23 FEBRUARY 1945

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The Spectator

NEWS OF THE WEEK / T HE official communiqué recording Mr. Churchill's talks with Arab leaders, and with the Emperor of Ethiopia, in Egypt, dis- closes little but suggests much....

General de Gaulle's Refusal

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General de Gaulle's refusal to go to Algiers to meet President Roosevelt has met with a good deal of just criticism in the Paris Press. It is the more regrettable because it was...

U.N.R.R.A. under Criticism •

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Both in the House of Commons last week and subsequently at the opening session of the U.N.R.R.A. Conference in New South' Wales grave apprehensions were expressed about the...

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The Doctor's Income

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Doctors should be reassured by the terms of reference of a Com- mittee appointed by the Minister of Health and the Secretary of State for Scotland to consider the range of total...

Tension in Greece

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The threat of a new Governmental crisis in Greece has been averted, partly, it would seem, through the good offices of the British Ambassador. The whole affair is evidence both...

Trade Unions of the World

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The most important outcome of the World Trades Union Con- ference was the decision, taken in the final session last Saturday, to create a new trade union federation embracing...

Family Allowances

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The first legislative measure for implementing the policy of social security was that which set up a Ministry of National Insurance, and the first measure introduced by the new...

Teachers' Salaries

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The motive that ran through the debate on teachers' salaries in the House of Commons last Tuesday was the attraction of men and women with good brains and education into the...

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PARLIAMENT AND YALTA

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N OW that the Prime Minister has returned safe, and in admirably high spirits, to this country the results of his dis- cussions at Yalta and in Egypt are to be passed in review...

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A SPECTATOR'S NOTEBOOK O NE important speech made at the Chatham

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House dinner on Monday has not, so far as I have seen, been reported anywhere. The head of the Indian delegation to the Commonwealth Relations Conference, now sitting at Chatham...

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PRELUDE TO CLIMAX

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By STRATEGICUS N the eastern as on the western front, we are on the eve of great "events. Once before I have stated that the situation on the eastern front is dominated by the...

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THE NIGERIAN STUDENT

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By R. A. HENSON . The difficulties facing those who are undertaking the planning of an educational system for the African are enormous. Firstly there are difficulties due to...

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SOUTH WALES

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By J. L. HODSON y OU could draw a picture in figures of what war has done to South Wales. it would begin something like this: miners down by 20,000, tinplate workers by 12,000,...

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CHILDREN AND " HOMES "

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By JAMES E. MacCOLL A MONG all the local authorities of the country, the London County Council, by virtue of its size and wealth, occupies a special position. Any shortcomings...

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UNDERGROUND STORY

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By ALAIN VERNEY LIVEN in 1940, when the Germans were parading along the Ei avenues of Paris, there lingered within French hearts some frail hope, strengthened by the voices and...

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MARGINAL COMMENT

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By HAROLD NICOLSON IN the House of Lords, last week, there took place an interesting debate on the subject of war memorials. Lord Chatfield opened the discussion in his...

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THE CINEMA

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Arsenic and Old Lace." At Warners. "Can't Help Singing," At the Leicester Square.—" Russia's Foreign Policy." At the Empire. Arsenic and Old Lace belongs to a class of...

ART

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L. S. Lowry at the Lefevre Galleries. WITH the exception of Henri Rousseau, I cannot work up much enthusiasm for those diligent contemporary primitives who come under the...

THE THEATRE

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Ma. DONALD WOLFIT has brought his company to London for a fort- night's season prior to an overseas tour, and playgoers should not lose this opportunity of seeing his production...

GRAMOPHONE NOTES

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h is good to have a new recording of Beethoven's C Minor Concerto, which used to be more often heard in public than any other of his pianoforte concertos. This recording by...

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THE PALESTINE MANDATE

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Sm,—Dr. Maude Royden Shaw is of the opinion that the contention in my letter on the Palestine Mandate can be refuted by facts, but she omits to explain what these'refuting facts...

OUR YOUNG SCIENTISTS

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR sw,—With some eight years' experience as a chemist in smaller industrial firms, I feel able to endorse many of the views of "Young Chemist" on the...

A LOST LEADER

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Stn,—For months it has steadily become clearer what a tragic loss Poland sustained through the death of General Sikorski in July, 1943. Today, in view of the Yalta decisions,...

ENTROPY

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Snt,—In his review of Professor Irwin Schrodinger's recent book, What is Life? Mr. W. J. Turner complains that the writer's science is not clear in his section on Entropy. This...

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CROMWELL AND LINCOLN Sia,—Sir Ernest Barker in his admirable review

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of the lecture (now fortunately printed) given by Mr. Isaac Foot under the auspices of the Cromwell Association last April traces the similarity of character of the great...

THE CRIMEAN CONFERENCE SIR,—A somewhat surprising omission from the proceedings

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of the Crimea Conference is the absence of a call to the German people to do what lies in their power to atone for the shame and disgrace which their leaders have brought upon...

" LONGEVITY "

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Sia,—The following record of longevity may interest some of your readers. My grandfather, Lt.-General W. A. Johnson, was born in 1777, 60 years before Queen Victoria ascended...

PAPER SHORTAGE Sitt,—The supply of woodpulp, as well as other

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constituents, from over- seas has no doubt been unavoidably restricted, though now that ocean traffic is becoming more normal a larger import of these may in due course be...

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WRONG THINGS TO TEACH Sut,—R. R. Hopkins writes: "A week

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or so ago I played a portion of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony on records to an audience of 150 young people of the 14-19 age-group. Not a single one recognised the music. What...

COUNTRY LIFE THERE seems to be a certain nervousness abroad

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in the villages that the Parish Councils are to be done away with. It is more likely, so far as my information goes, that their powers are to be in some small measure extended....

SUFFERING WOMEN SIR,—As your correspondent G. Valentine Morgan suggests, it

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might be possible for some arrangement to be made presently for showing German women how great is the power of love by receiving them as guests into homes in this country, with,...

CLICHES SIR,—The one that irritates me is the expression "task

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force," which seems to be of American origin and is of general use, and has no apparent meaning. All naval forces, especially in the Pacific Ocean, seem to be " task " forces....

MOLES Sm,—Sir Stephen Tallents asks among other questions what purposes

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lead moles to travel above ground My experience is that they do so in large numbers 'when :n late summer, particularly in clay soils, the ground sets like cement. Tunnelling at...

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BOOKS OF THE DAY

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The Complete Builder Rebuilding Britain- A Twenty Years Plan. By Sir Ernest Simon (Gollancz 6s.) SIR ERNEST SlmoN is one of the leading Hous'ng and Town Planning reformers of...

Apologias for Germany

The Spectator

Germany's Three Reichs. By Edmond Vermeil. (Dakers. 18s,.) - Germany: From Defeat to Defeat; By Karl Spiecker. (Macdonald. 5s.) Germany and Europe: Political Tendencies from...

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"Over the Hill—"

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How many readers have speculated on the future of the novel as a literary form? It has certainly had a good run. Yet, in prose, we have the essay form, the biography, the...

Talk Among the Flying

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A Dictionary of R.A.F. Slang. By.Eric Partridge. (Michael Joseph. 6s.) THE inherent joie de vivre that happily infects the R.A.F. is reflected in its slang, which invariably...

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Fiction

The Spectator

The Promise. By Pearl S. Buck. (Methuen. 8s. 6d.) The Journal of Madame Giovanni. By Atexandre Dumas. Trans-, lated by Marguerite E. Wilbur. (Hammond. 12s. 6d.) THE publishers...

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“THE SPECTATOR" CROSSWORD INO. 311 1/1 Book Token for one

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guinea will be awarded to the sender of the first correct , olution of this week's crossword to be opened aftet noon on Tuesday week, March 6th. Envelopes should be received not...

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD No. 309

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SOLUTION ON MARCH 9th The winner of Crossword No. 309 is MISS MARGARET TAYLOR, 33 St. Leanord's Road, Bourntmouth.

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FINANCE AND INVESTMENT

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Ly C:USTOS NOBODY is looking, just yet, for any real relaxation of the Govern- ment's control over the new capital market. It is perfectly plain that this particular piece of...

The English Ballet. By W. J. Turner. (Collins. 4s. 6d.)

The Spectator

Shorter Notices ONE'S first glance at this attractive volume is directed to its thirty illustrations, which include eight colour-plates and four full-page photographs. Among...