Boom This has been a troubled summer for manY sections
of the economy but at least it has been a bumper season for two of our national growth activities : the manufacture of noise and ni litter. Here at least productivity has climbed steadily and there is no sign of recession. A friend of mine living on the South Coast tells me he has never seen such a rich harvest of rubbish sc has lately appeared on the beach and cliffs near his home. Bottles, paper, empty cans, packaging of cardboard and (even worse, because more permanent) of plastic are all there in abundance. This man reports that the annual deposit ha, increased perceptibly and steadily since the any - litter legislation was passed. So, he notes, have his rates. He wonders why the local council can' not ease the pain of the rates by raising moneY from a strict enforcement of the legal penallie5 for scattering litter. Perhaps he is rather em- bittered. But this sort of nuisance does mato: people bitter. I met a peaceable soul this vve0` who told me how his domestic calm had been, gradually ruined by the building of a new road near his house. His misfortune was that for some reason the road had become a favourite test' ground for owners of sports cars. They roared up and down by the hour emitting that brrm-brrel noise which is well known to fill the heart of the driver's girl-friend with admiration. He told Me that a neighbour had been so incensed by oir inconsiderate young motorist that he hurled 10,s spade at him as he roared past for the umpteentn, time in his open sports car. Obviously it coule have killed him and his passenger. Unforgivable, of course, I murmured. My informant, a gent suburbanite of advancing years, did not agree 65 SPECTATOR, AUGUST 27, 1965 144 Immediately. 'I have often thought of what I if should have said in court if there had been a ud fatality,' he said. 'I should have expressed the .01, opinion that in the circumstances the display of oc) Violence was entirely justifiable.' Perhaps our as. Increasing power to get on our fellow-country- rid 'lien's nerves is transforming the descendants of Pooter, so that today the mildest of suburban eardeners has a tiger in his tank.
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