HOUSE OF ROYAL MEMORIES

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

HOUSE OF ROYAL MEMORIES

White Lodge to be Let Queen Mary Married There (Specially written for “ The Timaru Herald ” by Charles Martin) LONDON, October 14. Intimately connected with the Royal family for two centuries a famous country house near London will shortly be to let. White Lodge, Richmond Park, a house of happy memory to Queen Mary, who was married there; to the Duke of Windsor, whose birthplace it was; and to the King and Queen, who, as Duke and Duchess of York, made it their first home, is to be offered at a reduced rent. The present tenant. Lord Lee of Fareham, is retiring to live in his Gloucestershire home. Whoever takes over White Lodge will need a big income, however low the rent. Rates and taxes alone will absorb the best part of £2.500 a year, and there are 20 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms and 51 acres of grounds to be kept up. A noteworthy feature is the collection of Old Masters in the three picture galleries. New Zealand Surgeon as Artist A few weeks ago the distinguished scientists of the British Association held their own art exhibition, as a side-show to their deliberations at Cambridge. Now it is the turn of the doctors. Members of the Medical Art Society have just organised an exhibition at the Rembrandt Galleries, and the works of art on show number 99. In their moments of relaxation doctors evidently like to get aw T ay from the human body. Most of the exhibits are water colours of nature scenes, and there are only four pieces of sculpture. If any artistically-minded medical man could be expected to excel as a sculptor it would be Sir Harold Gillies, but the famous New Zealand plastic surgeon is represented in this art show by two landscapes in oils—a scene in Iceland and “Winter Sun. Rye.” Incidentally Sir Harold’s fees for his paintings are more modest than for his operations! He is asking ten guineas for one picture and fifteen guineas for the other. Victorian Relics in London Play Whatever the reason for the failure of “Can We Tell It?”, one of several new plays which have been withdrawn from London theatres recently after very short runs, a want of accuracy in the stage settings did not contribute to its unpopularity. Great pains were taken to ensure fidelity to the periods, which ranged from the eighties to the present day. No difficulty was experienced in procuring an early motorcar, but it was necessary to scour London to find a lady’s tandem bicycle as ridden in the days when “Daisy, Daisy” was first sung. Paraffin lamps, as hung on walls in homes 60 years ago, were found in the Caledonian Market. Suitable posters of the Victorian period were out of print, but reproductions were made with the aid of models. An exhaustive search for a bag of surgical instruments as used by a country doctor in mid-Victorian times ended in the museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, and the exhibit was borrowed for the production. Such meticulous attention to detail may seem unnecessary for a stage show, but any inaccuracy, however trivial, would have been pounced upon by those playgoers whose interest in the drama would appear to be mainly in its presentation. Hansoms Still For Hire Had the producers wanted a horse cab for “Can We Tell?” as well as a “vintage” motor-car, they would have experienced no difficulty in finding a suitable specimen. Horse cabs still ply for hire in London, though it cannot be long before this mode of travel becomes obsolete. Out of thousands that once clattered through the streets there are not more than two dozen of these vehicles left, and when they go they will not be replaced. Walking down Piccadilly one summer night not long ago I heard an echo of Edwardian days in the jingle of a handsome cab. I believe there are two of these quaint survivals still offering their services to the public. Occasionally they are patronised by young people looking for a new experience, or by elderly folk trying, perhaps, to recapture some of the thrills of their youth. London in Music More than one composer has tried to interpret the spirit of London through the medium of music. Few have been more successful than Eric Coates, whose “Knightsbridge” movement in the “London” suite has become one of the most famous tunes in the world, thanks to its adoption as a signature tune for “In Town To-night,” the British Broadcasting Corporation’s most popular entertainment feature, recently revived. Strangely enough the publishers were doubtful about this movement, considering it too difficult for most orchestras. Yet there is hardly a band in the country, and on the Continent, that does not frequently attempt a rendering of “Knightsbridge.” Other movements present fewer difficulties. The composer has introduced local colour into all—a few bars of “Cherry Ripe” into the “Covent Garden” movement, and the chiming of Big Ben into “Westminster ” the middle theme.

This last was not such a simple matter as one would expect. Eric Coates spent some time strolling about Westminster at night, listening to the chimes and noting the difference between the “halves” and “quarters.” Still dissatisfied he resorted to the radio as a guide.

Tax-Dodging Refugees The extension of German influence on the Continent has compelled many people to leave one country in order to seek sanctuary in another. There is one class of refugee whose plight is unlikely to excite much sympathy. I refer to the wealthy British tax-dodger who has found Liechtenstein, the pocket principality wedged in between Switzerland and Austria, an ideal spot in which to evade his responsibilities. The haven became less secure when Austria was absorbed by the Reich. Numbers of these expatriates are now

leaving Liechtenstein to find a second home in Monaco. In this paradise for gamblers they can form private companies to hold their securities and receive their dividends. As no public records are kept, the arrangement of their financial affairs cannot be tracked down by income tax authorities at home.

Told on ’Change Here is a fairy story they are telling on the London Stock Exchange:— Dr. Schacht, President of the Reichsbank, came over to London for the purpose of raising a £50,000,000 loan. He saw Mr Montagu Norman, Governor of the Bank of England, who asked: “What security can you offer?” ‘ Our mineral wealth below the ground. And our Fuhrer above our land,” Schacht replied. “Well,” replied Norman, “I might consider it. . . . if the securities were reversed,”