1 AUGUST 1931

Page 1

A Ban on Air-War ?

The Spectator

• The recent air manoeuvres over London have driven home once more the conviction to which all such exercises invariably point, that no adequate defences against air attack...

The aeroplane is primarily an offensive weapon. If the aggressor

The Spectator

had no air force there would be no essential reason for the defence to maintain one. It is against air attack that air defence is. needed. The real question is whether it is...

[Signed articles do not necessarily represent the views of the

The Spectator

SPECTATOR.]

News of the Week

The Spectator

The Premier in Berlin THE Berlin visit of Mr. Ramsay MacDonald and Mr. -I- Henderson, which began on Monday and ended on Wednesday, represented technically the sequel to the...

EDITORIAL AND PUBLLSRING OFFICES : 99 Gower Street, London, W.C.

The Spectator

1.-A Subscription to the SPECTATOR costs Thirty Shillings per annum, including postage, to any part of the world. The SPECTATOR is registered as a Newspaper. The Postage on this...

Page 2

At Westminster Parliament, with an adjournment of which its members

The Spectator

stand in more than ordinary need impending, has been concerned mainly with questions of domestic interest. The House of Commons, on Thursday, July 25th, showed sonic anxiety for...

France's Disarmament Policy Very similar issues will in any case

The Spectator

have to be faced in connexion with the memorandum on disarmament which the French Government has just sent to the League of Nations in anticipation of next year's con- ference....

The St. Aidan's Controversy The controversy between the Bishop of

The Spectator

Birmingham and the Archbishop of Canterbury has now got far beyond the question whether the Archbishop should or should not have instituted Mr. Simmonds to the benefice of St....

The agricultural discussions, on the other hand, have been distinctly

The Spectator

controversial, not only the two parties but the two Houses finding themselves at issue on the Agricultural Land Utilization Bill, which represents the Government's fulfilment of...

The point of principle involved is fundamental. Whether the Nanking

The Spectator

Government is unable, or whether it is unwilling, to let its right, or civilian, hand -take official cognizance of what its left, or military, hand is doing, the mere fact that...

China Mr. John Thorburn, a nineteen-year-old British resident in Shanghai,

The Spectator

disappeared on June 3rd. There is conclusive evidence that he was arrested by the military police. He was in their hands when he was last heard of on June 11th. The official...

Page 3

Japan's Expansion One or two competent writers on Japan having

The Spectator

announced lately, with some confidence, that the popula- tion question in the Japanese Empire would settle itself because the rate of increase was steadily slowing down, the...

Breaking Up The advent of school holidays means one thing

The Spectator

to readers of the Spectator as parents and something very different as they notice the swarms of urchins of both sexes settling in these last few days like locusts on the London...

Bank Rate 31 per cent., changed from 21 per cent.

The Spectator

on July 23rd, 1981. War Loan (5 per cent.) was on Wednesday 10211 ; on Wednesday week, 1031 ; a year ago, 1081. Funding Loan (4 per cent.) was on Wednesday 921; on Wednesday...

* * * * Lord Knutsford We record with deep

The Spectator

regret the sudden death on Monday of Lord Knutsford, of whose devoted work in the cause of medical charity the London Hospital stands as a proud memorial. Sydney Holland, born...

Mr. Bernard Shaw in Russia Russia would appear to be

The Spectator

enjoying Mr. Bernard Shaw as much as Mr. Bernard Shaw is enjoying Russia. That is not surprising, for Mr. Shaw is saying of Communists and Communism all that in their most...

Outrage in India The sudden recrudescence of outrages in India

The Spectator

is extremely disturbing, not because it betokens any widespread concerted movement—of that there is no evidence at all—but because such crimes or attempted crimes put invaluable...

Page 4

After the Conference

The Spectator

T HE London Seven-Power Conference, which in a sense began in Paris, may be said in a sense to have continued in Berlin, whither Mr. Stimson betook himself immediately the...

Page 5

The New Cancer Discovery TN the light of the amazing

The Spectator

result of the severe test applied by the investigation committee of the British Empire Cancer Campaign to the claims of Dr. Bendien, of Zeist, it should be impossible any longer...

Page 6

The Week in Parliament

The Spectator

T HE end of session fag (all too apparent among members) has had the paradoxical result of enabling Parliament to complete more legislation than the Govern- ment really expected...

Churches in the Wilderness

The Spectator

By EVELYN UNDER !JILL. 1 N those corners of the daily press which give a more or -L less casual .attention to " religious topics," there have lately appeared insistent appeals...

Page 7

Charing Cross : A Study in Metropolitan Indecision By E.

The Spectator

J. STRACHEY. O UR handling of the problem of rebuilding Charing Cross Bridge and replanning its approaches on either side has not done our community any credit. " July 30th...

Page 8

The Colour Bar

The Spectator

[The Spectator does not necessarily agree with all the views of the writers contributing to this series on the Colour Bar: Our object in publishing the series is to attempt some...

Page 9

By MICI1AEL FARBNIAN.

The Spectator

"T HE Productivity of Labour : this is in the last resort the chief and the most important condition for the victory of Socialism. Capitalism can be defeated only by a Socialism...

Page 10

The Pedestrian's Charter

The Spectator

BY SIR WILLIAM BEACH THOIlL4S. I T was once declared from the Bench that there is no law of trespass in England. Trespassers cannot be prosecuted, as a thousand mendacious...

Page 11

Love Me , Love My Dog By J. B. MORTON. T HE

The Spectator

other day, in Chicago, a woman was granted a divorce and given the custody of the dog. She is reported as having told the Court that when her husband confessed that he had...

Page 12

THE MODERN BABYLON.

The Spectator

All that can be said about Near Beer, the sale of which is permitted in Hyde Park because it contains under 2 per cent. *Except for purposes of . taxation, landlords do not...

Although neither ignorance nor distortion are out of place in

The Spectator

attacking what Mr. Joad, whimsically inverting his commas, calls the ' rights ' of the propertied classes " he should, we think, have mentioned that considerable distress and...

A Penny of Observation ARMADO : How haat thou purchased

The Spectator

this experience ? MOTH : By my penny of observation. (Love's Labour's Lost.) THE NEW SIN. If there is one thing viler than a landlord, it is a landlord who, in his spare...

Page 13

AT IT AGAIN.

The Spectator

The Board of Education of Syracuse, New York, is consider- ing the removal of Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice from their pupils' reading lists, on the grounds that the...

Art

The Spectator

TURNER'S EARLY OIL PAINTINGS. THERE are those to-day who are tempted to decry Turner's greatness as an artist—perhaps because the majority of his works in the possession of the...

The Cinema

The Spectator

CHEVALIER AND OTHERS. The Smiling Lieutenant, M. Maurice Chevalier's latest film, which is now being shown at the Carlton, is second-rate as a film, and not quite first-rate as...

Page 14

AN INTENSIVE MANOR.

The Spectator

One of the most notable examples of intensive cultivation on a large scale in England is to be seen at Kingston Bagpuze, in Berkshire. On farms almost derelict a few years ago...

First, a word about the author. He comes from that

The Spectator

stal- wart and not unprosperous country of smallholders, who farm the black land just north of Liverpool, and his name has been associated with the district since the time of...

FLOWERS AND THE PUBLIC.

The Spectator

Is the British public, on its aesthetic side, " Therion " or Theos," a beast or an angel ? Two modern instances suggest diametrically opposite replies. Wicken Fen, a delightful...

The really amazing success of the National Mark in the

The Spectator

last six months or so suggests a new form of co-operatior, which may make the merchant an ally, not an enemy, may use his incomparable skill in marketing and overcome the...

So much for the " Therion " in the public.

The Spectator

Now for the " Theos." The public-spirited owner of a lovely and precious garden by that blessed spot, Henley-on-Thames, gives free access to the public at all sorts of times and...

Country Life

The Spectator

A FRUITFUL IDEA. One of the standard mysteries of British farming is that co-operation fails—fails as completely as it succeeds in Ireland or Denmark—though most people agree...

The water-lilies at Wicken Fen have a parallel in the

The Spectator

lilies at Alderfen Broad, which readers of the Spectator (as the Secretary of the Norfolk Naturalist's Trust writes to say) are helping to buy. The white and yellow varieties...

Page 15

INDIAN RYOTS AND THE INDIAN ROUND TABLE CONFERENCE [To the

The Spectator

Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,-It is a matter of gratification that the Government of India have decided to add some more delegates to the Round Table Conference. But the...

Letters to the Editor

The Spectator

[In view of the length of many of the letters which we receive, we would remind correspondents that we often cannot give space for long letters and that short ones are generally...

Page 16

THE -FIVE YEARS' PLAN [To the Editor of-the SPECTATOR.]

The Spectator

SIR, —One can understand a nation putting up with an intolerable shortage of commodities essential to a decent human existence, such as food, clothes, habitable dwellings, &c.,...

THE STERILIZATION BILL [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—May

The Spectator

I call your attention to the report of the Mental Deficiency Committee of 1929, which sums up definitely against sterilization? This Committee, a joint Committee of the Board of...

EMPIRE GAMES AND THE COLOUR BAR [To the Editor of

The Spectator

the SPECTATOR.] Sin,—The decision not to allow coloured boxers to take part in the Empire Games to be held in South Africa is an example of the pernicious influence of the...

KENYA [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]

The Spectator

a,—Mr. J. A. Watson, in a letter published on July 11th, takes grave exception to Professor Malinowski's comments on European production in Kenya, and in order to demonstrate...

ISLAM AND THE COLOUR BAR [To the Editor of the

The Spectator

SPECTATOR.] SIR,—Surely it is rash to cite the eccentric Akbar as a proof that Muslims are ready to intermarry with Hindus. Akbar was Muhammadan in name alone. He invented a...

Page 17

A CHARTER FOR WALKERS [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]

The Spectator

SIR,—Mr. C. E. M. Joad, in supporting the Access to Moun- tains and Moorlands Bill in your last issue, entirely ignores the economic side of the question. Nobody will deny that...

FORESTS OR DESERTS ?

The Spectator

[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sin,—The statement, emanating from Government sources, was recently made that Douglas fir in British Columbia might hold out for fifteen years....

MIXED BATHING [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]

The Spectator

• Sra,—How refreshing it is that someone is at last willing to admit that the idea of bathing with ladies makes him feel uncomfortable ! Perhaps it is not generally 'realized...

Page 18

A Hundred Years Ago It is unnecessary to dwell on

The Spectator

the general stagnation of business occasioned by suspense as to the fate of the Reform Bills. Every one who lives by his industry acknowledges that he feels in his own person a...

CHEAP PUBLICATIONS.

The Spectator

These are the days of cheap books ; they are also becoming those of cheap prints. There are several series of Views in England, Paris, &c. published- in quarto size; at one...

Earth

The Spectator

, I HAVE something to say to you, Earth ; Let me lie down, stretching my arms on your breast, And be close and at rest. . As my heart leaps at each green birth of you, So let...

THE BATTLE OF BRITNANBURIL In reviewing Mr. Cockburn ' s book on

The Spectator

the Battle of Brunan- burh, I said that Anston meant " the one or lonely stone," and I said so on the high authority of the English Place-Name Survey, than which I know no...

It is to be hoped that Sir W. Beach Thomas

The Spectator

will not adopt the practice of his eat (Spectator, July 25th, p. 112) of looking to the left when starting across the road, and to the right when half way over. Only an animal...

BUILDING SOCIETIES' PROGRESS [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sin,—Mr.

The Spectator

F. J. Leweock's review of building society progress contained in your last week ' s Banking Supplement points out that the scale of these societies ' operations has more than...

THE R.S.P.C.A.

The Spectator

[To the Editor of the SFECrATOR.] Sta,—Mrs. Binstead's letter in your paper is Written under a misapprehension. The R.S .P.C.A. has no existence and no policy apart from its...

Page 19

"Spectator" Compet i t ions RULES AND CONDITIONS Entries must be typed or

The Spectator

very clearly written on one side of the paper only. The name and address, or pseudonym, of the competitor must be on each entry and not on a separate sheet. When a word limit is...

Page 20

Poetry

The Spectator

The Cicadas and Other Poems. By Aldous Huxley. (Chatto and Windus. 5s.) Snow. Poems by Humbert Wolfe. (Gollancz. 6s.) The Collected Satires and Poems of Osbert Sitwell. (Duck-...

Lord Salisbury as Leader Ix this volume—opening a second instalment;

The Spectator

delayed for nine years after the first twn—Lady Gwendolen Cecil begins with a delightful chapter that sketches Lord Salisbury's relations to his children, who in the period...

Page 21

The Real Turner

The Spectator

Turner. By Walter Bayos, A.R.W.S. (Geoffrey Bios. 10s. 6d.) OWING to a variety of circumstances Turner, the man, has come down to us as a rather unsympathetic figure—gloomy,...

Page 22

Unemployment

The Spectator

THE doctrine that high wages are one of the principal condi- tions of general prosperity was loudly proclaimed a few years ago by Messrs. Foster and Catchings. This theory was...

THE INDEX TO VOLUME 1416 OF THE "SPECTATOR" IS NOW

The Spectator

READY. One Shilling (or 25 cents) for each copy should be enclosed with instructions, and addressed to :- INDEX DEPT., THE " SPECTATOR," LTD., 99 GOWER STREET, LONDON, W.C. 1,...

Page 23

American Crime

The Spectator

King crime. By Collinson Owen. (Bann. 12s. M.) At the risk of truism it must be said that there exists, of course, in the United States a decent law-abiding, justice - loving...

The Swiss Prophet

The Spectator

The Significance of Karl Barth. By John MeConnachie. (Hodder and Stoughton. 6s.) The Theology of Karl Barth : A Short Introduction. By J. Arundel. (Chapman. 28.) Christ our...

Page 24

The Turmoil of Youth

The Spectator

Booxs on the training of youth are, as Mr. Castle himself observes, numberless. But there is always room for another good book on any subject, and on that ground the publication...

Clothes

The Spectator

Clothes. By Eric Gill. (Jonathan Cape. 10s. 6d.) IN this little volume Mr. Eric Gill proves himself as handy with his pen as with his chisel—as handy certainly, and yet the...

Page 25

Four Books on India

The Spectator

India on the Brink. By a British Merchant. (King. 3s.) Boons published to-day on the Indian situation are likely to fall into one of two elasses—those which violently attack...

Page 26

Fiction

The Spectator

Tim -Hidden Child. By Franz Werfel. Translated by Geoffrey -Dunlop. (Jarrolds. 78. 6d.) MORE and more as the novel grows older is it clear that if it is to be a work of art it...

Page 28

Current Literature

The Spectator

WE do not know what will be the feelings of our Scottish readers when they find in Mr. Clennell Wilkinson's The English Adventurers (Longman, 9s. fid.) James Bruce of Abyssinian...

Mr. Douglas Gordon's very pleasant Dartmoor in all its Moods

The Spectator

(Murray, 9s.) has something to say about the human dwellers on the moor—their customs, land-tenures and beliefs in white magic, for example—but. much more about its wild...

Having read her previous book with interest, we opened Madame

The Spectator

David-Neel's new book with pleasant anticipations. With Mystics and Magicians in Tibet (The Bodley Head, 15s.) both entertains and disappoints. An introduction by Dr. A....

India in Crisis, by Arthur Duncan (Putnam, 5s.) repre- sents

The Spectator

a moderate British point of view. Its author seems to hold that the Simon Report 'should be imple- mented. " Volume I is a masterly survey of a colossal problem. It is perhaps...

The second volume of Major Gerald Burrard's The Modern Shotgun

The Spectator

(Jenkins, 15s.) deals principally and exhaustively with the problem of the cartridge. This topic involvefi excursions into -the chemical composition of powders and various...

Travel

The Spectator

We publish on this page articles and notes whicb ma!, help o:Ur readers in making their plans for travel at home and abroad. They are written by correspondents who have visited...

Reference Books

The Spectator

BUILDING SOCIETIES' YEAR BOOK, 1931. (Reed and CO., 37 Cursitor Street, E.C. 4. 7s. 6d.) EVERYDAY GARDENING. By .1. Coutts. (Ward, Lock. Is. 6d.) THE CHINA YEAR Boox, 1931....

Page 30

Banking and Industry—The Macmillan Report—II

The Spectator

THE FIDUCIARY ISSUE. S031E of the proposals of the Committee with regard to Bank of England administration, and with regard to banking and currency regulations, may be...

Finance—Public & Private

The Spectator

The Financial Outlook THERE was probably seldom a time when it was more difficult to write with precision concerning the financial outlook, in which, of course, is included...

Page 32

FINANCE AND INDUSTRY. . .

The Spectator

With regard to the special question of finance and industry the Committee express their belief in the need for - closer co-operation between finance and industry, • but...

Financial Notes

The Spectator

RALLY IN BRAZILS. THE stock markets during -the past week have been quieter and steadier on the whole owing to a slackening of the gold drain from the Bank. Since my last...

COVENT GARDEN PROPERTIES. - - The latest Report of Covent

The Spectator

Garden - Properties shows that for the year ending June 30th last the profits were slightly in excess of a year ago, the total being £213,925 against £213,084. After paying the...

LORD BRADBURY'S DISSENT.

The Spectator

I shall hope at an early -date to return to a fuller examination of the details of the Macmillan Report,' but without any disparagement of the very fine work done by the...

RAILWAY DIVIDENDS.

The Spectator

The dividend announcements (hiking the week by the Metropolitan and Southern Railway companies were generally regarded in the market as somewhat disappointing, though, of...

WARING AND GILLOW. •

The Spectator

At the meeting last week of Waring and Gillow there was a very frank and animated discussion with regard to the general position' of the company and the proceedings ended in...