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OUR LONDON LETTER

PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR COUNTRY HOME FOR DUKE (From Our Own Correspondent) LONDON, January 9. Nineteen thirty-six has opened with Britain looking forward to the most prosperous year since the great slump began here in 1930. On New Year’s Eve the Ministry of Labour announced a further reduction of 50,000 in the total of unemployed for the month of December and the highest number of people at work in the nation’s history. Practically every industry, including those which have suffered most severely from the depression, is enjoying a return, if not of positive prosperity, st least of welcome activity. Some, such as the steel trade, are busier than they have been. All the indications point to a continuance of this happy state of affairs—provided, of course, that the international situation does not “queer the pitch,” and that, at the moment, is a big ominous “if.” Budget Surplus Probable. A further indication of the improvement in the nation’s affairs is provided by the increase of over £22,000,000 in ordinary revenue for the first nine months of the year. This is already £4,000,000 more than Mr Chamberlain, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, anticipated for the full year when he made out his budget estimates last April. All things considered, therefore, there seems a prospect that the Chancellor will have a surplus at the end of the financial year. This, by law, must be applied to debt redemption.

Whether there will be any relief for the taxpayer in the coming year is more doubtful. We have a big unknown budget to face in the strengthening of the defence forces and this, I fear, will absorb any excess revenue on which the Chancellor is able to count. But even If taxes remain at their present level, the taxpayer will be better able to bear them than in many previous years. That the nation as a whole is sharing in this recovery is indicated by the Post Office figures for Christmas, which I have just seen. Records were broken in every department. During the few days preceding the holiday, postmen handled 286,000,000 letters—representing more than five for each man, woman and child in the Kingdom —and 10,000,000 parcels. Still more remarkable was the increase in telephone and telegraph business. On Christmas Eve alone, 325,000 telegrams were transmitted —compared with 194,000 in 1934 and the greatest number ever dealt with on one day in the history of the Post Office. Telephone calls on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day increased by nearly 400 per cent compared with last year—a striking proof of the success of the Postmaster General’s bold move in reducing the maximum charge at night to a shilling. Princess Victoria’s Home. I understand that the late Princess Victoria, sister of King George, has left her lovely house, “The Coppins,” at Iver in Buckinghamshire, to the Duke and Duchess of Kent. I have no doubt that the Royal couple will make use of it, for it is in delightful country, with health-giving breezes for their little son, while near enough to London to permit them to lead an active methopolitan life. At present they have no home of their own to which they can take Prince Edward to escape the fogs of London. The house is a charming early-Vic-torian residence with lovely gardens which were the special pride of Princess Victoria. The furniture, I understand, has been placed at the die”-sal of the King and I understand, that arrangements have already been made for the removal of some of the valuable antiques to Buckingham Palace, Sandringham and Windsor. Part of the Princess’s library—she was the most voracious reader in the Royal circle, with a highly-developed literary taste—is destined for the Royal library at Windsor. Moving by “Special.”

Moving house, is always a trying problem, particularly just now, when half Britain seems to be under water after one of the wettest weeks I can recall. But a resident of Amersham, Mr Alexander Ramsay, has found a simple solution. At ten o’clock on the evening of New Year’s day he embarked with his family, all his furniture, two motor cars, six horses, poultry ferrets and rabbits in a special train. The family and the animals spent a comfortable night—sleeping compartments were, of course, provided for the human members of the party, numbering eleven—and at eight the following morning they arrived at their new home in Durham, fresh and ready for the task of “moving in” with the whole day before them. Tramcar Bungalow For £2. London’s old tramcars, displaced by the new, silent and speedier trolleybuses, are retiring—to the seaside or to suburban fire-places. A member of a firm which has just bought 100 of these vehicles tells me that many of the bodies are being converted into country or seaside bungalows. They cost only £2 apiece—but to that must be added the much more considerable cost of carting them to the selected site and converting them. Although hardly objects of beauty, I can imagine many children at the age when to be a tram driver is life's greatest ambition having tremendous fun out of them. Bodies which remain unsold are broken up for firewood. The metal undercarriage is melted down for conversion into anything from a razor blade to a ship's plate while the motor —the most valuablepart—is sold entire to factory owners or other people requiring a powerful electric motor.

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/THD19360205.2.79

Bibliographic details

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLI, Issue 20334, 5 February 1936, Page 12

Word Count
896

OUR LONDON LETTER Timaru Herald, Volume CXLI, Issue 20334, 5 February 1936, Page 12

OUR LONDON LETTER Timaru Herald, Volume CXLI, Issue 20334, 5 February 1936, Page 12