BOOKS TO DIGEST

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 71, 25 March 1933, Page 19

BOOKS TO DIGEST

An excellent .idea of the modern Socialist point of view is given in ""Where Stands Socialism Today?" Contributors arc Sir Stafford Cripps, S. K. Eateliffe, Harold Laski, Hugh Dalton, and A. L. Rowse, such questions as Parliamentary Institutions, Eepresentatire Democracy, aud Industry and Finance being discussed. Bernard Shaw has his little joke in a chapter entitled "In Praise of Guy Fawkes." The articles which comprise "A Visit to Manchukuo" were originally written by H. G. W. Woodhead for the "Shanghai Evening Post and Mercury." They record the observations made during a four weeks' visit to that area, and in the light of present events have more tha a passing interest. He is convinced that Japan is in Manchuria to stay, although the Japanese maintain that they have no intention of annexing Manchukuo. He suggests that every Japanese in Manchuria goes to sleep nightly repeating "Every day and in every way I am more, and more convinced that the thirty million oppressed inhabitants of Manchuria look upon us as liberators."

"The ABC of Technocracy," by Prank Arkright (Hamish Hamilton), seeks to elaborate in simple terms the statement that "technocracy is a research organisation, composed of scientists, technologists, physicists, and biochemists. It was organised to collect and collate data.on the physical functioning of the social mechanism on the North American continent, and to portray the relationship of this continent, and the magnitude of its operation in quantij:ive comparison with other continental areas of, the Avorld. Its methods arc the result of a synthetic integration of the physical sciences that pertain to the determination of all functional sequences of social phej nqmena." This requires some- explaining, but the author does it successfully. . ■

Tho British policy in dealing with the' Arabs is detailed at some length but very interestingly in "The Independent Arab" by Major Sir . Hubert Young (Murray). The author's intimate association with the Middle East began, with an adventurous journey across Turkey in Asia (including an interesting meeting with T. E. Lawrence) and down, the Tigris on a raft twenty yeaTs ago. In the war he was given important administrative work in Mesopotamia, and afterwards carried on his work in- thej 'Middle East. Sir Hubert Young took hiss full share in the raids across.the desert, sudden attacks oa. strong points, blowing up trains and destroying Turkish, detachments in the process of ridding Arabia, of its enemy; but he writes not'only as one,who has adventured much but has also studied much.

In "The India We Saw" (Murray) the Hon.. Edward Cadogan gives an account of the experiences of the Simon Commission both in India and in England. In that the author was ;> a member of the Simon Commission, the book has. historic value, but woven into the text are many comments, considered judgments, criticisms, and - appreciations which will be really helpful-in the consideration of Indian problems still' unsettled. There is naturally strong .criticism of the way in which the Commission's report has been buried, for political reasons, but many circumstances point to a resurrection in the not distant future, because it is unique in its scope and treatment—and for all Who wish really to understand it and profit by it this work will be extremely helpful, as -well as entertaining.