WARSHIP OR LINER

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21190, 10 November 1938, Page 11

WARSHIP OR LINER

Visit of King to America • Problem To Be Settled t i (From Our Own Correspondent) 1 LONDON, October 21. When the King of England visits his ’ Dominions the sea journey invariably 1 is made in a warship. Those who are ’ arranging the details of the Royal 1 visit to Canada are faced with the 1 problem that warships are not planned ■ for women passengers. Suitable accommodation for the Queen and her ladies cannot be provided without expensive alterations which the King is • anxious to avoid. As an alternative it has been proposed that their Majesties ’ travel in an ordinary ocean liner—a complete deck being reserved for thenuse. The Navy would provide an ap- 1 propriate escort. King Carol to Try Again King Carol, of Rumania, who is expected to visit London in mld-Novem-ber, has been described as the last' pillar of Franco-British policy in South-Eastern Europe. Alarmed at the increase in Nazi power he would like to conclude a pact with Britain. It is said that he wants to arrange for a substantial loan to develop his country’s agriculture and industries, including the valuable oilfields. The money would be spent chiefly in Britain on plant and machinery. This is King Carol’s fourth attempt to pay a state visit to England in recent years. The first postponement was due to the illness of King George V, the second to the Abdication, the third to the German annexation of Austria. If circumstances caused a fourth postponement it would be a long time before another could be arranged. The time-table of King George is very full indeed for many months. Hitler Censors Himself One consequence of the Munich settlement has been a revival of interest in Herr Hitler’s “Mein Kampf,” a best-seller in Germany, but not so widely read in other countries as perhaps its authorship deserved. Only recently has it been generally realised that the English edition of the Nazi bible is an expurgated and emasculated version containing 280 pages instep 1 of the original’s 700, with all references to the Fuhrer’s aggressive Intentions removed. This version is the only one the author permits in English. Translation into French is forbidden altogether, though a complete pirate edition in that language was brought out a few years ago. It was suppressed immediately, but not before many copies had been sold. Even in Germany the current official edition has been cut. The book as originally issued contained . too many uncomplimentary remarks about the Germans. Nazi Trade Drive Encouraged by the success of their policy of dumping cheap mass-pro-duced motor-cars in Britain and the Dominions, the Germans are preparing another drive to dispose of still more of their products abroad. The latest “People’s Car,” a 4-seater of 10 horse-power, is likely to sell at £7O to £75. Not content with flooding the market with these low-priced cars the Nazis plan to extend their foreign economic activities to a campaign for selling large quantities of inexpensive watches, clocks and jewellery. A determined effort is to be made to recapture the toy trade, in which the Germans once held a predominant position. What the People Really Think What do English people really think about the vital questions of the hour? An attempt, on a scientific basis, to discover the opinions of a representative section of the population is now being made in England, following the success in America of the technique devised by Dr. George Gallup. The method is to question, not a number of people chosen haphazard, but a selected sample of the population containing, in correct proportions to the whole, groups which differ in political opinions, sex, age, income and locality. The first survey of public opinion has been made on the question of satisfaction with the Prime Minister and on the advisability of compiling a National Register. The results show that 57 per cent are satisfied with Mr chamberlain and 43 per cent are not. Analysis of the figures indicate that support or disapproval cuts right across party ties. Of the 43 per cent now against, one quarter voted for the Government at the last election. Of the 57 per cent now in favour, nearly a third formerly voted against the Government. It is perhaps significant that more women than men are satisfied with Mr Chamberlain as Premier. On the National Register question opinion is overwhelmingly in favour of its immediate compilation, the voting being 78 per cent yes, and 22 per cent no.

Crisis Aftermath in the County Courts Settlement has followed the crisis in Central Europe, but settlement has not followed many “crisis” bookings of accommodation in hotels and boardinghouses situated in “safe” areas. As a consequence County Court judges will be kept busy for many months ahead deciding between the claims of those who sold the accommodation at high prices and the counter-claims of the fugitives who now think they were victims of profiteering. It is estimated that 193,000 people left London and the Home counties to seek refuge in South Wales. Believing that war was inevitable they booked up for months, in some cases for years, ahead. Then the crisis passed and the refugees returned home leaving a trail of cancellations behind them. Others rushed into agreements to buy houses at double the prices asked for them a few weeks previously. Many of these people are trying to wriggle out of their commitments, but vendors are not always proving amenable. Hence the increased pressure on the County Courts. Pests in ’Planes

The development of air transport has created more than one unexpected problem. It has increased the possibility of ravaging diseases spreading into countries which hitherto enjoyed immunity. Mosquitoes, travelling by aeroplanes, have introduced malaria from Africa to Brazil. Fears have been ex-

pressed that yellow fever may be implanted in Asia by similar means. Efforts are being made to end this danger. Science is conducting a new war in the air, a war to save humanity. Experiments made with a new gas distilled from a wild flower found in England and Kenya have proved successful and it is expected that this method of killing any lurking insect will come into universal use. The gas is harmless to man.

Playing Games to Mend Broken Bones At one time doctors agreed that the most important thing to do when treating a broken bone, once it had set, was to keep the injured part at rest. The modern dictum has been reversed and movement is prescribed. The modem way is illustrated at a London hospital. Instead of rather dull exercises, competitive games hasten the healing process. A patient with a fractured wrist, for instance, could regain flexibility and strength by continually opening and closing the hands. At this hospital he plays table tennis with another patient.