LONDON LETTER,..
A Woman's World
By Sir Beverley Baxter, MP ȚATIONS,, liko human beings, have sex.: Tlius
Commits are masculine
whereas France, America and Italy are feminine, All of which is a philosophical preamble to the first appearance of a new British weekly publication called WOMAN'S REALM,.
The people behind this new (which would be supported by venture are the Arm of the licence fees) and the inte Odham's, a big copitalist con- pendent Commercial service corn which published. books, which would draw its · revenuo magazines and also "The Daily
from advertisements, Herald" which is the official newspaper of the Labour Party,
The casualties soon begah
Thus the company approaches to mount up in thia Battle of its tack of universal ellghter the Eyes, That intelligent-and-
weekly gment with broadmindedness and popular
publication
a nice sense of opportunismi, "Everybody's" began to feel the There was no false modesly draught. It raid a big price about the launching of for Churchili's war memoira Odhren's which arrested the decline but WOMAN'S REALM.
more, and when the
•
really went to town on hoard- not much ings, newspapers and commer- Churchiti instalments onded the clat television. Having lald decline was resumed. down the barrage the "publish- era coolly guaranteed that the sale of WOMAN'S REALM would exceed a million coples.
Sherlock
was ch-
In the meantime the famous his Strand Magazine, which in for. Most of my adult life
days published Conan been spent in the publication of off newspapers and magazines and Doyle's adventures of Sherlock Holmes, folded its tents and It is not difficult for me to un-
silently stole
Even derstand the doybis and proh-
away. sogged so sadly that leme that rose up to Odham's PUNCH like Banquo's ghost to Macbeth. Malcolm Muggeridge Already in the female magazine aged as editor to bring the market there in the weekly dear old weekly, in line with WOMAN'S OWN with a weekly modern taste, Muggeridge did circulation of over 2 million away with the pleasant gen- which, it claims, means a reader. teel humour and brought in t shio of over
million. lead and harsh tronic 01/2
ment that reached its climax with cartoons of Churchill and Eden which were savagely cruel withou!
of any suggestion
For
time the humour, curiosity of the public in this now tone arrested the fall in circulation but then the rot set ir. again and out went Mug- geridge.
Therefore in our study of this phenomenon we find that one weekly magazine "WOMAN'S like OWN" reacher something 20% of the entire female popu- lation of the country theluding infants in Bring grid great grandmothers.
Saturation
But do nbi Imagine that rival publishers fear that the market has reached saturation point, Boing a woman is not merely a fact of life; it is also an or cupation and a profession, A cynie might say that it is also an obsession bui we shall let that pass.
愈
treat-
Today PUNCH, under now dan- editorship, has slimmed
in size; nor has 12 gerously
Yet yet recovered in soul.
the new there are signs that editor knows what he is doing. For the sake of all of us in the British family of nations Ris to be hoped that Mr Punch will be pointing out our gentlo n long Even at the risk of wearying rational absurdities for you let me just numerate a time. Jew more publications und But all
weeldy the serious then we shall get down to our perlodleals were feeling the
draught,
That forceful and argument. Here they are:
intelligent weekly "Truth" clung WOMAN AND BEAUTY to life as long as it could and WOMAN AND HOME, WOMAN then gently passed away Now WOMAN'S COM-it is rumoured that TIME AND ENGINEER. PANION, WOMAN'S ILLUS- TIDE (owned by Lady Rhondda} TRATED, WOMAN'S JOURN; will follow TRUTH on Lis AL WOMAN'S SUNDAY Journey down the River Styx. MIRROR, and a lot of smaller Worse than that Chamber's publications Including, belleve it or not, WOMEN'S CRICKET. In every case the magic word is WOMAN,
room
Faced with such a situation why d Odham's decide that. there was
for yet an other? And how in the world could they guarantee a ready- from made million circulation the first copy? Obviously the decision was based on cold de- duction. The "Woman's market in Great Britain is inexhaust- ible!
ago
journal of Edinburgh gave up the ghost. To me that was a sad day for it was in the journal that my novel "The .Parts Men
Play" was serialised in the early
1920's.
Here then is the paradox of the situation and I
am afraid that it does not reflect favour- ably upon the female portion of the British community. Whic the weeicly comment magazines are either dead or dying the upsurge of women's marazines grows stronger and more over- whelming all the time. There- fore, let us take a look at this New WOMAN'S REALM which was sold out from its fire issue.
Domesticity
Now for a moment let us look at the situation of what might be described as "general Intor- A tow yeurs es magazines.
Uhe Hulton's launched weekly "PICTURE POST" which was intended to be the Quite openly its target is the day ta British equivalent of the Ameri- housewife and her
problems. There ure can magazine LIFE In its early day days the circulation of "PIC labour saving suggestions, ad- TURE-POST”—was-so-big-that-vice-on varying the diet, and-ull- Edward Hulton lost heavily be sorts good ideas on the per- cause he had contracted with plexities of domesticity,
The
the advertisers on 鼈 much whole thing is very usual and smaller estimate of rendersilp no doubt very useful, In fact it and he could not raise the roles. lained at the lower middle classes and not at the smart set at all. I have no doubt that it will help thousands of women to be better housewives, and, therefore, I wish it well even though the arts as yet have found no auspicious place in its pages. And now, belleve It or ñol, I those were huve just put before me a dis- easy Hays for both magazines play newspaper announcement and newspapers. The number of as follows:
For quite a period PICTURE POST more than held its own but during the war and for a long period afterwards
maga zines and newspapers could not Increase their size because of the shortage of newsprint
Paradoxically
pages wore rationes and the
publicher could charge the ad- ONLY TWO MORE WEEKS!
Was
vertiser a maximum space rate. And because of the rationing there was small opportunity for sale promotion and there little incentive for publications to improve their product. It is the old old story that without opposition there is bound to be an end to initiative.
"Woman's Day"
Guaranteed wookly not sale during the launching period..... 1,000,000
And this from Newnesa Pub lications which proudly pub- Ilohed THE STRAND MAGA- ZINE for so long!
At last, however, there, came the day when rationing of news-
So I come back to the open- print was brought to an end ing paragraph of this London and the spur of compétition was Letter. If Britain, like Canada once more spalled. That would and Germany, is
* masculino have been, glorious except for country why is it apparently one thing. The monster Tele- impassible to maintain a general vision had come of age and the interest magazine such as the huttle for "The Eyes" bogan, Jo SATURDAY – EVENING POST doudly carnost...Gone wero and MACLEAN'S MAGAZINE? the days when the wife and Are American and Canadian husband read' 'magazines and women more interested in world books while sound radio "gove affairs than in the immedfile them the accompaniment of obsesalon of domestic affaire? pleasant music.
That would seem to be the case even though there might be. lingering doubts in the minds of men.
Television
It has been said that in fr At first there was only the tain a married couple, expret- BBC television service which ing their first baby, deciite in charges an annual licence fee advance to call it Herbert John and because of its solus position after the wife's uncle. (who has could dictate to the viewing and bit of land) and they are: listening public just what kind keenly disappointed when the of programme the BBC thought baby turns out to be a girl: Yet they, right to have, ap
when it comes to coögunum But there came a day in Par- publication there l alineat po Magnant won a Tory pressure place for the setivities and in- proup forced a debate on the teneste, of be enotes, Thane: 1 subject. Their plan i was to however, one manica cuánd have two services--the BBC MEN ONLY.
THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 1958.
DIEFENBAKER,
YVEFENBAKER
PILEFENDA KER
DIEFEN
Is this the greatest
leader of them all?
WEEKEND Friell
“Alf right, Mr. Meany† Money is still scarce, there must be no relaxation... so I'm not relaxing, O.K.?”
NATO
"You sure it stands for 'Nuclear Arms To Order?" Herr Doktor?**
H
BOMBERS
STILL FLY
OVERHEAD
"You can talk about the law of averages and the remoteness of the contingency, but occidents do happen. I know."
•
"I don't think they'll really enjoy their diplomatic immunity this time, constable!'
PRESS CONFERENCE
Low SATELLITE WILL CIRCLE THL WORLD
TOR 10 YEARS
"Ah, but what's the position if the world, doesn't lost 10 years?"
hard to realise we are absolutely the
don't you think Pr
Ottawa.
DON'T think John Die- fenbaker, despite his forecast of sweeping vie tory, expected such a mammoth majority in the Canadian. General Elections.
and presion are part of the but the big reason is the man's dnswer a 1, have cabled before, crusading forvour and his dell..
af United States, trade moca policies and rejection of the growing dominance of American industrial giants here.
"Are General Motors trying I had been asked to accom- to take us over, John?" a pany the Prime Minister's hecicier naked at one mooting. party to Prince Albert, Beekut- Diefenbaker replies: "Not while chewan, and ono "of Diefenbak- 1: urn here." er's idea, Fred Davis Che married the Dionne quintuplets' nurse); warned me not to pre diet, too big a triumph.
More than anything, Diofen- baker'a insistence on Canada's absolute sovereignty, his bitter resentment Detroit trying to dictate trade polley to Canadian motor-ear subsidiaries,
helped to give him, his huge majority.
He had seen quoted a dis- patch of mino: "Diefenbaker Will Win and Win Big." As it turned out Diefenbaker did not only win big,' he won colossal... the most shattering election victory in Canadian history, citade of French Canadiane,
the solid Liberal stronghold.
the
He emerges as perhaps mos! inspiring and dynamic leader in the British Common- wealth, or the Western world for that matter.
In the Canadian capital people told me at the Rideau Club, in the lounge of the Chateau Laurler, at the drug-store coun- tera, and in the Lord Elgin Bar: "John is way out in front now."
The measure- of his triumph is scen in Quebec Province, the,
To me, a frequent visitor to Queble over the past 20 years, it means that Diefenbaker breaking down the barriers be- French-Canadians and tween Canadians from Britain or other. stock. He is preaching: "We are all Comedians and never mind
the origin or religion." DON
Not to be too emotional we
Diefen must not forget that Perhaps he is. Certainly he baker has the tacit support of is fitter and more vigorous than the wily old fox of Quebre Eisenhower, more dynamic than polities, Premlex Maurice Mucmillan, more magnetic and Duplessis, and the open sup- a good deal younger (02) than port Menzies,
Ileutenants.
Has Canada produced a great British Commonwealth leader, not merely a highly successful Dominion
Prime
Minister?
of scores
of Duplessis
Too long
campaign,
lasted
IDDON'S
DIARY
DIETINKAKEN,
Does the America
giant..
no criticism of Britain and the British Commonwealth.
This new Canada which Die- Most Canadlane today think DURING the long-too long that Canada has, Čertainly
wirich
fenbalser is building and leading there is no one in power in the seven weeks, I noticed, listen- with the skill and assurance of Roosevelt, takes its place Commonwealth who believes in ing to some speeches and read- the British family of nations ing more, that while the candid firmly alongside the other Com-
"about Diefen- tes said harsh things than fervently more
each other and even husher
with man bafter does.
things, about the United States such as Diefenbaker it mightải of America there was little...or one day, lead it?
I heard him make speech after speech, and sometimes the tears would come into his eyes when he talked of the heritage of the British Commonwealth and of a new and bigger part in it for Canada.
•
First aimTM
we
WHAT does he say today as Whe presides over his vast victory? "Internationally must rotaks the closest relation- ship with the Commonwealth- let's never forget that."
Diefenbaker still broods at the -Liberals' derision of the British as "supermen". In the Suez Basco. "We resent the Brush being derisively condemned." But that is the post-Diefen Baker is thinking and planning for the future.. .....
He will call Parliament soon, and be backs in Ottawa.--------- Diefenbaker belleves he has a date with destiny, and, judging by the election results, many millions of Canadians think the
same.
He is determined on closer economic ties with the Common- wealth, particularly Britain, and with call, perhaps insist on, a'summer conference in Mont- real on trade and Brance.
Closer · ties
oratory IT was not campaign!
last June, and it was not campaler oratory last week. when Diefenbaker, called for 15 per cent more trade with Bri- tain. I quote the Prime Minis- ter: "The Conservative' Govern ment intends to restore' to a maximum extent thu British market which has been all but lost by previous Liberal Gov- ernmente."
Diefenbaker wants closer blood ties with Britain and closer money tea. He wants to Hak the hard Canadian. dollar with a harder pound; sterling.
He has a little in the past few days, even off the record about a Summit conference, bee tween Russia, the United States, and Britain · and Conida non; Canadhin soll, but it makes the › strongest ・ ・ possible appeal to *him.
But first he will tackle un- employment as he often pledged when asking for a vote of con- Adence from the voters
Diefenbaker said he will solve it with pubble works, opening up the Canadian Northern Territorio, new roads, TEOT- mortization. of .... the railways, possibly a laxat, and Dar greater interchange of trade with-Brilkin and the Commons
wincinglet: Perezračitý
28803/1
POLERGUTER
Uming-every SAS flight
Aurbacland Damlarni
monwealth nations.
Who knows
Page
•HOW THE PARTIES
POLLED
Conservative: 'ag. 209 Liberals
47 C.C.F. Social Credit
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