1940-10-16 — Page 25

"THE "CHINA MAIL, OCTOBER 16, 1940

Rosemary Lane's first loan-out assignment after two years Important under contract to Warner's provides her with an singing-romantic role in "The Boys from Syracuse." A May. fair Production (to be released by Universal), the film is based Miss Lane is seen on the Broadway musical comedy success. opposite Allan Jones, who plays a dual role and who has rom. antic moments as well with Irene Harvey, his real-life wife.

AIR RAIDS AND HOUSEWIVES

LONDON GETS DOWN TO IT

The speed with which factories in the London area which have been bombed by German air- craft have reorganised production was illustrat ed in a speech at Lincoln yesterday by Sir Cecil Weir, Executive Member of the Export Council, Board of Trade.

Speaking of a London tour where. he visited plants, some of which had been struck as frequently as eight times by every type of bomb, Sir Cecil Weir said: "One would have expected disorganisa- tion, chaos, confusion. Instead one found an extraordinary degree of normal production and in one of the worst cases, the drop in pro- duction, a.large part of which was going for export, was less than thirty per cent, and the manag- ing director assured me that, within another week or two, they would be fully up to usual out- put.

Another manufacturer show- ed me photographs of his dam- aged factory which had been struck in a vital spot by a 1,500 lb. bomb. In another, a vital spot had been blasted by landmine.

a

When he looked at the damage the day after the attack, his fore- man said: "How long do you think it will be before we can get going", and he said, optimistical- ly, about a month.

In actual fact, the plant was

HOUSEWIVES ARE playing a key part in the coastal town air battles. All those interviewed re- cently said it was their duty to remain to cook and scrub and care for their husbands and children and their neighbours whose homes were blown up in the daily air raids. They are most resentful of the pub-second and in the third was pro- lished stories suggesting that they are leaving towns pushing prams loaded with possessions.

British women are as unafraid as the men. "We are in the front line, too," they said. For the nightly raids they move the children's beds into the air-raid shelters, where the children spend the en- tire night undisturbed. During the whistling of the bombs, the swooping 'planes, and the rattling ma- chine-guns women in the shelters look as calm as if they were at a tea party.

operating within 24 hours. I lost thirty per cent. production in the first week, twenty per cent, in the

ducing the full output which was much more than we manufactured in pre-war days British Wire- less.

or to cover the shrapnel holes in the walls.

When a bomb fell in the five yard space between two Ander- son shelters, a young mother said, "I was a bit frightened for my ten months old baby. He cried for five minutes, but was unhurt. We wonder what happened to the chickens in the run where the bomb fell as we have not found.

During the worst raid on one woman from beneath a copper even a feather." Asked whether coastal town, when several were where she was beginning to do the she intended to repair some shat- killed, police patrolled streets with week's washing. All neighbour-tered windows, a fat, jolly house- loud-speakers, asking shoppers to ing houses an hour afterwards wife who helped to dig out the looked like a scene from the film, victims, said, "I believe it is the

take cover.

Dover housewives caught in the "Gulliver's Travels," with every landlord's responsibility, but it he streets during six daily raids re-man sitting on a windowsill nail- takes as long as he did to repair duced their wasted hours by forming linoleum or three-ply to re- one tile, we won't have windows. ing a shopping club. When the place the missing tiles or glass, until the war is over." all-clear siren sounds one dashes

to the 'greengrocer, another buys meat, a third attends to the gro- ceries, then they pool all provi- sions. When the police pointed out the machine-gun bullets fall- ing thickly during the Messer- schmidts' attack on the barrage balloons they completely failed to persuade the women to go indoors, who were restive after hours of sheltering. "I must go, the din- ner is spoiling", was the general comment.

Getting Wise To It

Women have learnt to distin- guish between the noises of ma- chine-gun, cannon,, and anti-air- craft fire. They are not anxious when the dull crump indicates a bomb, Everyone takes the children everywhere with them lest they are caught in the streets and pre- vented from getting home. Mo- thers and children look bored and

unanxious.

All have achieved a jolly philo- sophy. The wife of a postman in

VICHY EXCHANGE OF NOTES WITH THAILAND

(SPECIAL TO “CHINA MAIL”)

WITH REGARD TO the series of notes received by the French Government from Thailand, authori- tative circles in Vichy assert that those pertaining to territorial claims have been categorically rejected.

The other notes received referred to the rati fication of the non-aggression pact signed between the two countries four months ago, and recent inci- dents along the border between Thailand and Indo-

a small town outside Dover ur-China.

rived in Dover in the middle of an

air raid. "I came here to visit The French Government ission will not be empowered to my sister, who came to spend u ready to proceed immediately with examine any other territorial holiday with her parents right in the exchange of the instruments questions.

the middle of the blitzkreig." It of the ratification of the non- Joint Committee

is a favourite joke to point to the French coast, "there's Germany."

The occupants of an entire street of tileless and windowless houses. are laughing because an, air raid worker was just going to bed at mid-morning after night duty, when bomb dropped next door. A Cheerful Lot

aggression pact.

The Bangkok Government has | ' The Thal Government request- not yet received those „Instrued the formation of a joint com→ mento and it is proposed to send mittee to investigate frontier in- a copy from France by telo-cidents which resulted in the death gram.

of Lao Tian; a subject whom the

The French Government has Thai Government claimed was D also agreed to a proposal for a Thailander, juba Joint Franco/Thai commission to France agreed to the suggestion undertake the repartitioning of and proposed that a committee be several islands on the Mekong empowered to investigate other A housewife sheltering in a cel River which forms part of the frontier Incidents which took placo lar with her baby heard the ex-frontler between the two coun- along the That/Indo-China border plosion, ran out to extricate the tries,

during the past few weeks, dėme victims, and helped to dig out a It is stressed that the commis-Havas,

WORST MAN

Got the ring safely?" “The ring "Oh. Wait a minute. Ring. Here it is. No. Confound it. Where is it? Could have sworn it was in this pocket.” **You will find it nestling coyly in the bottom right-hand waistcoat pocket."

"Oh yes. Of course. So it is. Ha! Ha! Funny if I lost it. Yes. I say

let's go over this business once more. Now what do I do when...

"

"My dear Feter, look at your tic. Pull yourself together. Remember, I'm the man who's going to be married, not you." "Oh. Are you? I mean yes- of course. Fact is, old boy, I'm ir rather weak state. That celeb-

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tion of yours last night. Oh my poor head. I'm sure I'won't be able.. to squeeze it into that wretched. topper."

If you'd only taken my advice last night and stuck to gin and Rose's... J

"Roses? Oh yes. For the brides- maids. I thought you said they were to be carnations."

"Rose's Lime Juice, blockhead! Prevents hangovers. Therapeutic. action. I wish I'd rammed a quart of it down your silly throat. Next time I get married, Peter, remember you stick to gin and Rose's the night before,”

“Oh yes. Thanks for the tip. I will. I say Charles -- where did I put that ring? I could have

sworn..

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