Evening Post. MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 1932. THE NEW YEAR SPIRIT

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 2, 4 January 1932, Page 6

Evening Post. MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 1932. THE NEW YEAR SPIRIT

Hamlet's sarcastic comment on the speed with which his father's funeral had been followed by his mother's second wedding— Thrift, thrift, Horatio! The funoralbaked meats Did coldly furnish forth, the marriage tables— is recalled by the similar discoid underlying the New Year celebrations reported from various pails of the world. New York can do. these things better than London, but even New could not banish the death's head from the feast, and the joys of "week-end 'cruises to nowhere' on wet ships" may have supplied a silver lining to the clouds of depression, but could not dispel them. There was -perhaps as much noise as ever,* but there was less heart in it, and even the American genius for organised make-believe had to confess itself beaten. New York greeted the New Year with the usual racket on the streets and drinking and dancing in hotels and night clubs, where the numbers of "Depression Cove-verts'' were considerably lower than in past years. The celebrants seemed more to jeer out 1931 than to welcome 1932 with hope, but the customary carnival scenes filled the city. And that the celebrants had better grounds for jeering'at 1931 than for rejoicing in 1932 was indicated by the sad news of bank disasters with which the New Year opened. In Connecticut the Hartford City Bank Trust Company and the East Hartford Trust, with deposits of 25,000,000 and 3,500,000 dollars respectively, had closed their doors. The closure of these two banks, we arc told, brings tho total money tied up in banks closed in New England since Ist October to approximately 142,000,000 dollars. Similar disasters are reported from Virginia, Kentucky, and South Carolina; the American Commonwealth Power Corporation, "one of the largest gas and electric concerns in the United States," is in liquidation; and the default of South American Governments to the amount of 350,000,000 dollars will increase the tale of ruin. The United States, which was the last of the great nations to be hit by the slump, appears now to be feeling it worse than any of them except Germany. \ London also was able to put a good face on its troubles, and probably with less effort than New York, since they have recently been less severe, and it has a more phlegmatic people. The New Year came in "with a flourish of trumpets." The night clubs and restaurants of the West End were "crowded with revellers, despite the menace of income tax demands." The Chelsea Arts Club ball in the Albert Hall was a brilliant success. Thousands thronged Ludgate Hill to hear ihe chimes of St. Paul's ring in the New Year, while all over the country millions were able to listen-in to the celebrations of the occasion in the capitals of Europe. Both from Paris and from Berlin the official messages were appropriate and encouraging. In the face of the economic crisis, said President Doumer, France hoped to convince the nations of tho evergrowing solidarity of interests which would lead to a policy of mutual aid, permitting a brighter future. France was loyal to her traditions and ready now, as always, to co-operate actively in measures calculated to mitigate the evils afflicting humanity. Without the "as always" the message would have been better still, for since she took to hoarding gold France has not always been as helpful as she might have been, and the world is hoping for something better now. There is a genuine thrill in the courage and the faith with which at the age of 84 President Hindenburg calls upon the Germans to show the same energy by which they won the Battle of Tannenberg, and the same sorely stricken country would have supplied a welcome note of comic relief if Hitler's hysterics had been included in the broadcast programme:— On to victory like knights without fear of blame, we will charge through hell, death, and damnation/. Any doubts about the direction in' which Hitler desires to lead his countrymen should be removed by this frank confession. The British newspapers are described as "chary in making New Year prophecies" and as chiefly confining themselves to "pious hopes." But in a message limited to two admirable sentences the King has struck a note of courage and confidence which could not be bettered. We live in times fraught with, difficulties, but during the anxious days through which we have been passing the courage, determination, and sacrifice of all classes to restore the fortunes of our beloved country have filled me with admiration. It is in a spirit of confidence that I send my greetings to citizens of London, praying that under Divine guidance tho coming year may bring a light of hope nnd a strength of united purpose to our lives, and renewed prosperity to our land. There is no prophecy here, but the admiration expressed by His Majesty lor "the courage, determination, anil sacrifice of all classes" is well calculated to promote ihe continuance

of ihcse qualities, and we may believe that it had its effect upon the spirit and ihe number of the crowds which provided such a magnificent celebration of New Year's Day. The most surprising spectacle in London to-day was the sight of queues of people at the Inland Revenue Collectors' offices waiting to pay three-quar-ters of their year's income tax on the first day it became due. Tho authorities had made an appeal to tho people to pay promptly, and they have been astonished at the willing response. If the collectors in tho provinces have had the same experience as those in London it is estimated that something approaching £20,000.000 in tax has been paid in to-day. During the War the call to arms in many countries attracted queues of patriots eager to enlist, and in some of these countries the present depression has made the queues of people waiting their turn for relief a painfully familiar spectacle. But there surely can be no precedent for the kind of queues that were seen outside the Inland Revenue offices of Britain on New Year's Day. Even before the extra taxation imposed by Mr. Snowden's Supplementary Budget to the amount of £70,000,000 the British were the most heavily taxed nation in the world, and the burden pressed most severely on the payers of income tax. Yet it was to this most heavily taxed class in the most heavily taxed of nations that the authorities had appealed for the ! prompt payment of their greatly increased taxation, and the response of the queues assembled on the earliest possible day is estimated to be worth £20,000,000. The world which was filled with astonishment and admiration by the great national effort which culminated at the General Election- in October has still plenty of both to spare for this lalest^ display of the same spirit. The British people may be said lo have justified the confidence of their King before the ink on his New Year's message was dry.