2 MAY 1925

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Just because the Budget is not throwing any one class

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into a delirium of delight it must be pronounced a balanced Budget in more than the financial sense. It strikes a moral balance. By in effect raising the limit of incomes which...

Turning to the figures of his Budget, Mr. Churchill estimated

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that the revenue would be £801,060,000 and the expenditure £799,500,000. The surplus would thus be £1,660,000. The expenditure figure was up by £9,000,000. This was " frankly...

Mr. Churchill first announced an immediate return to the Gold

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Standard. The Bank of England is granted a general licence to export gold and bullion. The Government, Mr. Churchill said, regarded the moment as opportune. Great Britain had no...

EDITORIAL AND PUBLISHING OFFICES: 13 York Street, Covrnt Garden, London,

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IF. C. 2. — A Subscription to The " Spectator" costs Thirty Shillings per annum, including postage to any part of do world. The Postage on this issue is: Inland, ld.; Foreign,...

NEWS OF THE WEEK

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F OR ingenuity and artistry Mr. Churchill's Budget speech in the House of Commons on Tuesday takes a high place in the long succession of Budget Speeches. It gives the nation a...

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The new American Ambassador, Mr. Alanson B. Houghton, has arrived

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in London and has been received with that special welcome which is reserved for an Ambassador from the other part of the English-speaking world. Mr. Houghton has a peculiar...

* * * * At this point Mr. Churchill introduced

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his proposal for Comprehensive Insurance and delivered some glowing sentences upon the tremendous boon to be conferred on the wage-earner. The scheme, which would take effect on...

Mr. Lloyd George though he praised the " social reform

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" of the Budget regretted to find such sweet milk " mixed with the fiery alcohol of Protection.", The Liberals will no doubt go on all through the Session mumbling incantations...

The scheme of Comprehensive Insurance will be financed by requiring

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employer and employed each to pay an additional 4d. per week in the case of a man and 2d. per week in the case of a woman. For the first ten years the State will pay £5,750,000...

Mr. Churchill now came to his reductions in taxation. His

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proposal to reduce the Super Tax by an amount equal to the £10,000,000 extra Death Duties, took the House entirely by surprise. Next he announced 6d. off the Income Tax—the...

On Sunday last Field Marshal von Hindenburg was elected. President

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of the German Republic. The figures were as follows :- Hindenburg .. • • • . .. 14,639,399 Marx .. • • .. 13,752,640 Thalmann .. • • • • .. 1,931,591 The joint votes of Herr...

Death Duties would be raised by increases varying from 1

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per cent. on estates of £12,500 to £15,000, to 5 or 6 per cent. on estates from £85,000 to £200,000, decreasing thereafter to 1 or 2 per cent. on estates up to £1,000,000 ;...

His references to the language with which Mr. McKenna, "

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that eminent Free Trade financier and Liberal Chan- cellor of the Exchequer," had justified his duties were extremely dexterous and amusing. The articles which Mr. McKenna chose...

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Lord Bradbury's Court finds unanimously that the construction of Weir

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houses is an industry wholly distinct from the building trade. It is pointed out that Leeds and Sheffield- were quite prepared to pay for the work done under the usual " fair...

In connexion with the Conference that the Minister of Agriculture

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tried to arrange between representatives of the various agricultural interests, the Central Land- owners' Association has compiled a reasoned statement of its views. It is a...

* *

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Bank Rate, 5 per cent., changed from 4 per cent. on March 5th, 1925. War Loan (5 per cent.) was on Thursday 100; on Thursday week 10216,; a year ago 1001. Funding Loan (4 per...

- We drew attention lately to Mr. Runciman's useful statement of

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the huge number of small capitalists who have holdings in " gilt-edged " securities. The discussion by the Independent Labour Party of the nationalization of banks has led him...

The Court of Inquiry, presided over by Lord Bradbury, 'Which

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was appointed to investigate the dispute in con- nexion with steel houses has issued its Report. It will be remembered that the Committee appointed by Mr. Wheatley in September,...

* * * * The unexpected death of Sir Eyre

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Crowe has caused. deep and widespread regret. He had spent the greater part of his life at the Foreign Office in laborious and extremely efficient work and had risen to be...

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TOPICS OF THE DAY

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THE BUDGET M R. WINSTON CHURCHILL'S Budget is open to the charge of being complicated and of covering too wide a field. It includes a scheme of National " All- in " Insurance...

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THE EFFECTS OF HINDENBURG'S ELECTION.

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THE election of Field-Marshal von Hindenburg as President of the German Republic undoubtedly adds to the anxieties of the world. We wish that it had not happened ; but when we...

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WHAT JAPAN THINKS OF SINGAPORE FROM A JAPANESE CORRESPONDENT.

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rOur Japanese correspondent is as discreet about Japanese official views as we should have expected. Nevertheless, he makes it plain enough that the Japanese, both official and...

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AN HISTORIC LETTER FROM SIR ROBERT PEEL

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[Wo have to thank the owner of the letter reproduced below, Which has only just been discovered among some family papers, for his kindnom in allowing us to publish it.—ED....

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ADVICE TO YOUNG ENGLISHMEN GOING TO NEW ZEALAND

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[The following informal letter was written by an experienced New Zealander who was asked to give some practical advice to an English Public School boy who contemplated farming...

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REDUCING ONE'S GOLF HANDICAP

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BY IAN HAY. M OST of us have a. handicap in life—physical, mental, or moral—and we spend most of our days trying to reduce it. Nowhere in human history is the triumph of hope...

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SPLENDOURS AN D MISERIES OF THE MIDDLE CLASSES

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If over the Middle Classes are extinguished England—according to a familiar saying—will have lost her backbone. The piling of one new burden after another on the Middle Classes...

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A FOOTBALL JUBILEE

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W HEN 100,000 people, of whom many have travelled far and lost at least one night's sleep, assemble to watch twenty-two men kicking a football, we may pre- sume that quite...

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MIGRATION MYSTERIES

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N ATURAL History has made great strides since the times of Aristotle and Pliny, but the tremendous riddle of migration has come little nearer to a satisfactory solution in the...

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THE BUDGET SCENE

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BY NEW MEMBER. A STRIKING Budget was expected by the House and was obtained from Mr. Winston Churchill. When he rose, shortly after half-past three on Tuesday, there was not a...

A year's subscription to the SPECTATOR, costing only 30s., makes

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an ideal present for an absent friend. For this sum the paper will be forwarded to any address in the world. Apply : Manager, the SPECTATOR, 13 York Street, Covent Garden,...

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'MUSIC

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THE COMING SP.ASON OF OPERA Tim London Opera Syndicate have prepared a varied palette, ranging from Wagner and Strauss to Giordano, a quasi- modem Italian composer whose works...

THE THEATRE

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MAY WE TAKE OUR WIVES ? OR THREE LIGHT COMEDIES I - low delighted Mr. Noel Coward must have been when he read last week's criticisms of his Fallen Angels at the Globe Theatre...

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A VOLUNTARY FUND FOR OUR PRESENT DISTRESS

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[To the Editor of the SrEcr.vron] Sin—Canon Donaldson in his recent addresses has brought an indictment against the Church of this land for its callous negligence with regard...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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THE ELGIN MARBLES [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] 'SIR,— Mr. Edward Bell's letter on the subject of the restoration 'of the" Elgin Marbles to Greece is very judicious. He...

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[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—In their letters upon

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this subject, your correspondents have ignored the fact that The Prophet in the Koran repeatedly and in the most scathing terms cursed the Jews, and condemned them to...

ZIONISM AND THE ARABS

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[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—May I be permitted to say that the Palestine situation whenever, as now, it comes up for discussion is rarely treated upon the right...

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SPLENDOURS AND MISERIES OF THE MIDDLE CLASSES : ILLNESS

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[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—In your preface to the first of Miss Gertrude Kingston's series of articles on the " Splendours and Miseries of the Middle Classes " you...

DOMESTIC SERVANTS AND THE DOLE

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[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sia,—After reading Miss Gertrude Kingston's interesting article on "The Problem of Domestic Service," I feel tempted to give the experience I...

THE EMPIRE COMMUNITY SETTLEMENT SCHEME

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[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sin,—The most interesting article by Mr. D. Algar Bailey on " Peopling the Empire," in your issue of March 21st encourages me to describe the...

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THE DENNISTOUN SCANDAL [To the Editor ofthe SPECTATOR.] Sin,—As no

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one has supported the excellent article by a legal correspondent, which appeared in the Spectator for April 11th, perhaps you will allow a clergyman to say plainly what he...

BEET AND CANE SUGAR [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]

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Sin,—With all my doubts (or suspicions ?) I have never doubted that the best beet sugar was perfectly wholesome, and from Mr. Ogilvie's letter in your issue of the 18th inst. I...

SOME FAMOUS SINGERS [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—Surely

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there are incorrect statements in your genial review of the books by Bancroft and Forbes-Robertson. Jenny Lind must have made a lot of money during her few years of greatness....

WHOLEMEAL AND OTHER BREAD [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]

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Sin,—Having given close attention to the subject of dietetics during the whole of my professional life, and more especially with regard to the importance of stone-ground whole...

MOTORISTS AND THE ROADS [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]

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SIR,—The ordinary motorist helps to contribute £15,000,000 annually to the Exchequer, of which a proportion is set aside for road maintenance. Some of this money is spent, pre-...

IRELAND AND HOUSING SCHEMES [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]

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SIR,—You published an interesting article on a Dublin housing scheme, successfully carried out by a city clergyman, and it is sincerely hoped that any cleric in your great...

[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—Mr. Robert Hutchison's logic

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would seem to be in need of ventilation. If the " advantage," where bread is the main constituent of the diet, " lies on the whole with stone-milled flour," then a good half of...

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PAROCHIAL HUMOUR [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sm,—Sorne time

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ago you published, for the amusement of your readers, a series of letters, which rescued from oblivion many authentic instances of unconscious parochial humour. Is it too late...

MEMORIES OF THE WEST AFRICAN COAST [To the Editor of

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the SPECT.1.TOR.] SIR ,—Wi th reference to your remarks in a recent number as to the opinions of the natives of the Gambia district con- cerning H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, your...

SARGENT AND THE NATIONAL GALLERY

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[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—Referring to your interesting note on the death of Mr. Sargent in the Spectator of April 18th- you refer to the Wertheimer Portraits as...

EXTRACT FROM LETTER

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RACIALISM IN SOUTH AFRICA.—Mr. T. Barrie-Wilson (c.o., P.O. Box - 247, Durban) writes :—I have heard more sedition preached in Hyde Park, London, and the Glasgow Green in...

THE UNFAIRNESS OF THE TOSS

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[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—On May 6th the Committee of the M.C.C. will consider the proposal that in future Test matches some modification shall be introduced into...

POETRY

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CREATIVE E VOLUTION Tins I believe : that if I do not will the Universe stands still. I and those of whom I am the part built it and changed it in our heart, not out of...

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A BOOK OF THE MOMENT THE JOURNAL OF NICHOLAS CRESSWELL

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How much more interesting history would be if we could study it with the aid of contemporaneous diaries and bio- graphies. Students of the American Revolutionary period— :me of...

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NEWS OF THE FOURTH COMPETITION

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- The Editor has offered a prize of for a new Nursery Rhyme. -The award will be announced in next week's SPECTATOR. THE children of England arc fortunate in their relatives :...

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The commonplace interview is apt to lose freshness in a

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year or two, and Mr. Herman Bernstein, who has collected his interviews with many great men in Celebrities of Our Time (Hutchinson), was certainly commonplace in his methods. We...

THIS WEEK'S BOOKS

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Ma. J. B. PRIESTLEY, whose book, The English Cantle Charac- ters, has been published by the Bodley Head, is in the old humanistic tradition of litterateurs. He is more...

CHANGES 'OF ADDRESS.

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Postal Subscribers changing their address, or who while travelling desire their copies of the paper to be sent to a temporary address, arc asked to notify the SPECTATOR Office...

Early Explorers in Australia, by Ida, Lee (Methuen), is a

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running history of discoveries iu Australia, of quarrels and agreements with the natives and of the growth of topographical and botanical knowledge in Australia. We begin with...

SCHOOLBOYS IN - REBELLION

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This is a history neither of schools nor of education ; indeed the author prefers to speak of it as " memoires pour servir for a history of schools," and thus disarms criticism....

But no one could accuse Lady Oxford, universally fadaous as

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" Margot Asquith," of stiffness or inability to chatter. In Places and Persons (Butterworth) she is vivacious, but discreet. The most interesting part of the book is her diary...

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MYSTICISM AND CATHOLICISM

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Mysticism and Catholicism. By Hugh E. M. Stutfield. (Fisher Unwin. 12s. 6d. net.) I HAVE been reading a book with this title by Mr. Hugh Stutfield. It would be ungracious not...

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JOSEPH PULITZER.

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Joseph Pulitzer. By Don C. Seitz. (New York: Simon and Schuster. t5.00.) Tars is an original and rather repellent book in the form of a biography. Mr. Seitz draws a most...

A JEWISH TRAVELLER

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The Journal of a Jewish Traveller. By Israel Cohen. (The Bodley Head. 15s.) Tins is the story of a long journey undertaken for a purpose. Between the spring of 1920 and the...

Thc Editor cannot accept responsibility for any article, poems, or

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letters submitted to him, but when stamped and addressed envelopes are sent he will do his best to return contributions in case of rejection.

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" THE VICTORIA HISTORY OF THE 'COUNTY OF BERK- SHIRE.

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Edited by W. Page and the Rev. P. H. Ditehfield. Vol. IV. (St. Catherine Press. 638. net.) ANOTHER pre-War volume of the great Victoria History, com- pleting Berkshire, is to be...

CURRENT LITERATURE

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ATONEMENT. By H. Maynard Smith, D.D., Canon of Gloucester. (Macmillan. 12s. 6d. net.) CANON MAYNARD Smrrn, with wide parochial experience and a thorough if conventional theology...

THE QUARTERLIES

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THE current numbers of the Quarterly and the Edinburgh are full of good reading. The second article in the Quarterly, " The Regeneration of Germany," is written from a sympa-...

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FICTION

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PETER WILKINS, CORNISHMAN The Life and Adventures of Peter Wilkins. By Robert Paltock. (Dulac. 8s. 6d.) Tins remarkable eighteenth-century romance, describing its hero's...

OTHER NOVELS

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The Nightingale (A Life of Chopin). By Marjorie Strachey. (Longinans, Green and Co. 7s. 6d. net.)—Whether the real life of a distinguished man is happily described in the form...

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The Depths of Prosperity. By Phyllis Bottome and Dorothy Thompson.

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(Collins. 7s. 6d. net.)—Miss Phyllis Bottome has taken to herself a colleague and transferred the scene of her novel from England to America. It cannot be said that this is a...

Upstairs. By Mrs. Victor Rickard. (Constable. 7s. 6d. net.)—The quiet,

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almost insinuating, opening to this story will give the reader very little idea of the excitements which are before him. Upstairs is, indeed, that rare product, a murder and...

Out of the Blue. By " Sapper " (H. C.

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McNeile). (Hodder and Stoughton. 7s. 6d. net.)—It must be owned that these stories are not a little commonplace. The first one certainly contains a most modem development in...

The Rector of Maliseet. By Leslie Reid. (J. M. Dent

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and Sons. 7s. &I. net.)—The author himself is not certain enough of the central motive of his story for this book to be very convincing. The reader will not be sure, even at the...

FINANCE-PUBLIC AND PRIVATE

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BY ARTHUR W. KIDDY IT will not be possible until next week to state with precision the City's final judgment on Mr. Winston Churchill's first Budget. I am writing on the morning...

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FINANCIAL NOTES

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The Stock Markets have been so completely under the influence of Budget expectations during the last few days that it will not be until the details of Mr. Winston Churchill's...