OUR LONDON LETTER

Taranaki Daily News, 27 September 1930, Page 14 (Supplement)

OUR LONDON LETTER

NEWS FROM THE HOMELAND. CHANGED DAYS IN THE COMMONS. London, Aug. 7. Old Parliamentarians are not im-pre.-6ed by the way, the House of Uomnipn« handled the case of Mr. Sandham. Apart from the unsatisfactory denouement, which leaves the bribery and corruption charges reiterated and uninvcritigated, the manner of the offender’s censuring causes much surprised comment. Cases where a member of the House of Commons has been censured by that assembly are rare, but in tile past the ALL’, concerned received very different treatment. He liad to take his stand at the Bar of the House, and the Speaker’* admonition, as those vividly recall who remember Mr. Speaker Peal, was a scathing one. Why Mr. Sandham was allowed to ,sit in his usual seat instead of going to the Bar has not been explained. The shrewd suspicion is, however, that it was in order to prevent the Socialist extremists‘“making a scene.” UNCLE ARTHUR’S REST CURE. Everybody regrets that the strain of the Foreign Office compels Mr. Henderson to take a rest cure in a nursing home before facing the League of Nations assembly at Geneva. Between Moscow and Cairo the Foreign Secretary has had a worrying ordeal, which has not been made lighter by the daily bombardment of awkward questions in the House of Commons, or by the difficulty of reconciling the hard facte of diplomacy, as he knows them at the Foreign Office, with the -.cherished, theories of his. own back benchers. He has undoubtedly. displayed< great Parliamentary tact, but the question is whether his diplomacy Jias been equally successful. Nowhere has the accession of a Labour Ministry created more embarrassing, results than at the Foreign Office and the India Office. HIGH NEGOTIATIONS. Some perturbation has been caused, in the political world generally, by news that Mr. Neville Chamberlain, tlie newly-appointed chairman of ‘jbherf Conservative organisation, is holding; luncheon conferences with Lord Rotherinere at the Garrick Club. Curiously enough, it was to this unobtrusive haven the late Lord Balfour repaired when, at the height of Mr. Joseph Chamberlain’s tariff reform campaign,, he desired to hold private consultations without being overlooked, if not overheard, as would have been the lase at the Carlton or the Athenaeum. I hear Mr. Neville Chamberlain’s negotiations go no further than an attempt to discover a via media, somewhere between safeguarding and protection, which;; might unite the Conservative the coming polls, arid particularly avoid Empire Crusaders splitting the Conservative vote. ‘ THE PRIME MINISTER’S HEALTH. Unless there is a deal of smoke without any fire, there must be some underlying truth in the rumours that ambitious rivals are scheming for Mr. Mac-, Donald’s grown. What it is difficult to .credi.t, however, is that Mr.)Mendelson’ is one of the aspiring claimants.. Tlux politician whom the Foreign Office compels to seek a rest cure in a nursing home is not the sort of fellow to stand the racket of 10, Downing. Street. No doubt the enmity of disgruntled . Left Wing extremists, who believed Mr. MacDonald would be more malleable than lie has proved, explains much of the' lobby talk, including the disingenuous gossip about the Prime Minister being worn down by strain. Actually-.-,])!’?); health is much improved, and.hig,_.ca.da.-. verous appearance is due to nothing more serious than an unusually close haircut. After one of Mr. Lloyd George’s rare visits to the barber, he, too, looks emaciated. CANADA’S NEW’ REGIME. Amongst the changes the recent Canadian elections may effect are several in the/personnel of the Dominion’s representation in London. It is possible that,Mr. Vincent Massey, the. mew HiglrCb.mniissioner appointed here, lria.y now not come to London at all, Mr Bennett, the new Canadian Prime Minister; is well- acquainted with this couptry arid is no stranger to London. He- understands*, intimately, therefore, what the poiit-war position is with us. To that’eXtehU at all events, the works of Mr. J. H. Thomas should be facilitated a good deal. Mr. Bennett is a quiet and even retiring statesman, not at all of the megaphone and limelight type, and will certainly be a. vigorous personality in the forthcoming Imperial Conference meetings,' TYPICAL MARINE. ■There is no smarter man in society than Colonel Sir Leslie Wilson, who has just-celebrated his 54th birthday. After a, distinguished career in the Royal Marines, he became in 1913 M.P. for Reading in succession to the Marquess thereof. But he had not seen the end of his soldiering. He served with the Naval Brigade, during the war, and was in the rush to. Antwerp. When Viscount Fitz Alan, became Viceroy of Ireland in 1921, Sir Leslie’succeeded him as Chief Government; Whip. , It was during his regime the Coalition was brought to an end. In 1923 lie was appointed Governor of Bombay, and won golden opinions in that Presidency. He is now one. of the powers behind the Ladies’ Carlton Club. It would surprise no one if Sir Leslie succeeded Mt. Neville Chamberlain at the Conscrvativ6 Central Office when the hitters short tenure as chairman ends. Hi’s imperturbable charm makes him universally popular, and lie has the political experience, and prestige tor the position, which have been so often lacking since Lord Younger's day. D.S.O. BISHOP. By bistranslation Irom Hereford to Rochester' p.r. Linton Smith comes nearer To /headquarters.. No doubt ‘'Liberal Evhijgelical.” ‘could be affixed to hiin/’wers.jiiij' p/'ly label required, but. he is emphatically a bishop who needs none, becau.'C he appreciates loyal and devoted senice wherever he finds it, even when it. seems Io run counter.(q fiis own 'impler procedure. He deprecates slogans from either party that arc likely to wound, and his experience is so varied that there is baldly any aspect of church work outside, liis ken. He was a born war chaplain, as the D.S.O. he won at the front shows, and that his, travelling days are not over is proved, by his recent trip to the Near East at some risks to himself. From a Whitechapel curacy to the second most, rural bishopric, with an industrial siiffrangansliip thrown in, is a far <tv. Inil his own personal charm has lieen Dr. Linton Smith’s strong, a.r-ef all through.

LONDON’S CENTRAL AIRPORT. The special committee composed of representatives of the Air Ministry and of the" London County Council has an unenviable task in trying to solvo the problem of providing a landing place for aircraft in the Central Metropolitan area. The present terminal aerodrome at Croydon, the airport of the- greatest city in the world, is not conveniently situated, as it. involves from central London a 45-minute journey along some of the most congested roads. Against that disadvantage, however, is the fact that fog is much less prevalent in Croydon than in London, and there always has to be considered the potential danger of large air liners and aeroplanes landing in the midst of a crowded city. Among the suggestions put up tor the committee's consideration are the provision of a light electric underground railway, which, would enable the present terminus to be reached in ten minutes; roofing in a stretch of the river Thames; or providing a site in conjunction with Charing Cross Bridge scheme. Whatever plan may be devised, it is bound to involve colossal expenditure, SHIPYARD RIVALRY. Besides giving regular employment for nearly three years to about 20,000 men, the building .of the two new Atlantic liners for the Cunard Company revives an old drama of the shipyards. Like those famous sister ships,' the Lusitania and Mauretania, one of them will be laid down on the Clyde an., the other on the Tyne. The illfated Clyde ship, Lusitania, was launched before the Mauretania, but, to the surprise of the Clyde people, Gie latter proved much the better boat. She immediately captured the Atlantic, record, and held it for over two decades. Her record of consistent higlf-steaming, even as a veteran of the Western Ocean, is one of the triumphs Of British engineering. It will bo' interesting, therefore, to sec liow the Clyde and the Tyne shipwrights acquit themselves in the building of the two. new leviathans. ARMY RECRUITING. Quite a number of schemes to improve recruiting for the Army are under' consideration. The .most prominent concern .terms of epljstment and dress., It is .suggested that, there should be cither optional terms of enlistment, or much shorter periods with the Colours and longer service in the Reserve. At present the normal engagements for service are six years with the Colours and six with the Reserve, but they vary in certain units. In the Household Cavalry and the Royal Corps of Signals, for instance, they are eight .and four; and in the Foot Guards and Infantry of the Line seven and five, with a small proportion of three'and.’ nine. The choice of optional tcj'riis ip' the' Royal Erigiribers ' a fe# yearri b'ack'vyas.'ilbt not'was the R.A.M.C. experiment of one. year with the Colours and eleven with the Reserve. The expense of reverting to pre-war full dress being prohibitive, it is believed that a compromise may be adopted for walking out, which, while not being cheap, will relieve the soldier of the monotony of eternal khaki. TOO TOUGH. ' 'riindli' , ’ , h< l is. tii'.' , a c ’“hiiffib'er-" : of jokes at’the Expense of those' members of our post-war nouveaiix-riches, whom we all suspect bf being profiteers. Here is another story, which nobody will believe, but which has, nevertheless, the merit of being absolutely true. Some time ago a middle-aged couple, who evidently had auy amount of money, bought an old house, standing in very beautiful grounds, iu the Horsham, district of Surrey. They took over from the- outgoing owner an. told : gardener, yhose'special pride: isj ior, -was; a .fine crop of asparagus.?' But the first time: he picked a consignment, and it wis served to the newcomers for dinner, he was informed that no more asparagus was to appear on their table. It was tpugh aiid nasty. He found out later that they had eaten the wrong. ends, leaving- the succulent green tops on their plates. WAR MEMORIALS. Memories of the war were renewed last Monday, Hie Iffi-Ji anniversary of its declaration, by the unveiling simuL taneouslv of four, memorials,, on the battlefields of Loos, Pozieres, Cambrai, and Vis-en-Artois, to the fallen dead who have no known resting place. It will give some idea of our losses on these four battlefields that the names of 52,352 officers and men are inscribed on the panels of these memorials, the final resting place of whom no man knoweth.. The Loos Memorial commemorates 20,712, and Pozieres 14,690, th s Vis-en-Artois 9,903, and the Cambrai 7,047. The Loss memorial is situated’ in : the old Dud Corner Cemetery, wliere a .large number .of officers and men who fell in the Battle of Loos are buried, and it stands almost on the exact site of a German strong point—the Lens Road Piedoubt. AWAY BACK.Most people know that Waldorf is a name with an American twang to it, and that there is a Waldorf Hotel on both sides of the Atlantic, of which London’s is merely the namesake and small model of New York's. Not so many Londoners realise, liowever, why Waldorf is such a. familiar name in two great cities. It commemorates Mr. John Jacob Astor, the German peasant’s son who sailed to America a century-aud-a-half ago, with 25 dollars and a collection of German flutes, to found the immense fortunes of the Astor family. He established the American Fur Company, and became, by shrewd investment, virtual landlord ' York. Ho was born in 1763 at a. little place near Heidelberg, called Waldorf, meaning "the village in the wood.” ACCEPT ED—WITH . R ESERVATION. One of the most difficult, emergencies to meet is when someone commits a peculiarly gauche offence, and then promptly apologises. To reject the proffered apology is impossible, and yet there is the feeling that to omit cenMire is anti, social. 1 saw this problem very neatly solved to-day in Fleet Street. Two well-dressed middle-aged mon stopped to look at. a notable new piece of Fleet Street architecture, and one, raising, his stick in the crowded jro'iglifare to point, caught passing stranger sharply in the face. "Oh, 1 be"- your pardon—so sorry!” said the offemler instantly. "Quite all right,” responded the victim of the assault, r-bbing his injured eye, "but may I ask whether you drive a ear?” The culprit said he did not. "Thank God for that!” said the injured party, and walked away.