1955-03-31 — Page 4

- Page 4

Britain's Local Government Elections Today

WHO WILL GOVERN LONDON THIS TIME?

By J. W.

HE citizens of London notable

TAYLOR

three seats this time.

THE CHINA MAIL, THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 1955.

"London, which has become one of the further "redistribution of seats landmarks of the under the recent constituency capital, affect some four million boundary. _changes. menns_that are going to the polls people at every turn of the day, the Council is being reduced by again today (March 11 spends 'about £60 million 31), and their votes will every year, of which about a decide whether Labour will quarter comes from Exchequer continue to direct for grants, another three years the vast administrative.

Över

There is a record number of 304 candidates-18 more. tham three years ago and 87 of them Owning some 130,000 proper- are women. Labour and Con-

managing machinery ties and

Several servatives are contesting every thousand others, it is probably seat, and in addition there are required to run the essen the biggest municipal landlord 30 Liberals, 13 Communists and tial services of the greatest in the world. It ruins

1.357 nine from Mosley's Union city in the British Common schools and 183 establishments Movement.

for further education for some wealth.

600,000 students Though voting at London 500,000

school kitchens DIC dining Other Elections County Council elections is centres, 86 homes and hostels, never as heavy as "at a 170 welfare centres and over a 26 hundred day nurseries, four General Election-only percent cast their votes in museums and historical build 1946, 39 percent in 1949 ings, 107 parks and open spaces, and also owns 25,000 acres in and 41 percent in 1952-the the Green Belt ringing Greater issue has a national sig- London...... nificance, since upon the It maintains 34 road bridges, efficiency and foresight of over 2,000 miles of streets, four London's Government rests tunnels, nine miles of pipe sub- much of the social and ways for the

Elections will also be taking for County Councils Wales place

throughout England and on various dates between March 31 and April 6, and for borough, urban and rural district, and parish councils in the first half of May.

Though there are only 52 acommodation of counties on the map, excluding public utility services, and the London, there are 81 administre- economic future of many m most important main drainage tive counties. The reason is that millions of people, outside crea in the world. It employs cer

geographical counties Inside the 117 more than 60,000 staffs, as well as square miles of the adminis- trative county area.

Labour's Gains

certain are divided into separate units. Sussex and Suffolk are divided into two, Yorkshire and Lincoln- shire into three. In addition. Also, nowadays, with so much

the Isle of Wight, the Isle of Ely. "permissive" legislation, adopted

and the Soke of Peterborough The Council itself now.con- are also administrative counties. by Parliament-that is, legisla tion which confers power to do sists of 126 Councillors (three

Labour something only If the local for each of the 42 political con-

made considerable authority

wishes to adopt the stituencies in the City of Lon- gains in the county cour.cils in 28 Metropolitan 1952, but even so control only 12, provisions of a particular Act don and the local government can play a Boroughs) elected every three "Apart from London, their most were in very large part in fulfilling or years, and 21 Aldermen elected spectacular successes obstructing national internal by the Councillors for a period Lancashire, Easex, Northumber- them re- land and the West Riding of of six years, half of tiring every.. three

It Yorkshire. years.

while they sub- main works through 13

com- stantially reduced the anti- mittees but there are also Labour majorities in a number hundred local com- of other counties. In Middlesex, The LCC's activities, directed several

Hall mittees concerned with health, for instance, the Conservative from the

County fine

South Bank, welfare, school management and majority was reduced from 40 to building on

child care.

policy.

LCC's Activities

BAYER

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Labour obtained control

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of

the Council for the first time in. One-third 1934 after the Municipal Re- formers (known As Conserva- tives since World War Two),

LATES BISMARK

GERMAN LAST-DITCHER

ADVANCES

NAPOLEON'S SEDAN LINE HOLDER

THE WAR (CONTINUED)

Foure

TRENCH.

SAST-DITCHER

World Copyright by arrangement with the Manchester Quardian

THE "INSIDE" MAN

T

DOES

men,

women

IT AGAIN

some

He

10 at least-five million eyed-leading a grim and deter-

into and mined expedition children from Paris uncharted and perilous jungle.

But the blbe eyes lick the to Patagonia, from steely, glint of the glossy adven Dallas to Dakar, and from tura magazine drawing,

the Icose-limbed walks with Tokyo to Toronto, the name wall John Gunther is a bedside easy,guit of the man for whom life holds nothing more exciting. magic carpet. Whisper it than an evening by the fireside. softly and you

be And he talks in can

slow mid- which suggests sherry Western drawl In the borough councils, where whisked off to a had held office for 27 years. Labour control only 117 of 396 party under the chandeliers the placid outlook of a Wisconsin The Socialists Increased their boroughs, a third of the council of the chanceries of Europe, dairy farmer.

The secret of the success is oi- majority in 1937 and again in is elected every year. 1948 (there were no elections hundred and eighty-seven of guided through the jungles most certainly just that he has during

the war), but had a very the 566 urban and rural districts of Brazil, or initiated into nagaged to manhandle the whirl rude shock in 1949. This was councils are also run by Labear the mysterious rites of a of twentieth century world events the first ejection to be held after councils.

redistribution of

της matuencies and an equal num- ber of Conservative and Labour Councillors were turned, with a solitary Liberal at Beth- nal Green The Socialists, how

their ever, used

aldermanic votes to retain control; and Inter won back a Councillor's seat in a by-election.

I

Non-

One

appears

District councils are Burmese Bhuddist temple.

diecting the option of Κίνα

To most of his millions of either one-third of their ardent fans, Gunther probably ecuncillors every year or tire

as a combination of whale council every three years. Anthony Eden and Scott of the any have chosen to poll Antarctic-smooth, jaunty diplo

All parish councils mat and tough, courageous ex- fricanally. are elected for three-year plorer rolled into one. period.

The man himself is neither of In Scotland, county and district these. And that is probably his councils are elected every third ||[secret. The year 1952 saw a consider year on the second Tuesday in At first glance he might, even ble

swing

while one-third of the at 54, look like the schoolboy's to Labpus, who May, gained some 200,000 votes from town

2

4: councils are ciccted image of the great explorer The Conservatives and won 92 annually on the first Tuesday in You might casily imagine him- seats to their opponents' 37. A May.

tall, square, blonde and blue-

MADAME CHAUVEL WONT

BE MERELY A GHOST

ADAME

· London, gon of elegance, an arbiter of CHAUVEL, taste, was cultivated, artistle, musical, terary, and altogether

M. the wife of the new almost too good to be true.

French Ambassador in Lon-

don, stepped into difficult tention of playing Madame Mas- Madame Chauvel has no in- shoes.,

sigli's ghost.

Madame Massigli, who Was there before her, was a para-

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into a shape which fits the ex- periences of the suburbanite whose life centres on the 9:03 and the 5:39.

portraits of people and places That is not to suggest that his are false, or even that he has missed the subtleties

of the twentieth century mess, He is, as be always has been, a crack reporter.

REPORTER

But he is a reporter of the school that made the Chiengo Daily News famous in the twen- ties when, a young philosophy. graduate from the University of Chicago, he joined it as a cub reporter.

The paper was interested in personalities rather than policies, in colour rather than statistics. It insisted on bringing down the day's news to human terme. ***And

that is 'Gunther's philosophy in a nutshell.

A 24, three years after he joined the paper, he was sent to its Londen bureau,

From there he did roving jobs in Europe and the Near East, writing just the kind of stories that were to become, the back

By Les Armour

Author-journalist John Gunther is about to publish the latest of his "inside" books — "In- side Africa." Like the others of the same. series, it will be de- voured in thousands of homes and, doubtless,

be dissected by the "experts." Regardless of the faults they may find, "Inside Africa" can look to a profitable FUN -for Gunther is that rare bird, historical com- mentator who has nover lost the common touch.

ab

From Antony Terry WHAT GERMANS WANT

Berlin.

FP Hitler came back to Germany today 49 people out of 50 would greet him" as the man who gave them the best days of their Hves. They look back longingly to the time when the tramp of Fuehrer's jackboots

the

echoed in Europe.

&

The fact that they still re-- gard life under the Nazis as

glorious memory is re vealed in a nation-wida pub- lic opinion check which put the inger on 50,000,000 Germans and took eight years to compile.

In its Jazzy red-white-black cover (the Nazi colours) survey has become a best-seller oversight.

BRITISH 'HELL'

West Gertian Governmeni officials are praying that its revelations

DO become comman kmowledge in other epunties because of the effect on public opinion in Eritain and. the United States,

And what does the averÜTU German think of Britain?

They consider fe in Britain, just plain hell; with the Briton a pitiful agre, zo better off

than the Russian, ·

Only кое Germany 边 hundred thinles life under the Union Jack is worth living, at all The remainder would just as soon live under the Hammer and Sickle.

Was

2

More than two-thirds of åk Germans admit frankly that for "good like spoonfuls of them Nazkera eyes looking

thing." blue sca."

And here authors Elizabeth. And some people objected to the emphasis on personelity Noelle and Eric Neumann, sound After Inside Europe," he was a warning wote.

They point out that, contrary accused of forgetting political

Nazis' to expectation, the and economic factors and making the narrative sound as though strongest supporters include a the fate of Europe depended on large proportion of Germans the machinations of a handful who today, may "temporarily" back the democratic government of men

of Dr Adenauer.

He insisted it wasn't inten- tional. 41 noves. Intended to minimise the Influence of politi- cal or economic factors. I want od simply to draw attention to personality too."

Again, he has been accused of writing "staccato three-hundred-

Though Hitler no longer tops the "pin-up poll" of popularity, one German in every eight believes he did more for Ger- many than any other single person,

Almost as many Germans "the greatest mile-an-hour journalism" and of regard Hitler as

statesman of The century, and arranging his material badly so his real genius will only be that it sometimes read like o

In the years preciated in

to long collection of newspaper

To 80 percent of all Genmans paragraphs, held together only by the hard covers of the book.

FON TOP

COLLID

the fall of Hitler brought them their

time. Since many Werst were near starving after 1948, this is to be expected. But the surprise follows.

That,, however, is probably just the result of his almost incredible thoroughness.

For nearly 10 percent think For his new book, "Inside they are worse of today than Africa," he spent "five years at any time before-despite the gathering material. It added up fart that statistics show German to more than a million words of living standards today are better time since. Hitler notes a million werde which than at any have had to be boiled down to a

came to power and are still im- proving. bare 350,000 words of text.

BEST QUALITIES

And that is a typical example. To get a million words into 350,000 and not lose any of the facis, a three-hundred-mile-an- hour style is the only solution, And some of the facts, even then, are going to dangle loosely. But they will all be there. And they will all be intelligible.

To

further eight percent the ascent of the Nazis to power brought an end to the worst times they had ever experienced. Still scratching their beads over their discoveries of what goes on inside the German mind, the investigators went on to find out what Mr

Average Teuton are bis Own.

best

It may not add up to litera-out ture. But it does and up to intelligent, entertaining

and quiera

mformative journalism, Gunther pretends to no more,

In fact, he regards his books

news-

the food," she said, "the quaid he was going to write a beard; glazed, hard, shiny revision No new edition comes

Here he

he is perhaps nearest the

in pin-pointing: "hard work, the characteristics for which people admire the Germans,

treliability and honesty as

are

fine

ཝཱ

I asked her about the running bone of his books. In 1935, be on the scalp, all his own teeth as many editions of a of big embassy, Does she became chief London corres- plus a bit of gold shining when paper.

Germans, who admit that they supervise the details herselfpondent, but the same year he he laughs; plenty of moustache;

are constantly under

are probably unpopular with I went to see her at No. 11,

their neighbours, believe it is "Millionaires Row," in the chef suggests the menus but I He

cheeks."

out unchanged.

other countries beautiful house, hung with tape- make the final choice. We have novels. But the reporter in him Inessentials? Perbags, But

He spends hours of his dayealous of the Germans French cooking, of course, for was too strong Two years later possibly stries and sparkling with chan big parties, but occasionally we the first of his "Inside" books character as well..

the clue to the man's reading through stacks of clip-qualities › deliers, which is the Ambus-

or Arab, dishes "Inside Europe-was

pings, reams of reports, moun Withholding comment on the sador's, Residence,

have Chinese

ОП the Sometimes, of course, the tains of statistics. And, when results of the spotlight they have when there are a few of us. " bookstalls, and Gunther was an technique got out of hand. One ever he can, he returns the beamed on the secret thoughts I found a twinkling, bird-like

reviewer of his biography of scene of his writings, checking of Mr. Average German, the woman who is gloriously: un up in Persia and Japan, and

"I was bom in Peru, brought institution.

An extract from his notebook, Hisenhower remarked: "He gets his descriptions against changes authors

ind orthodox for "he diplomatic." married in China, and I have part of the notes on his inter right off to a piece of personal in architecture, changes in dress, wine and a ray of hope in

You'll be unlikely see her studied cookery, all over the view with Thomas Masaryk, are description which would - changes in the current alang and

Geratans are on the side 'an iniication of his technique: bamses besarty queen." The

The the current catch phrases of the of West in a conflict with languidly clapping white-gloved world

"Warm handshake; no glasses; piece of description inclurted people.

Russia, and Germans do hands at a symphony

"As to the way I plan my old man's eyes-hard to tell the phrases like "pink and tan" face, Judged by his own standards want another with not even to but you may find work, I have no routine at all colour of them, probably deep "grin practically as broad as the or the standards of his trade, he win bacic the half of their coun wrapped in a rug at a football I answer letters at midnight if grey; still a fuzz of white hair, English Channel" and "friendly sti comes out tops. match. (She was at Twickenham I feel like it."

By now under Communist rule, the other day),

concert

I don't think you'll spot her at a Picasso private view. but you might at.a dine.ma where there's a rattling good Western.

I asked Madame Chauvel if she has any crusade which is specially near her heart.

Most

the

The Quickest Wedding In The World

And The Most Prolonged

Cairo,

a

By ALAN McGREGOR

not

"am inartistic, un-musical and completely un-intellectual"

"Yes, one," she told me. 47 she told me firmly. "I read a lot of detective stories, I like have always strongly supported movies with plenty of action, be happy until women have the I shan't

bridesmaids) and for the bride- wernen's moveznents.

groom and his best man, and I love sport."

tobe all over the world and You can get married in to the Sharia, also recognises in the 694,223 piscos are "uring This law even stipulates the power too.” She looked quite

menu of the wedding banquet, formidable as she said it.

or anywhere else you fancy directly the legality of the in concubinage.!

apparently to ensure that now Most of them are probably de body starts his wedded life in a And I asked what, was the in this country that is, if world's quickest wedding.

Undes the marriage is sub- facto married, but too cautious

Hverish temper And any

proud "But your husband is a poet hardest thing about being an you are a Moslem, as most sequently conarmed by written to rise making written notifica

who lays on stoo and a painter," I said "and ambassador's wife.

Egyptians are.

notification to a Sheria officer- tion of the

the fact, your children have the same The answer came back like.a

sizedich, that is the woman has This matrimonial short-cut is, by a fine and "a week's forced talents. I'm sure you are under bullet, she didn't have to stop to

Getting www.ad

again injust about as simples e no right to any allowance if her the answer to many a widow's residence playing your artistic tastes."

husband walks out. Nor can he prayer - If her husband was a "Being amiable to everyone "No, not a bit. You see, my

Is it's a bad case of love at demand al unor can civil servant and she is sottiled husband does these things very you invite, whether you like fest sist, all an Egyptian him, if she is the one who quits well. I would hate to follow them or not. That takes gentleman has to do is to seize

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What else do, you enjoy be sides

I asked bere sport?"

7

ק,

|á: couple" "at witnesses and bell

For Divorce

Mather bagal spread is punished:

to draw his pension so long as

Forbidden

she does not marry again. “De facto," de can be happily and It is also laid down in the respectably wed, and still have law that no woman invited to a the pension wedding feast shall wear

Right at the opposite extreme drew finer and gayer than that is a wedding in the Yemen, the of the bride.” An offending remote lile "Tibet of Arable" guest will have her dress cone adjoining the Aden Protectorate, seated and delivered to the

special lawet dodnes stay by step the procedure for Antally, it is strictly forbidden

the wedding, marriage the dowry

badly. I have my own tastes Which is something I'm sure the lady his choice loudly, und

clearly, a matty for m and carve my own niche and Madame Chauvel has got, it works very happily."

She isn't conventionally. She makes a like declaration—

Neither party, do fact, has a "diplomatic. She is shrewd and they are man end wife. No scrap of legal responsibility to and forthright, rather than clergyman, no registrar and no wards the other. For a divorce, subtle and suave. She will risk expense. "I love parties, and I enjoy having a real opinion and cap This super-simplified processes again, and "I divorce There, a

all that is exanded are two wit them equally whether I'm dispense with ceremony, dure is known as the "de facto" you" hostess, or guest. I like tha

"Sharing the Moslem religious marriage has plenty of devotees.

Wyndham Street, Hong Kong & Salisbury Road, Kowloomesh people, and new faces But he gave me a strong immarringe."-It is recognised in the For all that, the de factoes of the bride's trousseau, for a band to oder bis wife.

the talk and the clothes Pression of knowing the ropes. love the opera, frankly hot for

Joan Hinton legal code. Egyptian civil law, hope. The latest Catro mind the price to be paid for baths girts of jewellery, or the music, but for the spectacle.

by leaving the questions entirely cipal statistics show that no less for the bride and her two but only, LOR, KI ZORGE