LONDON TOPICS

Evening Star, Issue 22455, 28 September 1936, Page 11

LONDON TOPICS

PREPARATIONS FOR CORONATION [From Odr Correspondent.] [By Air Mail.] September 3. The King’s approval of airelaxation of reservations concerning the ’public use of certain Royal emblems , as decorations during next year’s Corona-; tion festivities will save thousands of his. subjects from unwittingly committing breaches of armorial etiquette. The misuse ! of flags and emblems at times, of public rejoicing is positively appalling to sticklers for proper procedure in such matters. It is not even generally realised that the Royal Standard may only bo flown over buildings at times when they are actually being visited by His Majesty, and that proud and patriotic householders when they flutter it above their suburban properties are in reality transgressing the prerogative of the Crown. 'Navy men also shudder at the frequent abuses of the White Ensign, which, in company with other bunting is displayed in all sorts of unauthorised places on occasions of national festivity. Among the preparations for next year’s Coronation ceremony that are already in hand is the renovation and thorough cleaning of the Jerusalem Chamber in Westminster Abbey. This chamber, by historic usage, becomes the treasure ’house of the regalia on the eve of every coronation. This is an ancient right that has been vested in the Abbey ever since the days of Edward the Confessor. Next year, on the day before the Coronation, the Crown and other royal ornaments will, in accordance with custom, be borne from the Tower to the Abbey, where they will be placed in the Jerusalem Chamber and guarded throughout the night by Yeomen of the Guard. On the morning of the Coronation tho regalia will he removed to the annexe at tho western end of the Abbey, and it is from there, upon arrival of tho King, that the order of the solemn procession into the church itself is actually formed. NEW POSTAGE STAMPS. The new postage stamps which came into use this week form a notablo departure in design from the issues to which all but the oldest amongst us have been accustomed. For years past now the portrait of the monarch has been surrounded with some form of scroll work. In the new issue all ornamentation has been dispensed wifh, and tho profile of the King appears on a severely plain background, the only gradation of colour being provided by the shading which deepens towards the left, in which direction the King’s head is turned. The word “postage” in bold lettering is underneath, and the denomination in the top left-hand corner is a crown which comes out in the same tone as tho deepest shading of the background. Though the colours of the stamps are the same as those now in use the wlwle design in its simplicity will call to mind the muddy reddish-brown stamps of the first Victorian issues. TROTSKY. The Soviet’s sharp demand to Norway for the expulsion of Leo Trotsky goes far to substantiate that associate of Lenin when he asserts that Bolshevism in Russia is dead. Stalin’s anxiety to get hold of Trotsky can only be explained bv a firm belief in “ dead men tell no ta'l. s,” and Trots :y’s chances of life are none too good if ho is once again forced _ out upon a pi’grimago through a suspicious and unfriendly world. The Norwegian authorities, there is reason to believe, are now regretting that they did not follow our Government’s example in cold-shoulder-ing the fugitive. They have saddled themselves with a most unpleasant incubus. National pride will demand that he comes to no harm while under their shelter, ami it is this fear more than any anxiety that lie may continue “ terrorist ” activities that is making them keep such, close guard upon his place of internment Trotsky, who lias a pawky sense of humour, is probably

deriving no little amusement from the situation. THAT RED LETTER. With tho execution of Zinovieff and Kameneff and other self-condemned “ traitors,” the Russian revolution continues to copy the Danton and Robespierre incidents of its French prototype. Nobody here is likely to wax sentimental, over their fate. Whilst their trial was a colossal travesty of justice, it was in one sense appropriate in that these men themselves never bothered to give a square deal to thenown victims. It is fitting, tnorefore. for them to have perished in the maw of the remorseless machine which they helped to create. . There are many people m tins country who believe that Zinovieff was accused of one other charge of which he was not guilty. A firing squad has finally sealed the lips of the only man who really was able to settle the vexed question of the authenticity of the famous Red Letter. LOOKING IN. At Radiolympia the British public is being given its first opportunity ot “ locking in ’’ upon the programmes transmitted over the ether by the 8.8.0, It. ;is an epoch-making occasion in the progress of radio development, and that its importance is receiving popular recognition is to be judged by the unusually largo crowds which are gathering to visit the_ annual exhibition at Olympia. Television for all, however, is yet some distance from attainment. The possibilities of transmission are still confined within very limited boundaries, and the means of ‘reception aro expensive and obviously not yet beyond the experimental stage. The glimpses of what is going on in the studios and grounds at the Alexandra Palace in North London must still be described as they come through to the specially arranged booths in the hall at West Kensington as “seen in a glass darkly. Nevertheless the clarity of definition is far better than was generally anticipated by all who had not previously been attended the privilege of a private view. COSTLY BRIDGE SCHEME. The report of the London and Home Counties Advisory Committee, jhst. issued, while emphatically in favour of the construction of a combined road and railway bridge at Charing Cross, will do nothing to encourage Londoners in the belief that such a bridge will be erected for years to come, it is no use having such a bridge until adequate approaches for the immense volume ot traffic that it would attract can be provided at either end. . Tho Automobile Association is of the opinion that such adequacy can only be obtained by providing a new thoroughfare cutting through the heart of London between Euston road and the Elephant and Castle. Anything short or this must inevitably result in serious congestion at some point or other in the West End. The Advisory Committee acknowledges that the scheme must be costly, and it is hardly likely that London will be able at present to shoulder the enormous financial burden of tearing down some miles of its most valuable business properties. LOW-FLYING AIRCRAFT. One can well understand _ why the, ratepayers of Croydon and district arc so readily signing a petition aganist low living, which is to be submitted to tho Air Ministry. It is to be doubted, however, whether the appeal will have any practical effect. , People who are unfortunate enough to have their homes and business premises situated in tho neighbourhood of the great airport aro bound to suffer from the nerve-shattering roar of the aircraft that arc continually landing or taking off from tho port. But there is far less unnecessary low flying than residents arc apt to suppose. Angry complaints that “ ho nearly took ray chimneys off ” aro often made when a pilot lias taken a course four or live hundred feet overhead. The eye is easily deceived, and it is because many of the passenger craft which arrive at and depart from Croydon are of such enormous dimensions that they appear to V’o landsman to be within a few feet of the top of his property. Tho extent to which ora’s impressions of s : ao and altitude become confused is illustrated by a friend of mine who lives in a Thames Valley suburb. Not so long ago he was busy on the top of a 30ft ladder painting the front of his house at a time when a wellknown “ air circus ” was giving a display from a field near by. The air craft wore wheeling and manoeuvring in every direction overhead without to any extent disturbing the amateur decorator. .Suddenly, however, during a lull in the display ho was startled almost into falling from his porch by what he took to* bo another plane swoop! s’lcnlly into view above the gabie o.i which lie was working at only

a few feet above his head. His astonishment became the greater when he observed that the pilot of this soundless craft was proceedings “ with his head tucked underneath his arm.” _ It was only a heron flying a “ blind course ” while attempting to dislodge an unwanted and irritating passenger from beneath one of its wing feathers. IRON AND STEEL INQUIRY. Lord May and his colleagues on the Import Duties Advisory Committee are already busy upon their investigation into the position of the iron and steel industry, called for in consequence of suggestions made in relation to the breakdown of the Jarrow steelworks proposal. For the present the committee is receiving representations in writing, find no hearing of evidence has yet been embarked upon. No limitations, however, are being put to the interests from which the committee is open to receive facts and suggestions, and communications from al!_ relevant sources are welcomed for consideration. Before the end of next month the committee hopes to be prepared to bear evidence. Sittings which will take' place in Caxton House will naturally be in private, and all evidence and data will be confidential. The committee’s conclusions and recommendations will be handed to the Board of Trade, and these, it is understood, "will be subsequently laid before Parliament for discussion. LORD B'ERTIE’S HOBBY. Viscount Bertie of Thame, as revealed in a newly-published Blue Book, makes a habit of scrutinising parliamentary Bills for the purpose of discovering grammatical errors. From the writer’s own experience of these measures, Lord Bertie’s patience _ must be frequently rewarded. The chief source of such "lapses on the part of those responsible for the drafting of our legislation is, it appears, inconsistency _ in observing singular or plural in relation to nouns of multitude. A local authority, for example, “ is ” made to do something or other in one clause of a Bill, whilst in tho next clause the same authority “ are ” made to do something else. Apart from grammatical errors, Lord Bertie must from time to time come across curious ambiguities of phraseology which occasionally creep into these legal documents. An instance of this sort, which occasioned much amusement at Westminster this session, appeared in the marginal explanation of the purport of the major clause of an important Bill, which was set forth as being the “ employment of women and young persons in shifts.” MUSICAL PLAYS, London theatres this autumn will be presenting a greater number of musical plays than have been put upon the boards simultaneously for many years past. By the time the season is in full swing there will be at least a dozen productions of this character to choose from in tho West End. Unfortunately for tho more old-fashioned among us. who prefer their music to be tuneful rather than “ rhythmic,” the choice will not afford much variety. Titles op the pieces, such as ( Let’s Raise the Curtain/ £ Over She Goes/ * O-Kay for Sound,’ and ‘ Transatlantic Rhythm,’ show that little need be expected beyond the usual crooning sounds' that breathe romance into the ears of the rising generation. Old folk, however, will “still be able to enjoy the sweet graciousness of Schubert at the Coliseum, where the revival of 1 Lilac Time ’ may be expected to have a prolonged and successful run. There is also real melody in ‘ No, No, Nanette!’ still being presented at tho Hippodrome. NOT LIKELY! As an old infantryman I was amused, and just a little sorry, too, to hear from an Army expert that recruiting for that branch of the military service remains stagnant. It seems that modern youths will cheerfully go a-sol-diering still, but only if they have something to carry them on tho march. Thus the cavalry and artillery can usually rely on getting what recruits they need, and still more so the mechanised units, but nobody wants to join the P. 8.1. This may be explained by various causes. Tho ex-serviceman’s vivid description of tho infantry’s lot in the Great War cannot greatly encourage new recruits now. '1 hero is tie doubt the infantry had the worst end of the stick in 1914-18. It does not follow that they will in the next war, if there is one. Personally I should not fancy the tanks much in a modern war. Other contributory causes to infantry’s dearth of recruits is the postwar generation’s passion for mechanism, dislike of route marching under full pack, and belief that a trained Army mechanic stands a better chance than a gravel crusher of a job on Icav,ng the service. STREAMLINE TRAINS. The fine speed performances of the “Silver Jubilee,” the first streamlined train of the L.N.E.R., which has now been in service for nearly a year, have encouraged the authorities of that railway to believe that the maximum of "speed to be attained by the steam locomotive lias not yet boon reached. Speeds reaching 113 miles per hour have been attained by this train along stretches of its normal route between King's Nross and Newcastle. The train is constantly undergoing special tests in service, and these arc understood to

have been so satisfactory that the company is going forward rapidly with the construction of more locomotives of the streamlined class. Seventeen new engines of the Silver King typo are at present being built at Doncaster, and, though the company has made no announcement of its intentions, _it seems certain that streamlined trains are to be brought into general use on its main-line services, EXHIBITING SEASON. September is pre-eminently the month for trade exhibitions, and it is a sure sign of our increased national prosperity to find that arrangements nave been made this autumn for a larger, number than ever of these displays. The amount of space required tohbuse a really representative trade exhibition is enormous. Even though the accommodation provided by halls in London may be adequate, these buildings have to be prepared for constant and quick changes throughout the exhibition. To change over in a night from chocolate to heavy engineering is a feat which does not terrify the authorities at Olympia. The Agricultural Hall—oldest of London’s exhibition centres —has also been extended to meet the increasing demands of such annual shows as the Bakers’ and Confectioners’ Exhibition, which opens on the sth. New accommodation is now available at the recently opened halls at Earl’s Court, which will this season be in keen competition with their more widely known neighbour at Addison road. CENTRES OF INDUSTRY. Both in Parliament and in trade associations many complaints have been heard recently about the so-called southward trend of industry. The growth of ribbon factory regions along the railways and high roads leading out of London has caused concern and alarm to the old-established industrial areas of the north. The latest survey of the industrial development of the country issued by the Board of Trade, however, affords no justification for these complaints. If London and the South of England is becoming industrialised, it is not, it would seem, at the expense of the north. On the contrary, where transfers have been effected at all the survey indicates that the drift has been to the north. Though this should bring some measure of assurance to northerners, it will not altogether remove their complaint, which is that their own industrial regions no longer afford the most suitable sites for those new light industries that are now becoming such a leading feature of our national trade.