1961-07-25 — Page 6

1

THE CHINA MAIL, TUESDAY, JULY 25, 1961.

THE GATHERING

ECONOMIC STORA

"I will do such things--what they are, yet I know not—but they shall be the Terrors of the Earth.”

--KING LEAR, ACT 2, SOPHÉE IV.

London Aspress Service.

The Bars of

Tandon s Magistrates

Silence in

This is justice -the cheap

and quick way

"TALK, talk, talk."

The impatient mutter was not meant to be heard. But the acoustics of West Lon- don Magistrates' Court are good and there was a perceptible tautening in the already alert feel of the room.

Mr Eric Guest has a repusta tion for impatience with those he thinks should know better. In this case, a pollen sergeant had been giving unnecessarlly

Out to the bookshops go a million extra copies of his novels

Eight Doctor' books-but will

Richard Gordon write a ninth?

BEYOND doubt, the gleaming yellow Aston Martin was the most splen- did vehicle in the car park at the Oval reserved for members of the Surrey County Cricket Club. Its presence implied the interest of a property tycoon's favourite son in the fortunes of Surrey.

In fact, it belonged to a doctor, and not to one who would claim to have scaled the peaks of the profession. Indeed, this doctor has not received a penny either from the Health Service or any private patient for eight years.

His name is Gordon Ostlere. He is better known as Richard Gordon. He is the man who writes those Doctor in Love and Doctor at Sea books which are now in their second decade of fantastic success,

Problems for translator

These books (seven "Doctor" novels, plus The Captain's Table) have soki 1,500,000 hurd-back coples at 10s, and 12s. 6d. each.

To Mr Gordon, that cannot mean less than £100,000. The figure is probably doubled by film rights, foreign translations (including Japanese, which posed problems for the translator of the naughty medical jingles he sometimes puts in his books), and book club rights.

All of which explains the Aston Murling and why Mr

things

Gordon can take

UBY

in the Oval pavilion when the greater part

of the population

is toiling to redress balance

of payments.

I had gone to the Oval (the

Mr Gurdon) to talk to him abou

rendezvous firmly specified by

THE BOOK PAGE

by DAVID SANDERS

haversack, Journal. They khaki an ex-W.D.

cver. They did a good deal of the renovations themselves.

"It's just big enough to allow to write way from the children," he said.

T/16*

"No swimming pool?" asked.

I

"We've got a paddling pool," he said. "On of those you blow up for the kids."

01

Did he feel any pangs relinquishing A blossoming

adical career?

"No," he said, I never had the burning desire to be ductor and nothing else. Just a general interest in science.

Doctoring?

"The trouble is, it takes to long to train as a doctor. When you come out of medical school, person you're quite a different Irum when you went into it."

I asked him if he had done

doctoring

at all

BRE0 Ring up authorship.

any

"I del once," he saiki. "When The West Indians were here at the Oval. There was a loud- speaker request: If there is doctor la the ground will he please go to the Surrey dressing

room,'

must

£

"Somehow it didn't get done last winter," he said, with the air of a man who had forgotten to cut the lawn.

"Now I've got to do it in the summer--with the Australians here too."

If, by any chance, he does not Balsh it. I do not imagine i will cause any finanelá! crisis in 'the, Gordon household.

4

Non.

Court!

By Tom Pocock

Then he suggested that older Irish residenta should formTÍ S welfare committee "to keep Irish beys from going to the devil."

A complaint

Among the police it is taken for granted that among the Hungarian Freedom Fighters who came to Britain were num- bers of criminals,

These hove added substan- tially to the number of violent crines, before the court.

15

Guest has publicly complained that there is no officient Interpreter servien for the Lon- don courts, adding "This doing the thing on the cheap as usual." No wonder he sounded bitter. Once he had to and an Interpreter for a deaf and dumb Greek.

To the pressure of work on the magistrate In added The irritation that he has по control over la dally list of cases.

Each morning all the over-

long-winded evidence from the In court, the work hearing witness box.

anything up to 100 cases a day Mr Guest has another re--is exhausting, but Guest has putation. He is said to have the told friends that the interest night charges must be heard be

eenest legal brain among the never fags because, even after

fore those remanded for medical stipendiary magistrates of Lon- spending 15 of his 36 years at or probation ofleers reports or West London, he is still learn- police Inquicles can return to Certainly law students and ing.

the duck. Some magistrates feel police cadets And his swift It might be thought that the that the morning crop of yet painstaking Judginents most district from

who which offenders drunits,

generally waste Impressive Instruction in what

are netted into this courtroom more than half an hour, could the magistrate colls "cheap

Fulham, Hammersmith and be dealt with by a Clurk of the and qutek" justice.

parts of Kensington and Chel Court were he given the powers, Leanlug back against his red sea is not so exciting as, say, A young Irishman charged velvet cushion the only touch Saho or Stepney. Yet this is one with stealing bicycle is tried fuf colour in the umal drab of the busiest — sometimes the meticulously He had been courtroom -- Guest's fine fe busiest courts JE Londun, drinking. But had he been suber tures, his resonant voice and ble The flavour of this quarter of enough to form the intention to strong presence give him the air London has become increasingly steal? Guest gives the police of a particularly intelligent foreign and this in reflected in witness some uncomfortable pharaoh.

court.

minutes. Eventually the accused Sometimes it seems that new hus, by blurting out contra- coners refugees from Hitler disfory excuses, convicted him- and Hungary, Maltese and Cyp- self. riais, West Indlans, Common- He is a carpenter, earning wealth students and the Irish · £16 a week, and he is ordered must together with the East to pay £15 with 3 guineas, Enders who moved westward costs, "which," adds Guest, "I during the Blitz gutaumber hope will cut of your drinking the originut inhabitants.

money for a bit." Unduc

Lonely

Guzing

Harsh..

down on the court, he seting + lonely Ogure, He is. He is conscious that he alone must be judge and jury

jollification at week- and, more often than not, pass ends seems to bring most Irish- sentence. Thus, outside thu men into court, "The neighbour- courtroom, he must keep his hood Is Hooded with drunken personal contacts with the polica men wha frighten women." to a mislinum, working mostly Guest snapped one morning. through his clerks and proba "There are 22 charges of drunk- Guest is harsh with crimes I said goodbye to him at the Hon leers.

eaness in today's list." One such of violence and with profes- Aston Martin. I is status Each morning Guest walls case brought sonic characteristic sional criminals. A woman with symbol to rouge the envy of nay The le from his house off constructive criticism. Guest told 10 previous convictions for theft author.

Kensington High Street to the the young Irishman in the dock, is charged with stealing from But not his only one. As we court near Olympia. Launch is "If you go on like this you will her employers within a fortnight walked through the pavilion usually sandwiches in his offce become like some of the other of completing her last prison Peter May said hello to him.

and then a few minutes relaxing people I see here more like sentence. The doctors say the la London Express Service. In aquilted leather armchair. animals than humans."

sane, but lacks pathetic sitting hunched in the dock, biting her lip.

As Britain's car industry slips out of gear

SHALL

WE

NEVER GET

RID OF THE L-PLATES?

HOW

W happy we were that afternoon in April, when Jim Matthews for the trades unions and Geoffrey Rootes for the car makers said in turn: "We've found the secret of peace in the motor industry."

And the Minister of Labour, sitting between them, approval. How happy everyone was and how wrong!

10

May "I thought Peter have fractured his tibia and 1

For that was 15 weeks ago came haring into the pavilion, Then they said: 'Peter Loutler's and peace has not cume

Bc got a sore throat.

A pal, the motor Industry, doc. Have a squint dawn il and sre if he's worth the train fare for the match at Manchester tomorrow!

What about his three young children? i askeri. Des he give the medical treatment.

"Good heavens, no. We send

in put him

a very remarkable event in his and extracted froen it two heaps charge, or the readers' letters

enreef as an author; event of salmon sandwiches prepared and he found that ancient joke out for a proper doctor." which is almost without prere by his wife. dent in the publishing business,

Recently

fewer 110

thun

stay on it.

Сте

Mr Gordon is going into the

He

retains much of the paperback business. Penguins

doctor's reticence, and I had the are publishing lour of his most successful book-Dretor in the impression that he was worried House, Doctor at Large. Doctur in ease the man behind us was at Sea, and Doctor in Love-ata nark from the General Medicat Js. 6d. each. The print in each Council.

CRS is 250,000.

There can be le doubt that they will go out of the shops almost as fast as they go in.

Small, but-

Astonishing

WOR

A sign?

bad been accepted) when, at career confined the ge nl 30, he married a doctors surgeries and girl who was also a doctor. Its wards? salary as a member of a research amit was in the region of £1,500

year. Their first home

Friction

What's gone wrong? It would be more accurate to ask what's sloped wrong.

the

by TREVOR

What's

EVANS

nodded his

Was the sort of success that Gordon attitude of mind: a man when arrangement with the leaders of tilt by a strike at this Ume of

fint Oxfori, Later they

took a small house.

Winners

As I thlaking out loud, Guest announces,. "It must be time to stop fussing about the necurad and start worrying about the public. A long term of. Imprison- ment would protect the public. although I would not do her any good."

Most criminal cases have been heard in the morning. After lunch the atmosphere of the courtroom changes. The walt- ing defendanta sit at the back of the room and, when called, stand in front of the dock.

There are parking offenders and these who have ridden scooters without L-plates. There src those who have failed to pay their gas blis. But today they are outnumbered by men who have stopped paying mainten- to their past or present

ance wives.

Each week some 3,000 men pay maintenance through West Lon- don Court. More than 30 who have fulled to do so should be In court today. About half have, appeared. Some sit, next to their | estranged wives and this is what gives the courtroom a tense and bitter pir.

Polite...

THE CAR assembly lines forked To oak why, so far as peace to a halt and thousands of men

js both sides are in the industry

cancerned stood file. Britain's top indus- alili wearing trial reporter presents his per- about doctors' handwilling

their L-plates.

sonal anzessment of the causes For back

In

April not so funny.

Guest is solemn and polite: Mr of the crisis...

This is Vauxhalls at Luton. He is stil on the medical

Matthews and Mr Rootes

"Is there anything you wish to Not one important internally-say, madam?" "Yes," replies an Mangham Then they put him

the

most agreed that one of the register ("Somerset

more, rome cat 1,000,000 extra coples of hie and 1

both

Important ways to peace allowed to obituaries, and he ran away to

in managemenis have

started strike has taken place angry little volce. "I know that shown books started going int the deliver babies" and wants 10 sea. He became a ship's doctor Gordon is new working on his their industry was

he can afford to pay 20 a week "reducing marked reluctance to take chop there for nearly 30 years.

Why Because when the plant rent and I have to borrow to pay shops.

and wrote his first book, ninth book. It will be the causes of triétion on the shop stewards seriously, Too often

started the late Sir the attitude has been that shop Bartlett recognised

Charlesinine." Doctor in the House, while at mixture as betare. It will be floor."

that men Where does this friction come slewards were

In this atmosphere of hatred, sea. Doctor at Sea, his second called Doctor On Toast,

trouble markers are; as important as materials. from? novel, was written ashore.

And why are the ear and therefore to be resisted.

Guest must, In effect, prosecute How many

He started a system of con- "Doctors' workers so sensitive. inore

10 17 Recently top executives have suttation which really worked.

te well na judge. The court order will there Neither of those books had book

hon be? Does They are comparatively highly been appointed to labour rela-

been snored. Is the man (though both Gordon see his

future writing pala. Their average earnings tions Jobs, but it is too soon to

To this day, whenever a griev-genuinely unemployed or been published

ance at Vauxhalls threatens to and unable to poy? Should he to rks are £17 13s a week. Nearly tell what contribution they re

become serloun. the hospitni 90.000 (of the 210,000 in the maklug to that hope of peace deputy chairman, Bir Reginald maintenance

firm's ask this employers to deduct tho Industry) earn more than 1,000 we had in April.

money from his Pearson, merts the shop pay packet? Or is the only solu- a year. They are umong It would inderd be a bold aristocrats of manual workers.

For some years now Fords stewards.

tion the maximum sentence: six author who turned his back on

have mahrtained na elaborate

When the motor Industry Is weeks' imprisonment? And high wages proxfuce an

It is infinitely depressing and has achieved with his well-tried value is recogrilset that

22 unlons lo discuss all year when demand for care in exhausting work and Guest is way problems.

plentiful and when the workers visibly cheered when formula. but I got the impres-every

* young pay day resents . nny/ sion that he is thinking there suggestion that he

Some of the most respected want good pay packets before divorced couple appear, smiling IN ucing and responsible trade

tinlon their holidaya - you look for at one another. The girl says night ene a time when he will pushed around,

ehlefs in the country serve on soine outside excuse.

that she no longer needs the decide that möugh is enough. Amang such men, someone it. One or two of them have There is one to hand-a con- | maintenance altotment. Tho He told me that the element who says. "They can't treat us paid tribute to Forde rendines ference of Communist leaders inmaa says he wants to go on pay- Then those first two books of invented humour, as opposed this

way!"

ready to negotiate seltlements on a fantastic

Milan in February which de- | Ing 301, a week to their child. woners. to that derived from personal audience.

wide range of grievances, why. Gordon's experience,

cided on industrial trouble, en- With a smile rarely seen in

couri, pecially in car plants. Who's Who contains each book.

Gueal says, "You both But I think the Communist seem to be what I so seldom the passage: -- "Left - medical "I just don't know what }

Influence in today's troubles is see here -- highly reasonable But when I tried to invcizie

practice in 1952." And why that shall be writing in ve YourA

overrated Let us Aeck our people.” into conversation Mr Gordon

To start medical training in same publication TOW lista time," he antd.

Yet agreements made have internal solution.

For a moment the face of the about this and his general sue, 1939 presupposed some financial medicine as his hobby.

Perhaps a algn of things to blame the shop steward. But been subsequently repudiated or First, Managementz wrist man who shoulders so much of Author, he peered backding fron the family.

conte is the fact that this time I maintain that some of the condemned by sections of Yet despite his great and he has

the speed up the promises they London's burden intently through life Linóculars Gordon's parents were able

of wrongs to

created

two mejor maxi able and responsible shop workers on the job.

made last April to moderniso slows real pleasure. back. After sudden wealth, he still lives far characters outside the medical stewards in the whole of British and said the chop this end was provide that

Aston Beld.

The weak link here was their labour-relations seisupa making 'n ewing a bit.

attending several private board- from ostentatiously, is

fund given that industry ate in motor-one planis, between inlan bomen and their Second, union leaders - must ing schools, he went to Selwyn Martin, as far an I could doughly doctor Sir Lancelot Some of them sen to abls that followers.

kerp more closely in touch with Mr Gordon is a shy little man College, Cambridge, and then to is his only concession to

the Spratt

• palc of brothers-d) they, would be a natural choice Obviously the strain on Fords", grievances in the enr Industry. Just turned 40, his Barts.

conventions of sucess.

nhlp's captain and a Q.C. for full-time Jobs in the trades patience has begun to tell,

Third, shop stewards muxt Ine is beginning to move bark.

There were plenty of Hla home, for instance, is a

loft uniona....If only the unione 11 is ironic that, while Ford recognisḥ that the hxury uf Gordon was never a general four-bedroomed, red-brick isoute overs from Doctor at Sea for were sensible enough to pay complnia that their Dagen being able to call s Hghtning He could have been a middle practitioner. After his traking at flickles in Kent, built abuit the emptain. And Gerden has their officials properly.

har factory has never been airlice in a dear buy. straia civil servant catching up he became anarathatist at

If the unions don't. And free from a strike of sung sort For it to the workers Who Leo Gradwell of with overdun holidays by having Bart# In those Doctor Aims 0 years ago. Its attle was prob been vialting the Law Courla to

so these top-grade shop stewards for more than three days in the suffer most; who lose now, and a day at cricket,

he sometimes

come ably once a rezvant's room. It formulate Ideas on the Q.c. DT/DECTA,

Gordon is rather annoyed nte not naturally dispondd to Jast- three monlin another who in the long run will juster about this book. He normally recognize any superiority in a American-owned plant kno the If strikes affect the sales of the When lunchtiene esme we did pletely owned, and marked, I how Gordon's writing room. not go to the dining room, He an ande*ifetit] and worked for The bout, was largely derelict writes one book a year, working full-time union quietal who kamna. best Industrial record of any car cars they visko.

it steadily throughout the winter. Fleas thần thay đỡ,

London Exprezz Barvica). Dshed under the seat, produced a time on the British Medlent when he and his wife touk

the Not fren him, but from reference books. I learned that his pre-suthorship career had produced an astonishing assert- ment of letters after his name: B. Chir. (Camb.), paper M.A., M.B. backs are reall and variable, F.FAR.C.S., D.A. The last two but a million at any price makes indicate that he is a Fellow of money, The doctor's fee for this the Faculty little coup could work bround £4,000.

Author's royailles on

cers as as

of

Annesthetiste, became

at Toyal College of Surgeons, and Which expining oul

holds the Diploma in Anaesthe entry in

Fla.

11e

Is Increasing with

2 gels

Reluctance

Ti fa irite and fashionable to

Ironic

Arm in Britain.

L

TOMORROW

Thames Court

-London Bayram Korolen).

£