26 JANUARY 1951, Page 5

Being something over forty myself I am slightly sensitive about

any references to senescence. But such references are not to be altogether avoided. They are embedded in official documents—for example, and in particular, in the Companies Act, 1948, which lays It down that directors of Public Companies shall cease to be direLtors on attaining the age of seventy, unless the Board of the company concerned passes a special resolution providing for their retention. Boards are fairly diligent at doing that, but I am not altogether surprised that resolutions to be proposed at the annual general meeting of the National Provincial Bank on February 8th ha%c caused a certain amount of City comment. For they provide that Lord Colgrain, aged 84, Lord Cromer, aged 73, Mr. D. H. Illingworth, who before February 8th will be 75, and Mr. F. G. Robinson. aged 70, shall one and all be re-elected. Youth at the prow and veterans at the helm no doubt make a strong combina- tion, though I don't notice so much youth as all that on the present directorate. All the same, many Boards would be much the poorer if all their members were retired compulsorily at 70.