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THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 1939.
These Tremendous Years
WILLIAM BARKLEY, Britain's liveliest reporter of politics in action, opens his personal notebook to take a no-secrets-barred look at this turbulent gallery
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THE CHINA MAIL presents The Notebook of My Life by Williám Barkley. By the whole of Fleet Street William Barkley is honoured as ita liveliest Parliamentary Reporter. His 34 years in the House of Commons span the political upheavals of our age..
Now Barkley is allowing his kaleidoscopic mind to range over the people and the problems which have so sharply shaped British lives today. Appropriately he deals with the outstanding landmark in a crusade which he has always stood for.
How I come to be writing this.........
ALL THAT I remember of my infancy is a deep desire to be over and done with it. When the Sunday School class in Dunfermline sang "Childhood's years are passing o'er us". I had ́a second line of my own: "Not a day too soon for me.”
Enough to say that I left school (Glasgow University) at the age of 25 and grew up suddenly one September morn in 1925 at the age of 27.
I was then the youngest TC-ND-HANDLING
cruli the parliamentary re-
porting staff of the Glasgow are ft of melancholy I went Herald-In the Press Gallery
along to the Editor's office and resigned.
for ninu months at eight The result WAS quite guineas a week.
Unknown, unknowing, fortnight later I was the mentary Reporter fabulous Daily Express.
The courage of a bottle
of wine...
one
expected. The Editor few
un-
into
Parlin-the last young man in this office a temper. He shouted: "You are
thu of
It has been an unbroken rula
of my life never to osk anybody for a penny.
But in those distant days on, Friday evenings when the House roso I took to haunting the corridor outside the Editor's room expecting him to dart out
to hold a pletol to my head.”
Nonplussed I said "I don'i understand. He retarted: "You know I am leaving for Canada tonight!"
I said: "I had not the slightest idea you were leaving for Canuda tonight."
Editor: Will you take a rise
of Ave guineas to stay?
THE GREAT
CRUSADE
People docked from other parts of London to see the live Hest entertainment of the day.
Sometimes the candidate, who was Admiral Taylor, was almost forgotten. There stood Lord Deaverbrook ready to make a speech if you wanted, or answer questions, if preferred.
ber 13, Limehouse: 14, Camber- The only thing I ever saw well: 15. Leighton Buzzard; 16, in all those towns was the Glasgow; 17, Darwen; 19, Bat various insides of: 1, an' tersea; 20, Acton; 21, Birming-
0
ham; 22, Liverpool; 23, Man- hotel; 2, a motor-car; 3, Chester; 24, Fulham; 23, hall; 4, a tolophane booth; Camden Town and London Hip- and 5, a chickan. podrome; 20, Newquay (Corn- wall).
Beaverbrook subsisted
"Do you not think," he is Ho tore up railway schedules entirely on cold roast asked, "that our traditional free too. I remember the non-stop chicken trade reduces the cost of ily- Royal Scot being stopped at
ing "
"Not I think it reduces the chance of living,"
Silent
A sign in the sky-the Tory
· Is Defeated! The seat la won for Empire Free Trade. Immenso rejoicings in the camp of the erusaders.
on these
Preston to tie on a sleeping journeys and I concede I
valot, and I got fair shares.
coach on which Beaverbrook, a secretary, Д travelled on four Daily Express bulk travel youchers.
He wore out secretaries. If one fell by the way, another was allotted. He even stretched this tough reporter now writing, who lumbered along in
The election workers flocked interest of the rep-jera.
in hundreds to Beaverbrook's town house of those days. They celebrated and
where' was, he?
junkoted. But-
I was told he was at his country house.
I hurried there expecting Illuminations and bonfires. All was dark and silent, 1} was shown into the library whore he sat alone, motion- lost. For an hour, a long ambarrassing hour, not a
-and at what a pace word was said. Then he look-
even for a young man
e. How was to know you WHAT pertinacity in overy city and urban were leaving for Canada?
Editor: Will you stay for five guineas?
Me: Please forget it But I got the five guineas.
Much later I told this tale
and say: "Bartley, just the man to Lord Beaverbrook.
I was looking for to double your Balory."
But I never happened.
I resign
centre. What devotion to a
cause!
The trouble of our party
tabby-cats
politics is they are run too often by tama burning zeal in one of them.
od up and said: "It is great victory."
For another half-hour, not a word. Then 1 took leave.
up
Never was a man so burned with extustion--for the moment. Next day all his menacing range of batterica was
Peace
but far
What concen- Thereupon Lord Beaverbrook trated vim, vigour, and his polley. How right fully charged again as usual.
he proved! Everybody likes * virility of purpose went fighter. into the Empire Crusade once the manifesto broke you like an electric storm on wino politics that June in 1929. Its title: "Who is for the Empire?
Ministers. The Empire? What wis
Bogverbrook: Did drink a botle of red overy night after that?
Me: No, tir, I never tried that trick again.
But, oh the folly if I had
At that time I was not averse gono then! For it was 1929, that?
to malt quora, but made no the doors were opening, the
use of the vinous.
I chose, however, one night to sun was rising. Lord Beaver- drink o bottle of cheap claret, brook was about to go on newly Next day for full measure to a crusade.
.:
This Funny World
LUNDBERG.
“Misa Higgins, we're planning some modernising around
here and we're gokig to start with you!
print-leading from calm!
without
At first the Empire Crusade was condned to articles, special nrticles, messages to farmers and manu- facturers, exhortations to
the
It had been for-
But groups of enthusiasts gotten.
were forming all over the coun The Socialists who were try and their appeal to elected to power was ever stronger.
prophet to come forth in person under Ramsny MacDonald remembered the
By the Enipire
autumn of 1929 we only to sneer at and scorn feet-la the House of Lords, at find Lord Beaverbrook on his
at.
Ruin !
farmers' club in Lowes, at Eastbourne
"After I had advocated' this project in the newspapers I was ..told I must go out into the
country and speak about it."
The Tory Party could not face this attack, at least not openly. A few months earlier Baldwin, thoir leader; had contemptuous- ly dismissed the crusade, saying there would be no food taxim- posed by him.
In a few weeks he was pro- posing that, when elected he would hold a referendum on the rubjcet.
But the defeat in South Paddington!
Many people were urging Beaverbrook to break away and form his own Empire Party..
Time-table
The- Tory office opened negotiations Baldwin could not altogether cat his words.
The Tories, cruished and licking their wounds from a
"It's not : politics,, it's shocking defeat under Bald- evangeliem,” - was, a ramark win, constantly recalled the often heard as the crowds Empire as a garnish for broke away from contact their platforms and ignored with the little man with the it through five years of big head, the strident volco, And then, în "correspondengo power.
and the great big visión..⠀ “pubished in March 1931, Novillo
Chamberlain Informed. Beaver-" Then a plunge into by-elec. Brook that Baldrein accepted tions. In July 1930 Beaverbrook duiles on foreign food as one of went trumpeling down to North the measures his Government Norfolk
challenge tho would be rehdy to operate.
The Liberals held a pre- carious balance in Parlia- ment. úml thought of nothing but electoral tac ties.
to
It was peace.. But not calm.
Socialista.
When peace descended af Beaverbrook the more passion- Lord Beaverbrook took: polling-day his Tory candidato ately went around advocating advice. At least ho naked was beaten by 170 votes but his views.
much win won: a warning and d
sulted.
for it. The canvassers of a portent to party managers The Socialist Government was the Daily Express, through- and a firm place in the affee- now. Collapsing... Beaverbrook out the country were con- tious of Norfolk farm workers threw hitaeit behind the Ng- tional Government in the In October 1080 thero follow Reneral Election, which raged sect a bolder venture:
thất October of 1891, ^ and ky They
were unanimous, Beaverbrook championed blait romult altered, the disord They said aucli a policy own candidate in South Pad system of a century pay meaning the end of free dington against the power of ou trade, and duties on foreign: Nint after night he argued, like this?
the Tory, machine.ne
pld ever man tear himself va food -- would ruin the cire pleaded
bullied gywheedled culation of the newspaper, “penarius tirnes.
Beaverbrook's inextingu: Defe
the
MONDAY
My eyes are your eyes
-(London Express Service).
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