PREMIERSHIP OF BRITAIN

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21185, 4 November 1938, Page 13

PREMIERSHIP OF BRITAIN

Will Mr Chamberlain Retire? Recent Crisis Causes Strain (From Our Own Correspondent) LONDON, October 14. Some politicians are forecasting that Mr Chamberlain will retire from the premiership sooner than most people expect. They base their prophecy partly on his recent reference to “making way for a younger man,” and partly on the obvious fact that the Prime Minister’s health has suffered severely from the strain of the recent crisis. Another reason for this belief is Mr Chamberlain’s decision not to hold an early election. Had he wished to sontinue in office, it is argued, he would have gone to the country immediately after signing the Munich Agreement. In the nation’s vast relief at being saved from a war, Mr Chamberlain would certainly have been returned with an enormous majority. He would then have had several years in which to pursue his policy of European appeasement. The decision against an election suggests to many political observers that Mr Chamberlain intends to see this Parliament to its natural end about a year hence. Then he will retire to private life (and probably the House of Lords) and leave a younger Premier to carry out the policy he has begun. That new Premier—if the National Government wins the election —will probably be Sir Samuel Hoare. He has been Mr Chamberlain's steadfast supporter through the crisis. Mr Churchill—Maginot Critic A significant story about Mr Winston Churchill comes from Paris. It is said that when he visited France shortly before the recent crisis became acute he was taken for a conducted tour of the famous Maginot Line of defences on the German frontier. As an old soldier and a wartime Minister, Mr Churchill examined the fortifications with an expert and critical eye. Mr Churchill went back to Paris and wrote a report pointing out seven distinct weaknesses in the Line. General Garaelin, the French C-in-C, had already discovered three of them for himself. He at once saw that Mr Churchill was right about the other four also. Rapid work enabled all seven faults to be put right before the war danger reached its peak. Whether true or not, this /Story shows that the French would like to see Mr Churchill in the British Cabinet. A New Defence Minister? Rumours are current in political circles that Sir Thomas Inskip intends to resign from his appointment of Minister for Co-Ordination of Defence. Strongly fancied as his successor is Sir John Anderson, the former Governor of Bengal, who has astonished everyone by the rapidity of his political and commercial success since his return to England. He has been appointed a Privy Councillor, a Member of Parliament for the Scottish Universities, and a director of Vickers, of the Midland Bank, and of Imperial Chemicals. He refused the chairmanship of Imperial Airways. If he becomes Defence Minister he will break all records for quick promotion. They Forecast “No War" Both the spiritualists and the astrologists are taking credit upon themselves for prophesying that no world war would result from the recent European crisis. In mid-September, when things looked blackest, leading British mediums were recording in print their belief that peace would be kept, basing their predictions on messages received from spirit guides. A remarkable prophecy (or lucky guess) was contained in Old Moore’s Almanac for 1938, published over a year ago, in which an international crisis of the first magnitude was foretold for September, war being averted in Central Europe only with the greatest difficulty. Overtures from the United States Government were also mentioned.

Fixing The Dates For Canadian Visit The Lord Chamberlain and other advisers of the King are busy drawing up the Royal calendar for next year so as to ensure that their Majesties’ visit to Canada will upset as few of the normal engagements as possible. The absence of the King and Queen for four, possibly five, weeks is certain to cause a number of re-arrangements. Before the actual dates of the visit can be announced many factors must be considered, such as the Courts in May and late June, or early July; the three Levees of the season at St. James’s Palace; the Investitures and other functions of State importance. The Duke of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent doubtless will deputise for the King on some of these occasions. King George would not like to miss Ascot early in June, and he is expected to remain for his official birthday on June 9th. Lord Tweedsmuir wants the Royal visit to be concluded before the start of the North America hot season. The Problem Child in Spain The difficulty of keeping the modern child under reasonable control is one that confronts parents in all countries. From Spain comes an acount of an experiment in practical psychology which appears to have been successful. At Hendaye, on the Franco-Spanish border, Basque refugee children gave considerable trouble at first to those appointed to care for them. Stealing and fighting were their main offences and an unwillingness to obey. Where many people would have prescribed punishment the local psychologists declared that the children needed opportunities to give vent to their feelings without restraint. A short period w.as therefore set aside each day for this purpose. The children were marched to the centre of the town and lined up against a wall so that they faced in the direction of Spain. At a given signal from an adult they shouted threats and insults to General Franco, as strongly worded as they pleased. This “hate drill,” It is claimed, produced excellent results. The New “Tsar” Russian monarchists are mourning the death of the Grand Duke Cyril, self-styled Tsar of AU the Russias.

They are also preparing to give their allegiance to his successor, his only son the Grand Duke Vladimir. The claims of the Grand Duke Cyril, who declared himself the true ruler of his country in 1924, were regarded as fantastic, or merely funny, by all except a few fel-low-exiles. No one outside that select circle then regarded seriously the prospects of a return to power of the Romanoffs . The odds against such a restoration were at least a hundred to one. To-day the odds are still long. But they have shortened. The Grand Duke Vladimir, a great-grandson of Queen Victoria, and a 21-year-old student at the University of London, is not expected to claim the throne. He is head of the House of Romanoff, but there are many among the monarchists who will not be prepared to accept him as Tsar. They think the choice of a new ruler should be held in abeyance until the appropriate occasion, and that the selection should be governed not only by heredity but by personal fitness for kingship.