1956-01-10 — Page 4

THEIR ANSWER IS NEVER!

By Ian Mercer

Palma, Majorca. a Madrid finance n branch corporation established hero in Palma with the object of giving people in Majorca the chance of installing radio sets in their homes on payment of a small sum down, the balance to be sprend over a period of two years.

SOME months ago

Thus the "never-never" system was intro- duced to the Balcarle Isies.

and

But, though Majorca becomes more more up-to-date every day, many modem in- novations fall to please the conservative island- era, and hire-purchase is a case in point.

Hire-purchase financiera rely mainly their ving, of course, on the less well-to-lo Before long it became perfectly clear that the In the lost poneer people in Matoren wer

for

interested in possessing a radio unless they could buy it outright. S the Madrid firm an- nounced its reading to help newlywells to furnish their homes, to supply washing machine and vacuum cleaners, even to provide the motor "setters" and midget cars which are so much In vogue.

But in spite of extensive advertising, the from Madrid failed hire purchase enterprise disinally, and the ornate offices which were opened in such high hopes have had to close down,

Sadder But Wiser

Before he returned to Madrid, a sadder and

a wiser men, the manager was interviewed in

commercial the hope of discovering why

sy stem which flourishes In practically every civilised country on earth should have proved such a failure in Majorca

He railed bitterly against the mentality of the people, complaining that they were not only hopelessly behind the times, but also had the most suspicious untures he had ever encountered.

The questions they had asked himl "Idle, does my wife have logo on paying?"

What

Subay

I

lappters I lose my

dec.de

don't 1

Ike who I have bought, can I re- turn it and got back the money I have paid?"

I suggested that he was prob- ably able lo answer all such questions satisfactorily.

"Naturally," wan his reply, "bus do

do you imagine my answers Batisfied them?"

More often thun nol the

shook IL head,

potential customer

declared that there maat evidently be "a cutch in K somewhere," and decided he would rather to m saving his money as his father and grand- fother ha done before him. buying an article only when he could afford to pay for it,

Unco-operative

"What an altitude!” cried the from Mudrid in poignant exasperation. "But then, these people have no initiative, [ drive, to amisillons.

He added that there had been complete lack of co-operation on the part of local traders,

Their

to

Jak-

ubjection purchase? "It would encourage

folk to live beyond their means. And that, in time, would cause

п

a drop in the sales of day-to-day necessities,"

I wonder whether the Major- were right, can shopkeepers Indeed. I wonder whether the attitude

the of

What's that) Sergeant up tù* with my bit of homework?

THINKS ----

THE CHINA MAIL, TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 1956,

*TRUNKS---

If you want to know the time....

She's one of these are beautiful

Spys. If she aint

She's got o

blooming

herve

Where did he get that

THINKS...

I thought my

face Kwas fredi

hat ?

(shind

In the world's most exclusive playground celebrities come and go without causing the thicker of an eyelid, so commonplace has Fame become. But it's a different story when this fabulous lady steps ashore-witc of the man who can't count his millions.

L

flashed

Cannes. We shook hands and he said: IKE lightning

the "Have

drink," A

duent Er.altan Then he turned to u news

steward and, in Spanish, equally through Cannes. "La ilueat, told him to conduct mo Mome Moinenu est to the bar.

"Who rentree"-"Kid Sparrow has

JB he?" I whispered to the steward. "It's the owner. come back!"

Don Felix," he replied.

The name meant nothing me at the time. But I was to the mild geatiemon learn that with the absent-minded air was Senor Felix Bennez-Rexach, little excitement locally. one of the world's rienest mei People at Cannes are inarod and u super-multi-millionaire.

He has so much money that The

lost count of it. And wile,

the Incredible. irrepressible Mume Moineau. seems to have the spending of

IL.

Normady the arrival of another luxury yacht to join the dozens already moored in Cantes harbour cause!

1 events of that nature.

in her

no-

Aga Khan rolls by in his Rolls he has Royer, br Lady Docker Bold-starred Daunter, and

body bothers to look any mort

So I was surprised to find the quayside when I walked along

"Maineau" t Lie

und went abard to meet the owners, Kid Majorcan Sparrow and her fantastically. workers 1.5 10t right? But, fabulously rich husband. then, I've bern so long on the

A tall, alightly

paunchy, inle of Majores that maybe I middle-aged

with am biased in their favour.benign, preoccupied look What do you think?

me at the top of the gangpluck.

****

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You're pampered as a potentate

when you fly KLM Į

See your travel agent or Philippine Air Lines, General Sales Agents for KLM.

Peninsula Hotel,

Kowloon.

man

KLM

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Stock arriving · shortly`·

a

met

ON THE GO

He's no

Winder cleaner- Chief sent him to see I don't fiddlei

the tea.

TINVAS

• He'll never guess,

WE'T DICKS in

as this disguise.

ŠTHINKS

He may be the man come to do the files For he may be the man

come to stop the lock.

> DICKS/ Kid

'em a mile orfi

Scotland Yard is to tighten up security measures

Sergeant lacks larit of 4 BURGESS today

London Express Servica

THE LADY CALLED

your-old England

KID SPARROW

veterin

from

New

By Joe

He told me about the yeah "Moineau." Originally the U.S.

A fascinating invas- tigation produces un- expected results In France

9F10 9 OF 10 Are Happy

By Stephen Coulter

GROUP of French social investigators has een highly surprised, not to say amazed, at the result of sounding out a large number of their fellow countrymen on the simple question "Are you happy?"

They went about it fequlog that in these days of cold war, | recurring government crises

home,

Khortage

at

high prices, housing

and atom bomb ex-

plosions, the answers

would

rencet quite a a gloomy stale of

mlad among oramary folk

have

But in fact, the investigatora

bean, aleggered to ind inat no fewer inun nibo out of every

of

ten French Пеп and w.men consider

themselves happy. The acyrve happiness Varies between very much 80 and "happy enough. That does seem to mo a reinarkobie stalo of affairs, and I wonder what the answer would be people visewhere were asked the same thing.

TH

Fascinating

THERE are separate aspects of thus investigation which are quito fascinating. For instance,

over the pust 40 years we have sust,chow

peen

persuaded that women are more or 2285 envious

of men

parative

man.

and covet their cum- frudom, Wacker 09- bolter pay and other

and

tho

Not a bit of it in France, at any ratel kight out of every son Franchwomen, asked it they knew a puzon they considered truly happy. ormed a woman. Even ung French men, only Biz out o every ten chose

notion of riches Ine quisitely cooked

French meals forming tricks at their mistress'o power

constituting for about Ba or 78

command.

essential to happiness nus alse, After lunch we ogen ad- She has 24 miniature poodles it seems, disappeared from the journed to the bar. Kid Spor- in ali, divided between the mass of people's minds. Almost

of those asked

said the home, including one barely 12 Happy mun or woman today is

long, which he claims one in

moderato an averag, Is the smallest poodle in the

situation, Leiber nich nor poor, world.

[but having things worth 13.50

kan

And ma.oy-trangшuly

frigate "Natchez," bought and Hollander row's cuisine may be an econo- yacht, the villa and her Parts at

like

with private bath conditioning) and dining

its

abr Ave

breakfast the

At noon i was nibbling ap- tisers of dried bucon rud Ja

the yacht's bar, washed down

rooms, it resembles, The bar gradually filled up. w.th West Indian rum cocktalis. There was the Sparrow's pl03, An extremely good-looking tall craggy-featured American, young man called Victor gave her handsome

young French ne the inside story of the servetary, her Deninicon major Benitez-Rexach millions. domo and guests.

varicus unspecified

بام

ujsci

Inches

La Mome Moineau loves

to

Was

stability.

o

Thus implies a lack of ambi- tlob But what most French people seem to mean is that they are willing to answer the prous Ambon providea thetr vos are not too much upset, hour balance of happiness over- urned in the process.

op

Quiet Life

THIS itch for the quiet life is

shown in the astouting ath swer to the question; "What is the

converted try Don Felix after

mic one, but her standards of the wor at a rost of half

quid nourishmat are Bes

Very million pounds, It Ls 325 feet

wife was going to be a serious high In fact, bars and care long. displaces 2,400 tons and businesa

seem to loom large in her life. can steam at 21 knots. A 10

STCW

Apart from her car fleet in So I went of Dominican?,

into training for Franice, there were nine cars in display her wealth and posses- Cenary Islanders, Spenlards and Ita'ions keep, i, skipped dinner the night be- Puerto Rico, and an equal num-

sions, but the next ber in Cluded Trujillo, Wo

in reticent with Funnery?

luxury liner fore and

personal details of her age, for piled in'u the Cadillacs which, with its 38 cabins (each morning.

Rolls Royces waiting on the instance,

But she did tell me that as a to go

to the Villa up quay Bagatelle and see how her new

child named Lucienne D'Hotele, swimming pool was raping

born in Rheims, she was brought Kid Sparrow's pool, which

to Paris where she can be heated, is a "simple" grew up in diro poverty.

At affair with a

13 she cold flowers a floor paved with

and thousands

of tiny azure-blue sang to theatre queues on the Briare Ules from

sides boulevards. One day the Italy,

offered a modest marble from the covered in onyx

but regular Don Felix's

money was all in made

Portugal, white Carrara marble job as a singing flower girl in a Central John Savor, the pilot, de-

America,

cabaret. She steps and noodlights let into the Eznali

became ribed the "Moineau Flier," Kid where he was the biggest marine

popular and, billed as "In Meme happiest stave ut life?" By far COMPARED with Kid Sparrow, Sparrow's private plane.

ship and drydock walls below water level. An contractor,

and Moineau," worked later in the

most, men

women, I. y Docker lives like a

Beechcraft bullder in the Caribbean. The American built

finest night spate of Paris, bom

said: "To be retired on a pen- urban horsewife, and the Agu painted in white, silver and two luxury hotel Normandic, shaped

FLOWER GIRL

fore she finally went to

New Sion."

Almost halt the French Khat's misus, the Begum, in shades of blue, it was equipped like a ner, at San Juan in

York with an engagement ar

women chose a retired man as Puerto Rico, the to carry eight passengers and

gambling

Shubert's Theatre on

the ideal mate 44th For

Sparrow 18 here,

which adjoined the had its own cocktail bar, It Casino

Street.

Ewen more NATURALLY, thers

surprising aro there and everywhere. crossing twin 300 h.p. engines cruime at hotel and the Escambron

special swimming pool bar It was in America, In the late French people's recipes for the Atlante in her super-yocht, 225 mph and crossed the Atlan- night club arruss the way were freed

muniti-coloured nineteen-thirties, that she met heppiness in the way of a job. hopping it in her private plane. tie in 18 hours.

all tule sidelines which Don ceramic tiles and topped with a her husband, then a 52-year-old Who elsewhere would say that marble slab. Showers were all multi-millionaire. It was love the happiest work is that of a in blue and yellow tiles.

at fret sight and the end of the housemaid, a vales, a cook? road for to Mome

Moineau The French oven think Inside the villa, marble cor- besinping flower girl.

domestic servant has greater ridons contrasted with polished

But she s.ill loves

5.14

to sing, chances of kappiness than parquet in a series of reception and that night, after another doctor, writer, divil servant or rooms all filled with priceless Easton in the ship's bar, Kid white-collar worker in generall ornaments.

Sparrow stood at the stern rall

the single reasona for And there was the inevitable of the yacht and eang Parisian happiness, a happy home life bar. bls time in bleached cake ballads of the nineties to a comes easily first. Practically and black marble, with another delighted crowd of holiday all women think "a good under- colony of fluffy toy poodles trot- m

era and local people gather- |standing with one's husband" is ting around one's feet and per- ed in hundreds on the quayside. most Important.

modest, quiet retirement.

the

or cruising around the count one of her fleet of live motor-

boats.

Or she may feel like flying to her mansion in Paris or her

farm at Maisons Lomites, Two

Rolls Royces,

DIAMOND NUT

Felix

ran.

Life is pleasant in the state- kissed isles of the Caribbean, and Don

Felix is anxious so Mtary, told me about her new her

MONSIEUR Gonat, the secre- get back. But his wife prefera -grey

native country, France, of criam Cadullaes, the swimming pool, her housea In where she commutes between latest

Mercedes 300S and

Paris, and Cannes; and Schaa- her Paris mansion in the 8 – miscellaneous assortment of land, the major domo, told me ́clusive Rue Dosnc, her farm at Buicks, Citroans and Renaults about her privato sulle on the Maisons Laffites and hor super supply a shuttle service for he yacht.

villa at Super-Cannes. land her guests between the

yacht and the Villa Bagatelle, From time to time Don Felix When the yacht arrives on an enormous white house built wonkered in with other visitors, the Riviera, the lives on board on the snosi commanding a He left them all at the bar in her private saloon on Super-Cannes, the Riviera's counter bad wandered out, a stateroom. "Millionaires' Hill"

remel, Fifcid man who drank

But lo's get back to the ship's seident und then only toxic bar. It was panelled througn- water.

holstered In cane and leaner, white silk The floor was covered

ture

LUNCH ABOARD

T

and

out in costly West Indian At o'clock, la Mome arrived, woods, espalilo, сари and She wore gold-laced sandals,

bar door mahogany, furnished and up brgy Turkish trousers in heavy Acne-thirty, the

opened and a scampering embroidera with horde of grey and white minia- with inte gold thrend, a nuvy blue thick blue rubber squares; reefer Jacket and the gold-laced of their mistress. Today, la Mome poodles heralded the arrival there was a telephone,

cap of Dominican admirel, television so and a scale model

Moineau was She was about 4

dressed 3 8 in tall,

Mexicane-in leather sandals, the Sparrow's privuto woh a heavily rouged, unlineď aeroplane.

baby face and a husky Mariene black velvet pants striped in red Dietrich voice.

She could have and gold, a white silk shirt and been any age between forty and straw sombrero. She wore a Afty-ave.I wouldn't like to

of

PLEASANT

WAIT

guest.

the

Bowers on

with

WAS

4":

that

AMERICA INVADES INDIA WITH THE LURID COVER

By PAULINE WALTON

Bombay Inguage by Hindi, is worried funds are low what can Indians, NDIA is alarmed about by the poor sale of Hindi books, read?..

the books her people will help to popularise

and hopes that Wils new kehemé บ are reading, which is national tongue.

even

R

"American",

I

the America has been quiler to cath in on India's hunger for sapphire ring as big as a walnut. no surprise, for every book- A major difficulty, explained, los houses have appointed "re low price books. Their publish WaYes of perfume now stall is flooded with glossy, to me by India's leading author, GOOD-LOOKING, swarthyn

Httle Anger of her mingled with the aroma of

Anand, is that ventatives all over India, and she wore whcas right hand

a single spirits and tobacco and the roo/paper-backed American poc- Dr Mulk tradition of young Dominican,

small rollway stationa good prose writing In Bengal, pocketbooks

American news heavily-lidded eyes looked lite ring with a solitaire diamond as cocktail session commenced, at ket books, covering (or un- Hindi bas bo

magazines, and big as a Brazil nut.. Нет gluzed boot-butions, stood im-

ap- two-thirty lunch was announced, covering) everything from where industrialadon was first American editions of British are available. ber passively behind a bar coume: pearance, gestures, her and we trooped forward to the films to physical culture. Introduced by the British. there stocked with every conceivable perky, bright eyes reminded you semi-circular main saloon. Very few Indian capitalists has been a tradition of good Austen's works are given lueld books sell well. Even Jane kind of alcoholic beverage.

Inevitably of a cheeky Sparrow. Incidentally, Madamo Benticz-

are willing to invest money in prose writing It wes pleasant in the bar, Rexuch prefer to be called by pickled gherkins and mustard return

Bottles of tomato ketchup book publishing, unico a quick the whing in Bengali.since covers, which must disappoint

century. In readers and I settled down to wait for her nickname, Kid Sparrow, flanked the

In certain, and most areas where industrial progress Mickey Spillane

expecting another my hostess. Madame was taking She is proud of her Cinderella enormous table where ten of us attractive and pourly printed on to use the usual medium of a the Indian-produced books are un- was slower, authors, confloued ner after-lunch alcats, they told story-from flower giri to all men, sat down to lunch with low-grade paper.

The crime and sex themes of me. Meanwhile, I chatted with millionaire's wife.

rural community-poetry. Even the majority of our hostess,

today, only Bengall authors can The steward brought in the

hope to make a living to India, glossies, banned in Indian Arst dish cold, canned prawns

films, books and magazines, kro In a major effort to raise Mr Nehru Rhos told the enormously popular. innocent of any form of dressing standards, Prime Minister Nehru publishers that he believed they Then carne canned Frankfurter has told publishers and book treated authors disgracefully. THE drinking which had pro- sausages, leathery and tastelowellers that the government will Nor have Indian authors any coded her arrival was only a accompanied by a colllarg pink enter the publabing business, hope of big money by writing refrcurial. For two hours potato-out of a can. There was Recently a National Books Trust for the himse Although India everybody...... talked and drink, plain lettuce salad, cheese and was set up with the aim of is second only to America inquiry at the libraries here with Kid Sparrow holding ner Acally dessert--pears, canned

Literatura" the

Alma the number of

she pro promoting healthy

unexpected prd. own against all comers. I do. pears.

for the masses. The Trust will duces, no well-known books are ferences D. H Lawrence

considered pleasantly elded to leave whilst 1 ebuld Wallst wo guests ate Ameri- encourage the translation into aimed. Scripts are the work of still wolk, but not before I had can, Unned food and drank Hindi - and r váriosta

osta regional hacks and indeed are usually stocking. Coples of "Lady" promised to call next day and cheap local wine, our fortes toy-Incurges of the Ribertnown written While the him is being worn out by rando

Chatterley's Lover almost lunch with la Mome Momneu."

classics of West and

made. Often the script is only PG Wodelloung Remembering and grows Hokkaido por land to be produced on prices within a pore stead of the shooting and heard about the splendour shed and inoutat actually the reach of ordinary Indians While all these new traits donut, abeunte for Com

popular popularity which of la Morne Moineau, decided of Fine Thingyusunirset i petimu

Mbruz wedded to the tons of the clamies sem still. Indian misoonerolions about the

Captain Percival, the ship's mador, a parchment-faced, 73-

THE GREAT SPY SCANDAL

}

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