OUR LONDON LETTER

Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14592, 16 February 1921, Page 9

OUR LONDON LETTER

NEW WORLD IN OLD EUROPE. POLITICAL, INDUSTRIAL, SOCIAL. LONDON, Dec. 16. Both the Savage Club and the Institute of Journalists had dinners at the Connaught Rooms on Saturday night and the great dining halls were 11 lied with important people in the intellectual lifa of this city. On the way to the rendezvous the guests had only to face a gentle drizzle. It was suspiciously warm, after a period of biting cold, and predicted what was coming. The prediction was fulfilled before the dinners were over, and when the guests emerged it was into a London in the preliminary stages of ttie first snow of the season. To cross a street meant wading through pools of slush. By Sunday morning, however, the snow had made good on top of the mud, was everywhere lying deep, and Jack Frost quickly gave it solidity. London once more wore the white mantle in which Dickens loved to clothe her, hut which in these days she rarely wears. Indeed London has hail winter almost entirely without snow. It is highly agreeable to those sheltered in a warm room lo gaze out, the window and admire Ihe beautiful whiteness of the exterior. But it is not quite the same thing lo those whose business takes them abroad, still less is it to those whoso fuel is scant or non-existent, and in whose homes there is not enough heat-giving food to go round. There was a thaw on Monday night, rain on Tuesday, then more snow, more severe frost, and all the hardness of winter. Within forty-eight hours of the first snow, no fewer than 94 per-

sons were carried lo hospitals, owing to their having fallen on Ihe slippeky footways. They included so robust an experienced person as a police officer, who had one of his legs broken. At one period the temperature was down to 21 degrees. War Burdens Still. Sir Philip Gibbs, famous war correspondent, proposed “The Scrvfecs” at the dinner of the Institute of Journalists on Saturday night, coupled the toast with the, name of General Sir Nevill ,\l. Smytlie, V.G., and expressed the fervid hope that the General’s post, as chief of the Territorials, would he more ornamental than essential, that there would lie no recurrence of Hie appalling tragedy of war. That is (lie wish of every decent man. and allied In it is necessarily Hie idea that army and navy expenditure should he kept down lo a minimum. Nothing of the snrl is being done. Chi (he contrary. Ministers appear to be out to find reasons for maintaining and even increasing outlays tremendously in advance of any thing dreamt of before the Great War. People ask; Who are we dreading? Germany was the only enemy Unit gave us the least uneasiness, and she is powerless. One would almost imagine that we were preparing for some extensive expedition, so active are the war departments. On Monday night a Supplementary Estimate for the Army was circulated in the House of Commons, and the sum asked for was nearly forty millions sterling. This on top of 125 millions voted in February last. The reasons given by the Minister of War (Mr Ghurchill) were staled thus:— ~

A large advance in expenditure has resulted from the rebellion in .Mesopo-

tamia.. The detention of the force in NorthWest Persia by the disturbed conditions there lias had a similar offer,t. That '‘disentangling"’ of the force in

East Persia has involved an additional liability of over £3,000,000. In all the theatres of the Middle East the cost is now estimated at £49,000,000, as against £33,000,000 in February.

The necessity, “owing to the disturbed state of the world and to the temporary shortage in our reserve forces,” to continue recruiting for the British Army above the numbers anticipated has involved increased money provision.

Extra expense caused by the rise in prices, by higher railwayfarcs, and by increased expenditure on pensions and other non-effective services, account for £ 10,500,000.

Disturbed conditions in Ireland have meant an expenditure of £1,500,000 for tile provision of motor lorries and armoured cars, and for special measures for the well-being of the troops. Charges arising out of the. war amount to £18,000,000, flie most important Item being a sum of £10,000,000 claimed by the Government of India on the adjustment ,of war accounts for stores and supplies. Plausible, but not convincing. And the Minister had (lie effrontery to go on to claim credit for "considerable savings.” There is often a nice political humour in the word “savings.” In some abnormal situation, the Government gets authority for a special expenditure; the following year the need of that expenditure lias passed, but because the money is not asked for again it is put down as “savings.” The British public just grin and bear their tinge military and naval burdens. For the Government proposes them and their House of Commons registering machine sanctions them and makes a pretence of looking pleasant. Submarine v. Battleship. Of course, it would never do to let the War Office beat them as public spenders, therefore their Lordships of the Admiralty have also submitted Supplemenary Estimates—to the lime of (U millions. This brings the Navy Estimates for the year up lo DO millions as contrasted with 50 millions before Hie war, when the German Fleet was in being and its power largely a subject of conjecture. Included in the expenditure is provision for building battleships, against the construction of which Admiral Sir Percy Scott brainy man still remembered in Australasian waters—vigorously protests. In a newspaper article published last evening he asks of what use is a battleship? He writes: ‘‘l did get one answer from a midshipman. He said, ‘They are no damned good at all,’ and he gave to me pretty good reasons for having formed that opinion. In one

ivspecl lie was as stl as [ am. He could not see Hie use of lliem. But, many things happen in this life, and in lids world, and it. is within the range of possibility that this midshipman's opinion may he correct and that it will govern the Navy construction policy of the whole world.” hater, on the subject of submarines, Sir Percy does not hesitate to declare how close a call wo had in the war. He writes: “Wc were within an arc of losing the war., Nobody can deny it. At one time we had only six weeks’ food in sight. Now, what brought us to this state? The German battleships or the German submarine? It was unquestionably the latter. Therefore the British nearly lost the war owing to Hie Germans having submarines. That is an indisputable fact that no one can deny. If the British had had ’>o more battleships they would not have, altered our nearness lo starvation. Now, arising from this fact, i think we may conclude that if Hie Germans had possessed IH'lv more submarines at the beginning of the war Hie position would not have been Ihal we nearly lost the war. We should have lost it, and lust at an early

stage.’ There is difference of naval opinion on the subject, but Sir Percy Scott thinks, and other experts think, that to build battleships is to throw away monoy. Yet the Admiralty goes merrily ahead, to .the joy and satisfaction of the battleship builders, who, says Sir Percy, If the Admiralty had decided otherwise, “could use their steel for building sewing machines or ladies' dress improvers.” Importance of a Wife.

On Tuesday evening the experienced Sir Francis Younghusbafid read a paper at a meeting of Hie IJoyal Colonial pnstiiule, on the subject of “India and England,” and took the trouble to say that when be spoke of England he did not mean either the United Kingdom or the British Empire. But we mention Die paper not to dwell on that fact but, to quote a few words in which Sir Francis recognised ihe importance to a Viceroy or a Governor of having the right kind of wife. He said, ‘‘Viceroys and Governors represent the King and not only a political institution like Parliament. And (tie King is the representation of all its activities, not merely its social activities. Already we have a glimmering of Ihe importance of the social factor in the selection of Viceroys and Governors- We choose men of good social position for these posts, and many a man who finds his way as a matter of course into a Cabi-

net of politicians would be turned down at once for appointment as a Governor. The qualifications of the wife are also considered. NN c put. up with any kind of wife in a Prime Minister. But in soloeding a Viveroy wc will often rule a man out on account of his wife, We do, therefore, already in practice, recognise the importance of Hie social factor in choosing our Viceroys and Governors. What I urge is that we recognise it still more clearly and insistently.” Is lids good common sense or an assertion of class rights? After all, a iinventor is essentially a political officer. Gan no British man aspire lo hold such a post as this unless ho is endowed with a wife who has good social graces? Perhaps not, but we hardly think that the matter goes wholly without question. ESSENCES WITH heal rum' Ej,.\voims. When a cake or a liunie-inade beverage calls Cor flavouring, you waul to be sure Unit die Essence you use is a HEAL flavour. Vim can he certain ot Stevens’ Cathedral Brand Essences they’re pure, genuine, concentrated. Vour grocer sells “Stevens.” 2