its president. Recently the club received a new member—Mr R. C. Woodthorpe, the author of “Death in a Little Time.” Mr Woodthorpe had to take the c-th;

To play fair by his readers. To follow the Kind’s English. To make his detectives detect, and not rely on feminine intuition, or Act of God. A solemn curse is put on oath-break-ers. It concludes: “May other authors use your plots,. and may your pages abound in misprints v —a most appropriate fate.

For the first time in British history, as far as can be traced, the consumption of sherry has exceeded that of port- Here are the Board of Trade figures for the first three months of this year:

Port, 818,157 gallons. Sherry, 824,131 gallons. The revolution is the more remarkable as for the corresponding period of last year port still had a comfortable lead of 200,000 gallons. Ever since the Methuen Treaty with Portugal of 1703 gave preferential treatment to the wines of her oldest ally, port has been looked on as a peculiarly British drink Perhaps the decline of its popularity is partly due to the diminishing number of those who ride and hunt, and the consequent falling-off in the amount of heavy vintage ports consumed.

A corespondent has asked why the police head-quarters in London is called Scotland Yard. One discovers that the name Scotland Yard existed long before the Metropolitan police force came into being. Great Scotland Yard, the original headquarters of the Metropolitan police, is- so called because on 'this site a palace was built for the use of the Kings of Scotland when they visited England. Margaret Queen of James IV of Scotland, was the last member of the Scottish Royal Family to stay there. When, in 1891, the Metropolitan police headquarters were removed to new premises, they were accordingly named New Scotland Yard.

Al Capone’s reference to himself as a “piker” mystified many English students who later were informed of the Dictionary of American Slang that it means “one who quits,” United Statese is sometimes even more difficult. One sporting American journalist’s style, for instance, is sufficiently cryptic: As the finale of a whizbang bommardier Milton did a birdie trey and ended gold. Thanks to the dictionary one can discover that this refers not to boxing or baseball. It is merely the description of a goll game between two local champion links men—good golfers. Bombardier is a man who drives a long

ball. Birdie trey .is a 4-hole in 3. Gold is bogey. As Oscar Wilde said, the two nations have everything in common except their language.