1936-10-22 — Page 6

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22 1938.

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The

Hongkong Telegraph.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1986.

OVERCROWDING

113

Delegatos of nearly forty nations ;aro now conferring at Conova in an andeavour mutually to ban broad- casting likely to lead to international conflict.

T

HE family, anxiously awalling news on a day

of crisis, sits round the wireless set. The voice of the Announcer-surely an unfamiliar voice this evening? -at Inst speaks.

"London," it says, "has been occupied without serious opposi- tion by the forces of X-Land. His Majesty's Government has re- signed, and the Supreme Military Command of X-Land has formed a Provisional Directorate to take over control.

"All realstance has been crushed, and they are complete masters of the situation. Perfect order now reigns in London. The Provisional Directorate en- joins all citizens to remain calm and in the interest of their own safety to stay indoors after

p.m.

"The usual train, bus, and postal services will resume to- morrow. It is the duty of all citizens to listen-in to-morrow

morning at ten, when further de- crees will be broadcast.

"London National in now closing down. Good-night."

HUNDREDS of thou- sands of homes, fac- torles, offices, ships at sea, and even military units walt- ing in vain for orders, hear this

voice.

It gives the Arst official news for twenty-four hours. A gas-bomb bursting the midst of the listeners could hardly demoralise them more effectively.

other

No doubt the picture seems fan- Such a thing could never ciful. happen in England? Perhaps not. But it has happened--and is hap- pening even to-day-in countries.

The most recent example comes While the Govern- from Spain

stations of Madrid, and ment Barcelona have rallied and re- assured the population, the rebels- in Seville have done their utmost to demoralise it.

"Government control is main-

VAR

tained over most of the country," broadcasts Madrid. "The military rising in Barcelona is completely dominated. The Workers' Milita maintains order in the capital. The Navy remains loyal and is guarding the Straits. Long live the Republic!"

**The Government forces are in full fight," General Queipo de Liano announces simultaneously from Beville, **Troops from Morocco are passing freely into Spain. The whole of Andalusia, as well as tho Northern Provinces, is In our hands. Our columna are converging from both sides on Madrid, where the situation of the

-by- Geoffrey BRERETON

Government in desperate. Long Hive Spain!

Some months ago I was staying in the town of Avila. The morning papers arrived at 10.30 am, the evening papers not at all. Every night wo gathered in the lounge of the little commercial hotel- guests, proprietor, waiter, and boots-to hear the news on the wireless.

The boots,could not read, but all ot us, in diferent degrees, relied on that set for our knowledge of the outside world.

Avila is the capital of a pro- vince. It is only seventy miles from Afadrid. When you get into the real Bpanish country, the scattered hamlets of the South and West, the mountain villages of Asturias, you are still more de-, pendent on wireless.

SOME of these villages are half-a-day's jour- ney from the nearest rallway. Their mails and news- papers are still delivered by horse. Fifty per cent. of the population -have-never-learnt to read. The other Atty per cent., with the ex- ception of the priest, have for- In these places a gotten how.

cheap, out-of-date wireless set is ail-powerful as the only bringer of nows.

In October. 1934, a revolution broke out in Spain to shake off the yoke of a Government which was The rapidly becoming Fascist. desperate struggle of the Asturian miners against the trained troopa of the Right-including. the Foreign Legion from Morocco-1 now a matter of history.

LESS well known is the fact that the move- ment in the mining and industrial centres was to have been seconded by a general rising of the peasants.

But in hardly a single village did the peasanto stir. The voice of authority, speaking from Madrid, renched them long before the orders of their leaders. They did not hear of the success of the minere in Asturias,

They were told that life in Madrid was normal, and nover suR=" pected that the Government dare not use the Civil Guard for fear it might not obey.

The Spanish countryfolk crossed their arms, muttered in various tones, "Nothing doing!" and went home to supper. Had they known it, the fate of the reactionary Government was hanging by a thread. A rising of the peasants would probably have turned the scale.

SCIENCE has put into the hands of whoever is in a position to use it

a weapon more potent than glant howitzers or 30,000-ton battleships. It is ten times suror than a shell, incalculably swifter than an acro- plane.

If you want to put a city out of action by the old method, you assemble at tremendous cost a fleet of bombers, send them off on a three, five, or ten hours' journey --and wait for their return with the sure knowledge that they can only have partly accomplished their object.

By the new method you speak for three minutes into a micro- phone, and at the end of that time you have peacefully and instan- taneously queiled the resistance of three-quarters of the population.

The weapon of wireless has not yet been used in a war between Blates. Obviously It requires an invasion to gain control of the enemy's broadcasting stations-or else the erection of transmitting stations considerably more power-

THE ALLOTTED SPAN.

of

The most striking fact re- vealed in the official report on overcrowding in Hongkong is that, by reason of bad times, there is a marked drift of ten- ants from the better-class dis- tricts into the already over- It is con- crowded slum areas. ceded in the report that the magnitude of the existing pro- blem is largely due to the absence of town planning in former times and to the undue concessions made in regard to old property in 1903. Hostilliy of landlords towards measures for improving property has also been a factor, but it is stated that the spirit of, obstruction is less evident now than formerly. None the less, the view is ex- pressed that if large-scale slum clearance were attempted, con- siderable opposition would have to be overcome.

At Home, the authorities appear less tender. hearted towards landlords than has been here; compulsion freely used in England in deal- ing with the problem. Some improvement is apparently being effected by the rebuilding of properties which are from time to time condemned for reasons of structural defects. An even be bigger impression would

more made, if property were freely condemned by reason of unfitness for humari habitation. TT is something of an event in life when we reach our seventieth is acknowl- In any event, edged, the process of elimina-birthday. How does it feel then to tion of bad property by prosent reach this limit milestone, and what are one's reflections looking back means must be very slow. It is ward and forward? satisfactory to note that provi- Ision has been made for drastic improvement in the conditions of lighting and ventilation of old properties, but the new law will be of no avail unless it is rigorously enforced. Much of

their the overcrowding would dis-

who made history In appear if the authorities went

how glorious it is to have long spells

a course of eighties."

-Health means so much that we further than to compel

at favourite authors: Trollope, or Meredith, or Hardy, and observance of the laws already

true "means of living" on the Statute Book before the Many workers, especially in bank-return to the great essayists, Lamb, should guard it as our richest tren-

Inzlitt, and-Leigh Hunt, with their sure, the successors, E. V. Lucna, H. Belloc, which enables us to carry on. While new Ordinance was passed this ing, teaching, and the Civil Service, Or 05. and retire nl 60

Robert Lynd, and others; or a win- it is our privilege to remember and year. It is useless to bring in must

their attitude to life at seventy will

tor's study of Boswell's Johnson or look back on our life's experience. new enactments unless there is greatly depend on how they have Lockhart's Scott preparatory to go let us believe in our future, and say à determination to see that they spent the previous years of leisure.

ing once more through the Waverley with Browning, "The best is yet to are obeyed. This Colony has

If the personal. note may be par- novels,

But all this concerns ourselves. As for poetry, we are just begin. far too many laws which are doned, my own experience has been

There was a

almost ten years freedom from off:- ning to discover what a splendid What of others? Nothing will bring never enforced.

pleasure and happiness into Ure mind. The auch

our declining years as the endeavour hope that the Housing Commis cial work (Civil Service), and those tone it is for in life's experience,

the glory of Shakespeare, the quiet reflectiveness of Matthew Arnold, lives. It makes our journey west- and the bracing virility of Robert ward a pilgrimage made bright by

the glory of the sunset. refresh. But one must beware of idle hours Browning all those

Edinburgh is specially endowed and want of purpose; our longed- minds and make us feel young again. with open doors of opportunity for Then let us keep in touch with those who are willing to help. It for leisure must not become a mlier's hoard, golden hours left to rust and the news of the day and take a keen we are fit and active we shall be moulder, but a new investment well interest in the world's happenings. made very welcome, and be able to Our newspapers now are so com- give more time than those in bust- placed which shall bring in com-

(in the spiritual prehensive that all aspects of life are ness. Such work brings its own re- pound Interest sense) year by year.

touched upon, and high polities, in-ward in fellowship and friendship. To meet and pass the seventieth ternational affairs, and local occur in the company of young people in milestone it to carry on, we must rences should all claim our atten- many cases, and the assurance

tion.

gives that, haugh "retired," we are keep both body and mind plert and

Even if we are not actually foot-still of some use in a world which with something in reserve for enter-

ball "fans," we may be interested in needs sympathy and help.

Let us then say "Forward is our who will win the Rugby champion- gencies.

or Veterans have their golf and bow-chip.

whether the Heart of watchword, Service our objective," the and slap out from this end-of-the- ling, und both are splendid youth- Midlothian will at last bring

milestone with courage and road the long "Cup" to Edinburgh.

faith. So shall we still make prn- keepers, for even when course grows too trying, the excite-

Peace of mind and quiet content-gress like those pilgrims of old who ment and all of the "short holes"

journey glimpses game have a tonic effect; and on the ment are greatly to be desired in our were vouchsafed time and rain an bowling green one finds that com- later yente, and if we nee to enjoy their radeship which means so much in those blessings, we must have a true Celestial City. later life.

philosophy of life. The best philo-

no

is that well- First of all, there known sensation of unreality. Can that long tale of years really belong to me, or line there been some mis- take about the birth certificate?

It is sometimes sald we are just as old as we feel, and i feelings go for anything then we must just be middle-aged, but not old surely! But "facts are chicls" and we must face the reality; it will make all the dif- ference in the world if we do so in the right spirit.

1

Is one founded on religion. Then the garden has its devotees, sophy though I sometimes think the gara belief in those things which are not unseen but eternal, the true reallues dener, like the poet, is born, made; and if none of those appeal of life, and in the providence there is always walking, especially God and is graciousness towards In the country, an exercise which men.

Such a faith we shall find in our suits almost everybody,

Bibles, and the "dally reading." en- Country Walks

especially of the Psalms, will

to o forward and What is plensanter than a long courage us

burns or lighten our path. walk to the hills and

The

years have brought, so many through the woods and by the hedge-

has almost rows with a choice companion, or, changes that old age as Hazlitt would have it, alone ex- ceased to be a current term, while in history and publie life we may cept for a book in the pocket?

But "the mind is its own place". In those, like W. E. Glad-

be."

sion, appointed last May, would years have been among the bapp:est | majesty of Milton and Wordsworth to help others, and to brighten their

without undue delay, succeed in producing practical measures for a planned attack on the slum evil; surprise and regret will be felt at the news that it has, thus far, only held one meeting. The reason given is the absence of members of the Commission from the Colony, and changes in Government personnel. For a task of this magnitude, calling for prolonged study, the wise plan would have been to confine appointments to persons likely to be in the Colony for siderable period of time. Un less there is some prospect of greater expedition, would it not be wise to delegate the work to an entirely new Commission?

con-

Use of Leisure

our

11

of 1hP!

Gro. W. Cooper.

ful than his, which even then could be jammed.

But within Blaten, to crush or further rebellion, or to support authority, the radio has already proved its worth.

Not only in a country of great distances and little education, such as Spain. In Austria, where the inhabitants aro more densely ·' grouped, it has twice played an im- portant part.

who The Viennese Socialiste, made their greet bid against Fascism in February, 1934, were isolated in the buildings which the worker occupied, and gradually reduced by Government troops and artillery.

THAT kointion was the remit of wireless. Hour by hour the Gov- ernment lasued its bulletins: "The rising is confined to one quarter of Vienna. The rest of the The Socialists country is quiet. are on the point of surrender.”

Thousands who might have Joined the movement were pre- vented_from_doing so by being convinced that the situation was hopeless.

In the following year, the Nazi murderers of Dr, Dollfuss made straight for tho broadcasting station. It was only when they were driven out of it that their coup can be said to have definitely faled.

ankind is as easy as it ever was to move in the mass. The fact that It has grown more critical in amall things seems to have made it more credulous in large.

It must have something in which it can trust, and the volcs from the toud-speaker has replaced the voice of the ancient, infallible high-priests. How many who dis miss with a sceptical smile that ex- citing rumour that Smith told us, who weigh the probablilt es of the facts that our newspapers report, nevertheless listen to an announcer without a suspicion that he might be wrong?

Thousands of people were led to believe, because of a broncast ten усага aga, that revolution had broken out in Britain.

FATHER RONALD KNOX, In a talk from Edinburgh, gave ex- tracts from imaginary news balle- tins, describing a Red riot in London. Sound effects inter- spersed his remarks, and listeners thought that a serious industrial upheaval was in progers.

When the history of this age comes to be written, savoral selen- tific discoveries will have to be judged, their sum of good and evil assessed.

• Towering above them all-far more powerful than the aeroplane. than long-range artillery or poison Can I believe that this new art of propaganda, alded to the radio, will stand supreme..

-To-day's Thought-

י .'

aconier

THE Alving raours gather'd

as they relu, Scarce any tale tons

heard than toll: And all who told it adited-some-

thing new. And all tallo heard it made en-

largements, too.

OPE