M
THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, SATURDAY, JANUARY 31, 1948.
BERNARD WICKSTEED
goes Fun-Finding-Out abroad
MARRAKESH.
·R CHURCHILL'S illness may have inade you aware for the first time that there is a place called Marrakesh. It is a city in Morocco, and has been for nearly thousand years. As there are a lot of people who have never heard of it before, I flew here to find out what sort of place it is.
Mr. Churchlil
You can get here overnight from London, which is an experience rather like going to sleep in one's own bed and waking up in the Bible.
As you step off the plane you are Aur- rounded by people looking just as yout imagine they did in Bible times. Buildings have the same red. dusty look, and there are olive trees and camels and asses wherewhere.
was there first-
Marrakesh is really a desert oasis on a large scale. You may think an oasis is a water- hole with a few palms round it. But this one has modern hotels at £10 a day, with water laid on, and a wall round it that in 'more than ten miles long.
Marrakesh is two towns join-
Logether. J13 Ole half
jan trees comfort.
All over the square are native doctors, dentists, barbers, and professional letter writers, and round them seethes a crowd of villagers from the mountains, herdsmen from the plains.
The absolute ruler over all these people,
well nearly a million more in the Atlas district, is Pusht EI Glawi. He looks nearly a hundred, and has four wives and two Rolls-Royce cura. He has a third one on order.
แต
I went to call on him, and
in an after
oasis with
being escorted past half a dozen bodyguards arm- ed with wicket- looking curved daggers, I was received in It room that looked exactly like a Chelsea antique j
mod. conv. shop. It was
f
Pasha's audience! chamber.
There were spears
and swords hanging on the walls, Chinese vases,
Japanese prints, old French tapestry and furniture, Engilshi chin, anti piles of gilded frames and pictures stood against the wall in the corner. with an old assortment of boxes and purrets done up in brown paper,
Flor
"If they give an 11-hour day and a 4-day week, I suppose that means we're going to have everybody at home for a 24-hour day 3 days a week.""
THE SPIVS ARE ON THE RUN
live 182,000 Arabs, Beriors, action, because officially the Negroes, Riffs, and other Afris, French have stopped open slave can people. In the other half, traffic,
England's spivs are on the place where spivved luxury particular annoyance to a small land's rallway trucks and the shor- 6,000 Europeans. live between Few of the original inhabi-
run. December 8 was the last food is obtainable.
group of English people-those tage of rolling stock (they're crack. in mitch
this oasis live ns
day for unemployed to register greater fanta
In the North London Court who are unfortunate enough to g up far faster than they can be
replaced). well as the Europeans. Thou-
for direction to work-but, as the other day a 19-year-old be named Spivving. Spivack and sands make lo on 2d, a day, White Pasha talked about old spivs don't like being directed plasterer was charged with ear Spivey.
Cripps pointed out that if the ex- for which they get a chunk of friends Churchill and Roosevelt-any more than they like work, stealing. The plasterer AP- These people, wearied by the port drives are to proceed satisfac-
his favourite son acted as interpreter. hermd and
torily, the railways must be able to an odd cup of tea. He speaks English because he went the Government is going to peared in a smart camel-hair unending play on their names, malte maximum use of exlating car
have a lot of headaches catch coat, neat brown suit, silk tie, have started writing petulant riages, and must never allow any Arab ten is scented. I had to Cambridge.
ing up with them.
and kid gloves.
letters to the newspapers, plend- to be left either loaded or unloaded some with mint in it and it
and out of use, Easted just like chewing gum, can entourage,
To prevent
this he decided Wealthy Arnbs sometimes familles.
two courses-to increase demurrage flavour it with ambergris.
to penal proportions; and to appeal for volunteers to unlond
Instead of a few paltus, three as well as orange zure 90,000, plantations, olive groves. and rose gardens. They didn't grow the roses for beauty, but to eat. You can make jum from the leaves and flavouring for cakes from the petals.
On three sides the country is
little more than desert to look
at, and on the fourth Atlas
SHOW.
are the
Mountains expped 131 Frenchmen go there 10 ski, a surprising pastime to find on the edge of the Sabarn,
If they live in Morocco intre than six months
every year
Another Arab treat is boiled Jocust. In the interests of
science, 1 tried one. You pick off the wings and the legs and eat it as you would a shrimp. It tastes like wood.
There is no colour bar in a Moroes which means that they can have the most Interesting
Families
T HE Sultan of Morocco has a very is one son as dark as a half-caste Negro, a daughter who looks Spanish, und another son who is quite white.
inixed crop of children. There
Spiv has become n standard word in the English language. and it will no doubt be included in the next issue of the Oxford Dictionary. The official · de- finition of these Damon Run- yonesque characters will be in- teresting to see.
"You
By DAVID MCNICOLL
on
carriages at week-ends at night time, etc.
The result, has been ustoulahing. Sending him to the cooler for ing that some other name be The people of the hungry, kicked 6 months, the magistrate said: chosen and made universal for in their thousands to spend the win- about itle country are volunteering are absolutely a prize the boys with hats over their ter week-ends unloading railway spiv. You come in here all res and bottles of whisky trucks all over the country, beautifully dressed up and you round the corner.
Despite the splva and drones, For months there have been at- dufsn't look na If England's (lnish- templa to track down the cd yet. urlin of the word spiv. Letters to the papers have been legion, but only recently have the majority of about the word.
At the point where the old children he had, but I was warned pleasant means of existence. haven't done a spot of work for
Town meets the new is an open space the size of Trafalgar square, with modern buildings
They live on their wits and I wanted to ask Pasha how many find no necessity for any un-
that it was forbidden to speak to such us work. Moslems about their family.
Finding Out,
So
that's something I didn't have Fun In the course of a day in
The Communist Party of Morocco
they don't have to pay taxes in on one side and a native markel has an office in the main street. Next spiy dozens of times. People spiv. like all other spivs, feels people accepted an expert's opinion
France, and money they save on the uther.
pays their expenses £10 per day.
ItL Ven
What a meal!
THERE is no õs. limit
London you'll hear the word will tell you they're "spiving a turkey at Christmastime (an the interesting verb, you'll note
dnar is the children's library. There Is also a nationalist movement which wants to break away from
progress
because
you sply by accepting it).
n year. You must be past all sense of shame."
But the 19-year-old prize
no shame whatsoever. He goes his happy, blackmarket way. making a very neat profit, and
figure in the community.
The expert is Eric Partridge, Aus- tralian lexicographer and expert on Partridge has completely debunked all those
who people elaimed the invention of the word, or who stated that they had heard a friend originate it.
Here the two civilisations get rench. This has no ofice and does the spiv spivs turkey to you and feeling that he is an essential stang. rather mixed up. Just outside not make much The post office there is a fire- caler who plunges a blazing for forch into his mouth'and then
breathes out blur flames.
restaurant meals. You can
eat as much as you can pay for. At lunch the first day. I started off with some ham. They put
nure on my plate than the
whole of my family would get in a month. Then they served a vent cutlet which was as big
as a week's ment ration.
In the midst of this plenty, there is no soap.
Charms
THE snake-charmer has his
pitch close to the biggest ank so that it is almost neces sary to step over the cobra to: cash a cheque.
Thava there is a chernist's
Pasha dors not approve, and what in these parts are concerned. he says here goes as far as Moslems
Amid these ensmopolitan Sur- rounding where two worlds meel,
Churchill moved around like a pink
eherub in a siren suft. ·
They're Annoyed THE growing and increasingly unsavoury repulation of a these characters has brought
Respectably homburged men in the city will tell you that to break the monotony of London food they occasionally visit a "spiv club"-in other words
MISJUDGED?
To make shop where you can buy any PIERRE soap you need enustic soda, and
European medicine or toilet pre- France exports all hers to America. So even in this casts paration except soup, and near economy,
The French shot PIERRE LAVAL DE
as a traitor, From his prison coil he wrote a reply to his accusers. That reply i now to be published in England. Will history change its verdict ?
4
£2
by Charles WINTOUR
AMBLUSTELERÍA
in April Vichy, and
rejoined the Government as President of the Council Laval claims that he had decided to face the risks and perils of a mission which might result in some lightening of the heavy bur- den of suffering which Tay on the people of France."
Partridge found that way back in 1937 someone had defined sply on " man who gets a good living by his was without
working, and, if "pas- sible, without crime."
The early sply specialised in what we know DIS "scalping"-buying tickets for shows or lights and re- selling them nt exorbitant rates to cager patrons.
Lor.g Usage
DAMON Runyon's characters, who
""luckets" for big matches, were merely spies. But it was a term which hadn't caught up with Runyou.
Partridge says with authority that
JESTS AND JEERS
It
Whoever named it small talk was certainly a poor judge of quantity.
The New Look' is ni awful let- down.
Definition of destitute: one who cannot afford to pay key money.
"Well, I hear Anne and Tom are to be married. I thought it was a mere Mirtation,"
"Solid Tom!"
Woman's greatest asset is man's imagination.
the word spiv was in use long be- officers of the Red Army, says
Clubs are soon to be provided for fore the recent war. He claims that news item.
it is an underworld term deriving sticks.
from the dialect spif, or spit, mean- ing smart, dandifled, excellent, one
#1
Ours prefer swogger
offshoot being the outmoded slang Judging by these plainly adver-
pffing."
tised anatomical develts, it seems The Government's direction-to-that honesty is not the bust polley. work proposals are not aimed sole- ly at the spivs. They are also out to net irones.
LA VAL. the butcher's son who became three times Premier of France, dollars come before by is a man squatting on the was shot on October 16, 1945, as he stood strapped to the execu- everything-cleanliness as well ground with an assortment of tion post following à vain at- as godliness.
charms in front of him. such tempt to commit suicide. as jackals' teeth
lizard and Survants rost practically
skins.
Refusing to have his eyes The teeth are said to nothing, and if you know where
fall in love with bandaged, Laval made a final to go, you can still buy a slave, make women
request to his chief counsel; "Do This is a black market trans- whoever owns the charm.
not go too far from me. I want to see you as I die." The bag- gard little man from Auvergne wished to be reminded, in his
But the root of the matter may last moments, that final judg. power, at the disposal of the enemy.
be found in his breadcast of June ment on his actions had nt fence is to point out the diastrous 22, 1942. According to the translator been passed by the court which condition of France after the Armis- of this book, Laval then told the had condemned him, that his tice (for which he reasonably claims French people, "I foresee a German defence would not be silenced no direct responsibility since he was victory. But the Information De-
nut in the
partment of Chatham
11ouse tell me es [with the coup de grace.
Hoe Covernment). Two mil- parti lion Frenchmen were prisoners in that Laval, used the verb "souhal- Germany. Six hundred thousand ter," which can only be translated To escape these appalling possibl-
SIDE GLANCES
JAL
By Galbraith
COPIL 1963 BY MEA SERVICE, ING., THE REILA, S. FAT OFF.
11-21
"Whon mother asked me if I wanted to tako plane of violin, I picked the violin because 1 can imitato oats, dogs. llons and all kinds of stuff with it!”
In essence Laval's first line of de-
ser
a
The Laval trial had certainly pro- vided the civilised world with Parody of fustice, the less familiar
than it is today.
Thousands
The
A little boy and girl who lived of people In Britain, very comfortably fixed financially, next door to a nudist colony found a regard even the sound of the word knothole in the fence one day. work as extremely distasteful. A little girl took the first look. this is going to be allered for them.
"What are they?" asked the little This winter, Instead of finding them boy. "Men or women?" selves riding to the hound they be unloading trucks or learning
mere were on leave in France and peoutately as "wish" of "desire"lities, many of them have taken liable to Instant recall. French coal Laval pui only expected a German rapid defensive action. production was reduced to less
a tenth of her pre-war consuman victory; he would have welcomed it.
France
WAS
to
They've become aflilated with or- ganisations which give them im- "asphyxiated," she could
HE YIELDED
portant sounding titles, they Inve NOTES IN CELL not live A responsible, realistic
started forming and raising chic- Inflict all the IT was at this stage that Laval be-
kens, they have taken light Jobs THE British public now have the salesman could not
on 40,000,000 tan to yield to German de-
which opportunity of delivering a less risks of resistance
occupy them only for a limit- Frenchnen. Ite had to negotiate. mands for French manpower. No ed tirae, biased verdict.
which The notes
doubt a less skilful politician would Government estimates of
the Laval wrote in his cell giving the
In 1940 that argument would have have been compelled to yield more. number of people waiting to be defence lawyers his reply to the seemed Unanswerable to
directed has probably hadt the. As it was, Sauckel, the Nazi Direc Act of Accusation, have been collect- jarity of the French people, ed by his daughter, Josec, Countess 1945 it only provoked their fury,
In or of Forced Labour, complained bitterly to Hitler that Laval Wag de Chambrun, and will be publish- ed next month under the title, of
botaging Germany's war effort. The Unpublished Diary of Pierre
The fact remains that, on his own Laval (Falcon Press, 125, 0.).
futtative, Laval became the instru- Frenchmen to their deaths in Ger- ment for sending many thousands of
man labour camps. It was his own
For Laval pushed "negotiation" so far that it developed into col- Iaboration. There was no need for this. And there was no need for Deprived of access to official docu- Leval ever to have become Premier ments and desperately short of me again in 1942, 16 months after his Laval was plainly handicapped in elemissal by Petain in a reshuffle at presenting his case.
Vichy,
None the
amazing. less, the
still and 1m- memory. dialectical mense palilical experience of
the
s who held Cabinet ofee 14 times enabled him to make out a forceful
fore.
GOERING'S VIEW
"I don't know," she replied. "They haven't any clothes on.**
Exchange Of
Students
bc An exchange plan for over seriously revised since December 3800 students of 10 nationalities -for many spivs have gone, deeper to work at lathes, benches and to earth, and many drones
have laboratory tables in each others' started to contribute to the main-
countries
was tenance of the hive.
shaped at IL conference of science and technology pro- fessors in London.
National Menace
this
Bummer
The conference planned the ex-
deliberate choice to lead the Vichy D ON'T get the impression - that spivs and drones are numerically Government down the black path of important in England. They're not. } change scheme for students of Bri-
to
during
collaboration. He claims there was
But they are a national menace, for tain, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Den-
Fronce. no alternative. But why could ho
Holland, not have
they could greatly upset the morale murk, Finland, Goering's advice and taken TN March 1942 Loval sought an
of a country wh
which Is frying
Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. remained a a privato citizen? Interview with a high German efficial to express his surprise, lie land so distorted his vision that he
His hatred of Russia and of Eng-ly could be death-blows.
struggle to recovery from what cast- The students will be paid enough
for travel and maintenance The average decent says, at the worsening relations be-
younk the eight-week work period. saw his country's Interests bound up people of England have a
loathing He was neured of "political trea- teen France and Germany. Shortly with a German victory. His driving for the spiva of the community, and son, mural irenson betrayal at afterwards he was summoned before ambition led him to believe that
contempt for the drones. But no- France to the invader." He
warily
who gave him some extra- those interests would best bo secur- where will you find anyone saying. named "the original instigator of
round advice. "If the cd
ed under his
his own
direction. The "Well, those people don't work, 50 collaboration." He was charged with Marshal (Petalu) should ask you to great realist was not quite realistic
why should I bunt myself?" bearing chief responsibility for in- return to office," said Goering, "re enough. His flerce prejudices, his ducing the French Parliament to fore. For a man like you, it would freed for power, led him to betray furn the Government over to Petain be far too late und much too soon," his countrymen to their enemy. His In 1940 nt with pincing French But the aworthy Auvergnat ro trial was ahameful, but history, will resources, particularly hor man Jerted this warning. He went to not reverse the verdict,
Among the professors and student representatives at the session wera Professor Dr. P. N. leertjes of Delft Technical figh School in Holland, Dr. J. Beran of Prague University; The feeling is quite the reverse. Jean Lunesu of the French Ministry and there has been an example of of Education, and Sven Engelgren - it.
and Mrs D. Orton of the Swedisht Sir Stafford Crippa pointed out Federation of Industries.—Associated the terriblo conditions of Eng-Press.