OUR LONDON LETTER

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21574, 9 February 1940, Page 2

OUR LONDON LETTER

Two Scots Make Good

Few Reserved Occupations In France (From Our Own Correspondent) LONPON, January J2. The two new Ministers who join the Government from outside politics are both sacrificing about half their incomes by doing so. Sir John Reith’s salary as head of British Overseas Airways was £lO.OOO a year; as Minister of Information he will be paid £5OOO. That is also the salary of the new President of the Board of Trade. Sir Andrew Rae Duncan. Sir Andrew is probably sacrificing more than Sir John. He will be giving up his £BOOO-a--year chairmanship of the Iron and Steel Federation. Directorships of other concerns—including the Bank of England and Imperial Chemical Industries—must have accounted for more than another £2OOO.

The early careers of the two new Ministers have been curiously parallel. Both are Scots who have made their names in England, Sir John beginning as an engineer and Sir Andrew as a solicitor. Both established reputations as organisers during the last war. Sir John Reith was a buyer sent on behalf of the British Government to the United States. Sir Andrew was Coal Controller. "Reserved” Frenchmen One reason for the speedier call-up of British conscripts, it is now revealed, is that our annies are to take over larger sectors of the Maginot Line, so that some of the older French soldiers may be released for civilian duties. France has nothing like Britain’s elaborate schedule of “reserved” occupations, and some of her industries were stranded by the immediate mobilisation of their personnel. The French Government has just appointed a commission to regularise this matter. Though some essential workers are excused military service, no Frenchman can say with certainty that he is "reserved” and no employer can be certain of keeping a sufficient staff to carry on. France’s “reserved list” is a short table of occupations whose members under the age of 39 may be excluded military service—if it can be proved in each particular case that their work is essential. Agriculture, in which Britons are reserved front the age of 21, is not one of these occupations.

Standard Clothes? Both tailors and their customers are showing a lively interest in the apparently inspired rumours this week that "standard suits” might be expected as part of the nation’s war effort. There seems no, agreement about what this means. Ls cloth to be standardised, or only the pattern—or both? Will prices be fixed? Will all suits be factoryproduced. ready-made or part-made? The mast prevalent opinion is that standard grades of cloth will certainly be introduced. They may be rather lighter than the general run of “gents' suitings” and they will undoubtedly contain a proportion of cotton. While the prices of such cloths willW>e fixed tailors will be able to charge as before for cut and style. Savile Row will still be Savile Row. There is also talk of rationing clothing, and some such scheme may possibly be introduced in the coming six months.

Hampered Travellers Now that Mr Chamberlain has reemphasised Britain’s need for keeping up her exports, business men are hoping that some of the restrictions on travelling abroad will be dropped. Commercial travellers, like those merely making personal journeys, are subjected to the most stringent control. It is a difficult job to get out of Britain, and a harassing one to reenter. Apart from the possibility of espionage, the authorities’ chief concern is to prevent currency from being taken out of the country. Exporters are urging the easing of travel formalities at a time when prompt despatch of commercial representatives may win for Britain some of the markets from which the war has excluded Germany

Law and the War The law is often cited as one of the professions hardest hit by the war. But, as a matter of fact, jts prospects seem fairly good. At the moment, litigation is down by about 50 per cent.; but there are 30 or 35 per cent, fewer barristers to share it, since many are on war work. Wai legislation will make much more work for the courts in the near future. Already thousands of cases are pending in which building societies, landlords, hire-purchase firms and other creditors are seeking the court's permission to take action against people who plead that they cannot pay owing Io the war. There are also numerous damages claims following road accidents in the black-out.

Butter “Samples” While some people in England have been arranging to have "bootleg” butter sent to them from Ireland (risking customs seizure) Germans are doing the same thing through friends in Switzerland. Some Swiss dairies are making a regular business out of this traffic, and it is reported that thousands of parcels are being despatched daily.

They weigh not more than six ounces —which exeippts them from duty—and. for the same reason, they are labelled "samples without value.” If a German receives only one such "sample” weekly, he has more than doubled his butter ration. His Swiss friend is not put to any trouble. He merely walks into a dairy, asks for "butter for Germany.” and gives the address. The dairy wraps and mails the little parcel.

"It’s an HI Wind

The mining and torpedoing of ships have brought a rich harvest tn Britain’s beachcombers. In peacetime their diligent patrolling of the shores was seldom rewardeu by anything more valuable than firewood. Nowadays almost anything may be thrown up by the tide. A crate of bicycles, dozens of cases of whisky, chests of tea and boxes of toys are among the finds recently reported. But unless he conceals his discoveries from the eyes of authority the beachcomber Ls not so prosperous as this list would suggest. Flotsam and jetsam legally belongs to the Crown, though the finder is rewarded with onethird of its value.