OUR LONDON LETTER

Taranaki Daily News, 19 May 1928, Page 22

OUR LONDON LETTER

NEWS FROM THE HOMELAND. WNG DISTANCE FLIGHTS. London, March 29. The report published last Monday that preparations are being made for a non-stop flight from Cape Town to Scotland are denied by the Air Ministry officials with whom I have been talking. It is, however, admitted that a machine of a novel type is at present being assembled by an aircraft building firm. The construction of this aero” plane, moreover, which has been proceeding behind a screen of secrecy, is of a character to give it a greater length of time in the air than heretofore has been possible with other types. The machine, I understand, is being built entirely for experimental purposes, and is to be subjected to the most varied and gruelling tests. These trials, however, by no means necessitate longdistance flights. Low petrol consumption and consequent length of time on the wing can be ascertained just as efficiently here in England as by means of overseas flights, and in the tests it is proposed to make, the machine will not bo required to leave our shores.. Undoubtedly the knowledge which it is to obtain will be applicable to long-dis-tance flights in the future, but there are to be no spectacular adventures for tho present. AMERICAN HISTORY. The proposal to found at London University a Chair of American History, with a £30,000 endowment to maintain and furnish it, is likely to prosper, notwithstanding the gibes of some academicians about “short story” annals and “Yankee Diddle.” American history may lack a deep perspective, but there is no disputing its intense chromatic variety, and it is, at r.ny rate, of a less disputable veracity than that of peoples whose past is wrapt in the mystery of'antiquity. That we should remain generally ignorant of ths records and development of a kindred nation, whose teeming population at least includes over 100,000,000 Englishspeaking citizens, seems a reproach. Few of us are really certain who discovered the U.S.A. Lord Loch is chairman of the London Committee charged with this interesting scheme, and Mr. J. W. Davies, a former American Ambassador in London, presides over its New York vis-a-vis. So, when we get a hundred-per-cent. American professor over here, London University may get a little “pep” in its uplift. AT QUEEN'S CLUB. A wonderful crowd, wonderfully arrayed. assembled at Q '.ecu’s Club for the ’Varsity sports, and even recurrent deluges from a leaden sky could not drown the brilliance of the occasion. | Oxonians were a little depressed, of course, by another runaway Cambridge I victory. The Light Blues claimed eight firsts and six seconds to three firsts and five seconds, and have now gained the laurels 29 times to Oxford's 25 in 00 trials of athletic prowess. But the sport was not .so one-sided as to be devoid of drama. In the mile race young Grenn, of Cambridge, after keeping at the elbow of O’Connor for three and a-half laps, summoned up a desperate effort to beat the Oxford president on the tape, and then collapsed into the proud arms of his father, an elderly clergyman, who was a famous Cambridge three-miler in his day. The sains youngster won another plucky race in the half-mile, receiving at the finish the acclamation of the Old Blues on the grandstand as well as the paternal bene - diction. BLUES ANCIENT AND MODERN. 'The three-mile race was sensational Edwards, of Oxford, and Jessop, ol Cambridge, the latter a stylish runner, who timed himself watch in hand like the famous Olympian Finn, were both third men in the team, but ran right away from their Blues and half Blues to win by many yards, with Edwards only just in front. Another thrill camo in the long jump, which looked to bo Oxford’s event until Pomeroy, of Cambridge, with his last leap, won with 22 feet 4 inches over an Oxonian's 21 feet 11} inches. One's impressions of a memorable occasion include the Prune Minister with a pronounced limp cheerfully smoking a sixpenny cherrywood pipe amid the August Old Blues, Lord Birkenhead, minus his cigar, hobnobbing with the fresh young athletes, tho amazing physical lustre of the presentday Blues compared With the physically faded Old Blues, and the inartistic uniformity with which the cinema photographers “shot” invariably the conclusion of the sporting events rather than the really epic moments of athletic poe-

THE AUTHOR OF “FI.ORADORA.” It has always been a mystery why Leslie Stuart, whose “Floradora” stamped him as a genius in the art of light musical competition, never produced another work of the same standard. “The Silver Slipper,” which followed it, was quite tuneful but was, comparatively a failure then, somehow or other, Stuart was too busy spending the fortune which ‘’floradora” brought to him to give u» anything else worth while. What a rage the “Tell Me Pretty Maiden” octette was! But “Floradora” was packed with tuneful music. “Dolores" and “Queen of the Phillippine Islands" are still haunting melodies to the oldtimers. In “The Silver Slipper” he tried another men’s octette "Come, little girl, and tel! me truly if you love me” which was almost as good as “Tell Me Pretty Maiden” but had only a moderate success, the moral being that even a brilliant novelty will not stand too obvious an imitation. ONCE AN ORGANIST. “Floiailora” was the culmimil ing point of Leslie Stuart’s success as a composer, but he had already earned fame as the author of Eugene Stratton's songs. Indeed, Stratton always acknowledged that his world-wide reputation as a coon impersonator owed much to Stuart’s haunting melodies. They certainly made a wonderful combination. The “Lily of Laguna,” ‘‘Lousiana Lou,” “Little Dolly Daydream” and the rest of the songs which everybody was humming 34 years ago were all composed by Leslie Stuart on the organ, for in his early days he was organist at the .Salford Roman Catledic Cathedral and he always remained true

to his first love. It was a tragedy from the point of view of English musis that a composer of such exceptional parts should have spent his later d*.ys in! comparative poverty, but if he had had the sense of melody abnormally developed, his business and financial sense was correspondingly wanting, and money, when lie had it in plenty, always slipped through his fingeri like water. AFGHAN KING’S TOUR. It has been suggested that King Amanullah may abandon his intention to visit Russia. If he does, it will not be at the instance of the British Foreign Office. Tire people there are anxious that he should see how the Bolsheviks manage things as compared with ourselves. It is for that reason, among others, that special efforts are being made to give the Afghan King a really good time in this country, and to show him that neither in military nor in industrial affairs are we to be neglected. I hear that his Majesty has so far enjoyed himself immensely, and that he is a most amenable and considerate guest. “CROCS'-' FOR THE PRINCESS. By turning back at Assuan, Princess Mary may miss the sight of crocodiles, cither floundering just below the surface of the chocolate waters of the Nile, or basking in the muddy creeks, but at least at Komombo she will find prehistoric specimens which have remained mummies since thay were the objects of worship. This temple is rather out of the beaten track for the ordinary tourist, but stands finely overlooking the house where the late Sir Ernest Sassell used to stay, and also bestows its strange name on u wellordered community which the buzzer of a sugar factory, run by French agency, keeps disciplined. Here, too, human scarecrows, in the form of youthful natives perched high up above waving fields of maize and slinging stones at birds, make a picturesque and even biblical bit of local colour. But when H.R.11 reaches Edfu she will not only find a magnificent old temple, almost as new to the eye as when it was erected, but become acquainted with an ancient place of worship where “crocs” were anathema. OUR BEST CRICKETERS. I have been browsing in a little book' about cricket which is full of surprises. It is called “The Cricket Spectator,” and is a paper-backed production, sold at a shilling, with a cover that might have enclosed a reprint of an-Act of Parliament in the reign of Queen Anne. But it overflows with the love and the lore of the game. The editor contends l.hat tiie only way to appraise the true I merit of cricketers L to examine their records over a period of five years, and [so he produces a series of tables which [show the averages of players from 1923 'to 1927 inclusive. From these we find that Hendren is our best batsman, Rhodes—who has passed his half century of years —our best bowler, and Hammond our best fieldsman, judged by the catching test. Hendren, in the five years, has scored B,CSG runs, with an average of GG.SS; Rhodes lias taken 452 wickets for 14.51 each, and Hammond has caught 138 men out of 1437 wickets that have fallen while he has been in the field. Only four men appear in all three tables, with averages above the mean for the period —P. G. 11. Fender. Frank Woollev, Emmott Robinson, anil I W, E. Astiil. " - APROPOS NECKTIES. It cheers one up, with the summer holidays still only hovering on tile far horizon, to know that the spring fashion in masculine neckties will be blight and colourful. Printed foulards are likely to be the popular wear, in neat small patterns of rich blues and wine reds, and printed marocains in novel designs may also loom handsomely. But I have now seen several enviable mortals—real supermen—sporting a necktie rerecently devised. This necktie can rightly be worn by only a small but gal-, lant band of brothers—those rugger men who have been capped for England. It is in itself an attractive, and not too 'flaunting, adaption of England’s colours, with the red rose neatly in evidence. There were one or two visible round tho Twickenham grandstands at the Calcutta Cup match, and the wearers’ flappers held their shingled beads very high indeed. But even an England rugger tie may be less exclusive than the Centurian silver button—worn only by heroes who have walked an accredited 100 miles inside 24 hours.

LATEST WAR FILM. Despite the repeated protestations by cinema critics that we are having far too many war films, their production still continues, and doubtless the producers know their own business best. The latest seen in London is an American affair, “(Four Sons,” and bears the hall-mark of its nationality both in its sentimental sob-stuff and Its military methods. It is interesting, however. for two extraneous facts. One is tba' it “features” a new film star—the dear old lady who loses al! save one of her sons in the war. This old lady, who is called Miss Margaret Munn, is a native of Aberdeen, and went across the Atlantic twenty years ago. She is setting out on a film star’s career at GO, which must surely be unique for any old lady, let alone a typical Aberdonian. The other intriguing fact is that one character in the film, a particularly poisonous Prussian Junker Colonel, is played by a real Austrian ex-Duke. SOME NATIONAL WINNERS. It is a curious coincidence that the first horse that won the Grand National was named Lottery. lie was an animal of surprising stamina, for in those days part of the course was over ploughed'laud. Nevertheless, lie won so gamely [ that it is on record that lie cleared over 30 feet at the last jump. Irish horses have figured very largely ' amongst National winners. Salamander, I which won in 1865, was found in ft little 1 Irish hovel. Like many horses Irish ! peasants possess, .be was a good ’un, [but was in a wretchedly poor condition. [His owner was delighted to accpt £35 ifor him. Salamander turned out to be one of the greatest horses of liis day, and won over £25,000 in stakes steeplechasing, not counting .the rich National 'stake. It is on record that two horses won that were absolutely new to the' game. In IRfiO the winner vias 1 Amato,

who had never jumped a fence before running, and in 1884 Voluptuary, who had never run • in any public steeplechase before, came in first. One famous winner was The .I>amb, which was in JS7J. Special trains in those days reached Liverpool the daV before the.

race. One special was checked going into Liverpool by a lamb that had efleaped from a cattle truck, and chosen to run up the line. Passengers took it as a ‘direct tip’’ to back The I-amb, and many did so. Needless to say. ’’The i Uauib’’ won.