1947-05-03 — Page 6

ليكم

S

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, SATURDAY, MAY 3, 1947.

TOO OFTEN ROUND THE EMPIRE

SHE WAITS TOO LONG

By PAUL HOLT

HE. has a peaked face and shecny hair

casending down her right cheek..

When she moves

golden charm bracelet

jangles like a fire alarm. Her voice is as care- fully modulated as a headmistress's on speech duy. And her eyes are wary. But so wary.

She is a theatre star's understudy and her condition is neither natural nor happy. For all her polite bravado she lacks to a miserable degree the two virtues of young womanhood-the chance to be carefree and the steady application of admiring eyes.

For she is neither seen nor heard upon the stage, nor is she free to go out to play. She is a prisoner of the wings-of the play but not in the play, on the salary list but not of the com-j pany. Poor thwarted child!

Always she dreams of age thing- Ihat her lady will catch the measles or fall downstairs or run away with Her agent-so that she may take the burds and play the part ng it should

played.

When that happens, she knows, a new West Erul afür well be bom overnight, just like in the movies. But it never happens. It never hap- pens to her.

•

FROM the day a new play is cast

a curious kind of armed friend- antp develops between the star and her understudy. They take morning coffee together, she goes to help her Indy choose a hint,

This is in private, when there is nobody there to see. If the slur is a nice star she may even go so far, indicate to her no very far, as to understudy that when they are alone call her by her first name. the star there glows the Benevolence of a rich old widow lo her trusted companion. This the practised understudy recognises in its early singes, resists and resent. For ahe knows that the next alep will de Alling hetwater bottles and fetching, knitting.

IMAGINE the terrible situation of

the star who wakes one morning in a c-girl mood, wishing to go for long walks in the rab, clienb Just let the trees, hear birdsong.

understudy give her one look, one tiny look which says. "Why, you Rin-tippling old gossip, be your age." and the war is open. Ste mustere revolting,

The wise understudy agrees to go with her lady, out into the country... climbing trees in her one tweed suit, hating the damp and the cruel bark on her stockings, hearing her new mall varnish crack like thunder, feel- ing showers of little things tangle

Her

new washed hair. And there is her lady, one branch higher, telling "Open the door, Richord" in her special ttle girl voice..

oh, Oh, ty doesn't she fall? dear

heaven, don't let her fall They'd say I pushed her. Oh, why did I ver run away from hotne to go on the stage when daddy had that nice job at the office all waiting for me? Oh, I wish I was dend

Elut that night, In the wings or standing at the back of the stalls,

by

"RIDE THAT

SAVED NATAL

-A 600 MILE RACE AGAINST TIME -

COLONIAL COUTS -The "QVETIRED FARTHING"

-MALTA (squa Igrano) LAST ISSUED IN 1913

"FÖR YEARS A "ÊS FRATNING "WOLLD BUY

SEVERAL DAVANAS".

BONE COURS

COCOSHLANDIS.

-ISSUED BECAUSE THE SILVER CURRING 7.

DISAPPEARID SI

| QUICKLY FOR EAQRNÁN||

IE CTLER ADDRYMINIS

GEM DIAMOND

"PATS MIKE ARE ÍRISH FARMER NEIGHBOURS.

PAT HAS TWICE AS MANY COMES AS HORSES, AND TWICE AS MANY SHEEP AS COWS.

MIKE HAS THREE TIMES AS MANY COWS AS HORSES, AND THREE TIMES AS MANY SHEEP AS COWS.

AS BIG ASA HEN'S EGG! -JARGIST DE THE WORLD TODAY- WEIGHT 770 CARATS (ZOUNALENT TO 520)

SWARY, 19

FOUND IN SIERRA LEONETUS.

IN MAY 1842 A SMALL BRITISH FORCE WAS BEncsen DY BOERS AT PORT NATAL (DURBAN), AND RICHARD DICK") KING, A NATIVE OF CHATRAM, Kend & A PIONEER SKTTLER VI SOUTH AFRICA, WAS DESPATCHED TO GRAHAMSTOWN, 600 PILES DISTANT, FOR HELP.

THROUGH BUSH & FÖRKST WIESTED WITH BRASS or Phot SWITHING & CROSSING MORE THAN 100 RIVERS AND STREAMS INHABITED BY ChocoHLE & HIPPOPOTAMUS HA ROUGHT HIS WAY AT BRBakneck SPEXD - AND IN ONLY TEN DAYS,OZOFNHICH HE WAS TO İLE TO MOVE, HE WON THROUGH 2 OOTAMED RELIEF FOR BE BELLAGAJERED FORCE.

|

FA FOUR

AMEACH HAVE THE

ANIMALS.

NUMBER OF

HOW MANY HAVE.

THEY OF EACH AND?

•ANABLERS TETROPTHALMUS-

BRISH GUIANng ThorYou AMERICA.

FADI EYR 15 DIVIDED INTO TWO, E WHEN SWIMMINKION THE BURFACE, ING UPPER PORTIONISTES WHAT IS IN ZIC AIR,

THE LOWEST WHAT IS IN THE WATER.

with Pateman

SKATING on the

EQUATOR - Cost Afrida. Mr KENYA, 17040 f., STRADDLES TILE EQUATOR, RISING THROUGH EVERY VARIETY OF CLIMATY, FROM "TORAID "TO FRIGID, FROM TROPICAL JUNGLE. TO EVERLASTING SNOWFIELD

AND GLACIER.

"THE WORLD'S MIGHTEST FLOWER

· Pappikoa ARNOLDI~ SE IN WORT HAS A HORRID SMELL

• NO STEM – NO LEAVES-WEIGHS 15 lb-CENTRE, HOLDS 2 GALLOKS, or WATER.

Driveren De

SIR STAMFORD ANITLES WHILE HE

„BINDOLEN

SUMATHA 20-23

(Answer to Purile on Page 10)

The wonderful world of tomorrow

Raincoats at price of

a sandwich: Cigarettes

impervious to

Marvels from the

the new synthetic rubber

ANDRE LABARTHE

Special scientific correspondent at the Bikini tests, who has been in the United States and Canada studying new inven- .

tions.

WENT from Washington to I should have liked to have met Detroit. At Detroit I took a workman alongside the pipes to the Greyhound Line coach have asked him: "How's it going " I didn't meet a soul except here and there, a guard, armed with a revolver.

for Port Huron, At Port Huron I took the bus to Sarnia, Ontario, and at Sarnia I stopped on the bank of the Saint Clair River before the body of a flesh- less, boneless giant who seemed to have lost everything but his viscera.

"This is the Polymer," said the conductor. I got out.

Stretching right away to the hor-

she is there again, watching her indyzon I could see nothing but

mo.

a

•

wet

Clothes treated in this way can be washed or dry cleaned without los- ing their "nature."

The wings and other parts of air- plunes, and the insulators of aerials, are treated with silicone.

The great main roads of the future Τα tear off each butylene noa will probably be "all plastic." the two feet in which it holds s hydrogen atoms, you need pipes.

They will belong entirely to the tubes, belers and a knowledge of motor vehicle, Horse transport will its reactions so that you can make be non-existent on them, bicycles a perform the labour of laming rarity, footpaths and sidopaths abo-

lished.

itself.

That is the second miracle. At the end of the ginnt's kitchen colourless and volatile gas comes out of a pipe. It is now butadiene

and it already smells of rubber. ›

At certain points the main motor roads will broaden out to serve as landing grounds for planes.

THOSE SOVIET BRIDES

ONE

of

by..

A Russian's explanation

ZINOVY N. PREEV

The well-known Anglo-Russian journalist

NE may be sure that mil- warm humanity of the "Soviet Par- lions of the ordinary people lament" and the dictators will be able to point to Russia's democratic Russia would sympathise system under which even Stalin dan with those 15 Soviet brides, be overruled, condemned-by order of the batting department of the game— Supreme Soviet--to lifelong the internal political play.

Now we come to the "bowling and

separation from their British If you follow closely the trend of husbands, had they been allow. Soviet propaganda in films, on the ed to know anything about it.

radio and in the Press, you cannot fall

to be

be impressed by the sense of But of course, the Blienerá of frustration now being displayed by Soviet propaganda are as deliberate the Soviet leaders on the progress and purposeful n its outbursts of they have made towards the con- activity,

version of the Russian people What is behind all the commotion Communism. about a few girls who were-nc- cording to the Supreme

Sovict foolish enough to fall in love with and marry a number of equally

romantle Britons?

STALIN SAYS

RUSSIAN PEOPLE Lukewarm Communists

to

To be sure, the Communist Party is firmly in the saddle. There is no active opposition to it.

But it kriowa that the majority of 'I am powerless"

the Russian people are only a very Indeed The mystery seems all the deeper poor sort of Communist, if when we have the great Stalin him- most of them are Communist at all. self assuring Mr Bevin that he is

They are obstinately, if only pas- powerless to do anything to reunite sively, Morx-resisting. them.

They are weary of the endless Though Soviet politics are unpre- succesalon of five-year plans, dletable, I would hazard a prophecy

for some of the that we shall soon see these anxious elementary'

of llica decent couples reunited-again by order of modicum of "living space." the Supreme Soviet, or rather by the clothes and footwear, bright films, Grace of Ita Presidium,

For

am sure it is all part of a game of high Soviet politics, Internal Is and foreign, And I think this how it is being played.

They are sighing s

Instead of the eternal propaganda reels dished out to them as master- pieces of screen art

They want to know more about how people live abroad. They have There is, first, what I may a suspicion that Britons, Americans, describe as "fielding"-the ball being Frenchmen, Turks, Greeks and all in play outside the actual "wicket," the rest of us lead a rather freer and l.c., abroad, and not at home in the less robot-like life than they do. U.S.S.R. itself.

And, in their heart of hearts, a Those 14 strong, sllent men in the good many of them are casting en- Kremlin who constitute the vious eyes Westward. Politbureau

und аге the real It Is enough to talk to some of the Government of Russia have grown ordinary Soviet soldiers, sailors and tired of being considered a bunch of typists who are allowed to

stray dictators.

abroad, on the staffs of official mis- They want the world to look on slons-no other Bussians are allow- them as a democratic Government- ed to go abroad-to realise

that an "advanced" kind of democracy, If there is a high proportion of Soviet you like, but, democracy all the citizens who would gladly exchange life in what is held out to them as the Ideal State for life in a capitalist country, even if capitalist countries are not quite at their beat just now. NO ESCAPE Many girls try it

kamc.

SUPREME SOVIET *Democratic dress-up As part of this new "democratic" build-up efforts are being made to dress the Supreme Soviet to look something like a democratic parlis-

At places small lateral roads will Join the main motor roads for those It is this which will very soon who wish to abandon the super-ment. contribute three-quarters of their material to the tyres of fighter pilots search of villages mellowed by thne. this cumbersome.

speeds for the crooked ways In which touch the ground at 100 miles an hour.

The remaining quarter is styrene, a liquid obtained from either coal or petroleum.

Making rubber the natural way needs man-power-poor devils sweating away barefoot under tropical sun The Polymerplant Two different plants are some alone does the work of thousands of times needed to perform this opera- tion, But the Polymer plant does -it-all-

such slaves of rubber.

But It doesn't only do the work of the rubber-toppers. It also does the work of the rubber trees.

As it was known since the time make her entrances, watching hertionless, noiseless, smokeless objects, of Bouchardat that rubber is a pro- muff that bit of business, up-slage

like artificial intestines and livers. duct of the polymerisation of iso- her partner, miss that laugh.

new-painted with aluminium, joined of five carbon atoms and eight hy

prene" (and that isoprene is made together by red, blue, green, yellow, drogen atoms architecturally arranged and striped arterles and veins.

in long chairs of molecules) tie chemists decided to copy nature and make synthetic isoprene polymerise It.

It was like an anatomical diagram, with a strange liquid flowing through from pans to bollers, from cauldrons

Sucked out crude oil

Styrene and butadiene are mixed in large tanks containing soapy wi- ter and a few minor "chemical con- diments."

Stirred for sixteen hours

The mixture is stirred for 18 hours with huge mechanical stirrers to encourage the styrene and butadiene and then to link up that is to say, to poly- merise-and to form the long chains that are called "buna,” synthetic rub-

They took petroleum, "eracked" ber. it, and took the butylene out of it. That is the first miracle.

Butylene has to be dehydrogenated; two atoms of hydrogen must be torn

At one end of the works a pipe. off it. ostracism

Iine coming from Oklahoma sucked crude off out of the bowels of the earth 1,000 miles away.

You can hear, if you listen very closely, a hundred whispering voices every night in the West End, voices of understudies saying: "Oh, I know there's a laugh on that 1nc. Oh, why doesn't she do li my way?" to retorts.

But the star doesn't know her for it would be the gravest way, breach of theatre ellquelte for an deed, to understudy, by word or suggest to her lady how she should

Instant play her role. would result.

The stage is the most hidebound, mobbish,

class-conscious society known to man, far worse than the At the other end the works poured. wardroom, for worse than a bishop's out the juice it had made-artificial tea party or a Bath bunfeast.

rubber.

dred thousand million fleas. They give you a blacksmith's hammer and Two hundred and fifty workers a pair of tweezers and say: "Break TOURING is the test of it. See now run the five works, as big as a town, the right, hind leg off each flea and the stars play gin-rummy to- It's chemistry 03 the skyscraper graft the stump on to its front left gether, travelling first class, while scale.

leg." Ench flea is a molecule, the supporting players, dressers, as- alstant sluge manager, and the like travel third. And the understudy travels in the guard's he

The star may

study. My

for her under-

My dear, you must be dying:

Herz, have this out there, child.

sip of coffee! And the child warme

staying for

up and begins tour in the drowsy perhaps half an hour

of first-class

Д

compartment.

comfort

Then she is dismissed, creeps back along the corridor where stand the nice people, small part players, Ob- serving her ogme from the star's compartment. What d'you think you're doing here? Slumming?— they say And she mustn't burst

into tears. -

And always this scho, this acho without ending. Will I get a chance Lonight? Ope chance would be enough. It is understood in the theatre that if a star has been de- layed on her way sufficiently for the stage manager to tell the understudy to make up and dress for her first entrance, then the understudy, gоes OTI the star spends the evening in her dressing room...

But you should see a star, as I have seen, comme sweeping by with 30 seconds to go for her entrance, going on regardless. And you should peo the face of her ulderstudy, a little cold black ball of hatred, No

Ah, well, they'll all be stars them- aclver one day. Or mothers of fine, healthy children.

TUL SĂPRADAY

Experiment with fleas

That is the third miracle. The big stirring tank is called a polymeriser. It secretes latex.

Is

The milky liquid that results very much like latex, the substance which the rubber tree secretes.

The Intex is coagulated in a saline solution containing also sulphuric

Super Roads

With Curves

THE super-speed reads will be de- signed with great curves suitably banked for the maintenance of speed.

Streamlined double-decker buses and cars will move forward In serveral lines.

There will be по overtaking. Every line of traffic will have uni- form speed,

The life of these roads will be like a conveyor belt.

Some years. from

now our car

radio set will, perhaps, have two receiving systems.

the

One will allow us to listen to the Ninth Symphony or the report of frat atomic-motored Trans- atlantic plane's non-stop d'ght round the world.

The

other will recelve

the Instructions of the traffle policeman patrolling the road.

He will give his Instructions by

Imagine a shed containing a hun acid and an anti-oxydising prepara- radio, warning against an accident |

tori.

It journeys along on a rolling belt which carries it through rollers which press out the moisture, and then on to drying rollers which take it finally towards the factory, exit,

In two years artificial rubber will be produced more cheaply than no tural rubber. Perhaps 20 percent. cheaper.

on a slope, arinouncing a dangerous bend or a road rendered slippery by a light frost.

Traffic police in helicopters

The men in the Kremin are not undware of this hankering. But Ever since the establishment of they realise that it would never do

thousand-strong to allow the tendency to grow. body ta fifnctions have been decora- Hence the Iron Curtain. Hence tive rather than legislative,

no visas.

even

a

The members would meet for Poor ordinary men cannot few days once in so many months, dream of escape from Russia. But acclaim Stalin, cheer the few Soviet until recently women had the privi- Ministers who honour the Chamber lege of changing. teir nationally by by their appearance, and perfune marriage to foreigners, and could

country. torily endorse all Government de- therefore leave the crees and administrative

Every foreign sailor whose ship put measures

Russian port has at one time that had been promulgated-in-the-la.at. long intervals between the meetings. or another come across Russian girls The idea of this assembly, com- who would sell their soul for the 11 Mrs or posed entirely of faithful followers privilege of becoming of the ruling power, precluding Madame.

To Marsha! Stalin from doing the hand-

give the Soviet Government Its some thing in the matter of 15 due, it could not morally tolerate a brides, would be highly diverting if trafe in foreign husbands-for-sale, we could accept it.

let alone the other considerations→→ of internal politics.

had to be made an example. So these innocent lovers were caught in the net of Soviet in- ternal

policy. Humble private destinies became

But outside offelal Russia who does?

Somebody

these

Hero was a heaven-sent opportus nity for giving the Supreme Soviet something to do--something pic- turesque and world news--without giving it any real power, which the the playing of imperious forces. Politbureau has no intention of do- Having made full use of ing.

hapless victims of fate—and Soviet The world's limelight has been policy-as é good example, the men turned on the, brides. A dramatic of the Kremlin will, no doubt, when

been has

to made appeal

the ready, duly authorise the Supreme Presidium.

Soviet to send the brides back At the right moment, when all their husbands.

They will kill two birds with one the world is in a bother about the crisis, I. do not doubt that the brides stone; making a grand gesture that will be given their exit visas. The should delight all their fellow- world will heave a sigh of rellef passengers" abroad and vindicating.

"Parila- The host of Soviet sympathisers in the reality of the Soviet all countries will loudly applaud the ment."

BY THE WAY

by Beachcomber

to

HEN 1 was a boy, and a Mr Gooseboote: Try asking for a, Other policemen will patrol In

finer, handsomer, more poleto in a restaurant, m'lud.

Mr. Suspdriver: Poteto is not a their helicopters at treetop level, upright, cleverer, stronger, food.

Fried potatoes would be directing bottle-neck traffic

and braver boy never lived, there meaningless to a walter. checking against their speed dla- wis

Mr Goosebooie: He would think gram the processions of cars which,

a mathematical question: Arising out of this research, they with absolute safety, will touch 100 which will fall to the ground it was an order for fried potatoes,

Cocklecarrot: Not if you sald are now making new and amazing miles an hour,

from a high window more Fried Pateto. products called. "Silicones." These

Broadcasts from ground and air quickly, a pound of lead or a are made by replacing carbon atoms (either all of them or only some of to cars will replace traffic signals pound of feathers or some them) in long-chain synthetic resins and traffic signs.

thing of that gort. and synthetic rubbers, by silicon. atoms. And that's another miracle,

・iter.

Thrown into boiling water

Silicones resist heat and repel wa

-

In 1944, the chief, publicily, man of the General. Electric Company opened a packet of cigarettes in front of a party of journalists and threw them into boiling water,

Then he asked the Journalists to smoke them. The eirgarettes, made Impermeable to steam by silicones, were not even wet, '

Near the approach to a cdr station, a road-fork or a repair and refreshment centre, the voice of the traffic controller will be heard an Bouncing where they are.

The controller will, Indeed, prob- able talking him, repenting its refrain as it passes like an end- less belt in front of a photo-electric cell connected with an aerial

:

And it led a companion of mine to take a practical test by dropping ¡an elephant and a heap of cheese from the roof of the Science Schools,

Mir Snapdriver: I submit m'lud, that nobody asks for one fried potato, Cocklecarrot: No, but if you asked for potatoes, nobody would think you meant potetoes..

Mr Gooseboote: How could they, since there is no such thing?

Cocklecarral: Gentlemen, wo are getting nowhere..

Now I that the bounce of a bail depends on

see footballers are claiming Out on the ragamadolio the pressure to which it is pumped. T. Visitors to England are to be en- E announcement that foreign

Cars and lorries will be equip ped with radar, Fog will have been conquered.

10 Map reading will be aimplied.

one's set on to the wavelength of One will only need to switch the town one is making for to be gutded thare just as an airplane

guided to its landing-ground.

The American Army distributed als cigarette which will light in rain. Paper can be made - Impermeable. Bags and raincoats will be sold for the price of a sandwich to people; | surprised by summer showers.

"Next Wook”:

15 MASS PRODUCTION VA MENACER

Potato versus Poteto

to

wil

who

a

Which reminds me of the man who dressed himself in a suit of special couraged to spend freely is enough rubber, and jumped from the roof to make a whelk laugh. They will of the Crystal Palace. He bounced be lucky if they can use influence to

Into touch with a mun so high they had to shoot him down prevent him from starving

swop a nylon -stocking ar death.

woven-grass corset for u.per to barter two ounces of decayed muc- kerel for a seat in a bus. And by. the time they have brought their Mr Snapdriver: I shall endeavour own bath mats to a gilded doss to prove that, by a campaign meer house, the nutrition onicors will be ing, the defendant attempted to make

swarming all Over the grill-room, the plaintiff a laughingstock, merely tapping lumps of canned ferrot's on account of his name.

liver and weighing shredded soakale Cocklecarrot: 1 la a matter of rissoles to see if they exceed the opinion whether Poteto is any more standard bulk, laid down in the Rise ridiculous than Potato, as a name, soles (Seakale) Act.