1948-02-06 — Page 2

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SUNDAY AT THE LEE

CREATING A BOMBSHELLA

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Jasor

A

SENSATION WITH HIS FEET IN

SOMETHING TO SING ABOUT

A GRAND NATIONAL PICTURE

Introducing

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PRODUCTION

Produced by ZION MYERS

THEATRE

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In His Greatest

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ORIENTAL

COMMENCING TO-DAY: 2.30-5.15-7.20-9.20 P.M. ONE OF THE MOST HEART-GLADDENING MUSICALS THAT EVER CAME YOUR WAY ... AND IT'S HAPPY ENOUCH TO MAKE YOU LAUGH WITH A BROGUE!

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20

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THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1948.

THE BLOW FATE

STRUCK AT

SIR FELIX POLE

By BERNARD HARRIS

THROUGH fields near a mel- He knew that seats on the G.W.R.

were, arred low country house three board

to, full-time miles from Reading trains hoped that a few years us head of executives of the company, but he of the British Railways speed a large commercial concern might be along towards the West Coun- followed by an invitaton to become iry. Occasionally an engine will. G.W.R. director. given shri blast on its whistle. So when he was offered the chalr-

For the driver will remember Industries he accepted it. manship of Associated that those fields and that coun- try house belong to a man who was once his chief.

And nationalisation has not yet effaced the wish to give him 3 salute.

The owner of the fleks hears the whistle and the rumble of the trains But he can

no longer see them. SIX OPERATIONS

He known all the complex details Involved in the transfer of the rail- Way to the State, But he has never seen the Transport Bill read a line of the Parliamentary de- bates which led up to the great take-

over.

nor

For Sir Felix Polc. youngest general manager ever to be install ied at Paddington, has gone blind. He cannot even distinguish day from night.

Electrical

соп-

Sir Fellx found Associated Elec- trical a group of competing ceras, unco-operative and financially not very strong.

He handed it over to his successor a closely knit organisation. with what he calls the "AEI. spielt" run- ning through all its parts, and with reserves of many millions of pounds.

The final stage of that consolida- tion cost him his sight. During the Intricate negotiations his eyes start- ed to give trouble. He ought to have gone to bed for some months. But he insisted on completing the Joh

The business experience has given Sir Felix no good cause to enthuse about the men, who sit in offers In Whitehall. He once sald that the battle of Trafalgar would not line been won had there been radio in 1805, Nelson would linve received the wrong orders.

So he is not optimistle about our chances of chénp and comfortable:

Fin sight began to fall three travel now that the rallways have!

Christmas ngu. First there was 4 come under the sway of the Huremu- burst blood vessel, then a detached crats.

terd.

retina. Three operallons were #t- But he thinks natiountisation was

Inevitable. The lea had been talk- That pet about from the very beginning They of railways,

Then a cataruct formed. meant free more operations. were not surressful.

In his study, lined with about railways. Sit Felix told that the chances of recovering sight are "pretty slim."

books.

me his

WHERE THEY FAILED

After allowing for the results of years of war, he believe that State ownership was hastened by failure of the railways to take full advan- taxe of the 1921 grouping.

have como-

They could, for example. centralised manufacture of tives and rolling stuck and cut out great deal of costly competitive designing.

His "eyes" now are his nurse and his secretary. With their ald he kems so elderly to touch with affairs that he has been asked to remaini a director of six big enterprises, con- trolling many millions of capital.

In 1929 Sir Felix startled the business world by abandoning what wos thought to be his only

love-the

Similarly with competing lines. Sir C.W.R.—16 become chairman of Felix was anxious for example, Associated Electrical Industries, by put Swansea on the main line far our biggest group of electrical connecting the old Port Talbot rail- companies.

way with the L.MS., but he faileri to persuade the LMS. to give up its line to Swansea.

When his eyes started to go wrong he resigned the chairmanship but continued

director. R

When blinderss overtook him, he offered to restan from the

RE

to

isy

Also, more might have been done in co-ordinating road and rail ser-

vives.

Mr Oliver "The rallways blundered and

R

יקיז

"When you've finished discussing all this lovely marchinery we're going to have in

a few years' time, could you fetch me another piece of string?"

Light Blues vote 5 to 1 'Reds are a menace

By 566 votes to 112 Cambridge Union Debating Society last month carried the motion "That Communism presents the greatest contemporary menace to British liberty," Main speakers were Communist Harry Pollitt and Tory M.P. Henry Strausa. As a commentary on their discussion TREVOR EVANS now adds this estimate of the Communist Party in Britain.....

came

That Is a general picture of the successes gained. It is reasonable to deduce that the proportion of Com~ muniste, members and sympathisers, In the rank and file membership of these unions is even smaller,

If this be so why all the fuss?

Here is a story which may explain. EADING through the re- the party, have never held more In the carly months of 1041, The new chair.

port of the debate as key jobs in the trade Lytleton, and kis colleagues wont blundered over road transport," he

unions Lord Swinton, then head of one of have none of it. They valued Sir said. "Bus companies, which were

from Cambridge, than they do today. And that the most important security com- Felix, though sightless, so highly partly owned by the railways, used one thing was very clear: Com-

He showed mittees, sent for me. that they urged him to stay.

the station yards, but in my ex-munism is a topic on which it is in spite of Jim Hammond's dem the results of an investigation perience they seldom connected with not easy to be impartial.

feat as president of the Lan- into all the strikes in Britain's war the rains.

cashire miners.

plants which had taken place in the "And the differences in road and In a debate of violent attack one rail fares for Identical journeys were and counter-attack there seems

first 10 months of the war. Sir inexplicable."

to be one point which was not alequately developed.

EXPERIENCE COUNTS

Of British Thomson-Houston. of A.E.I's chief subsidiaries. Felix is still chairman.

A GOOD TEAM

If State ownership is to be a sue-i

Yet it is the major paradox cess, Sir Felix thinks the Transport about British Communism to-

our must avoid the at all costs the day. mistake of having excessive centralt- sallon:

ife helps also to guide the affairs of a large dredging company. the docks at Milford Haven, on an en- terprise engaged in electrical con- tracting,

He Is director, ton, of the

company owning the airfields at Gatwick and Graveseni.

"Even when you are Rightless," "No he says, "experience still counts for unless company will work properly yoti get the proper spirit run- something for a few years, any ping through it," he says. "So It is

with a State enterprise.

way.

the

1. Both the membership of

Communist Party and its political influence are on the

wane.

and 1941.

2.

What is the difference between u Communist politically and in dustrially?

Difference of degree

A high proportion of these strikes had taken place in factories in which out or other of five men had been employed. The last of the strikes involving these men took place on IT is a difference of degree. June 18, 1941. Four days later

Communist on the political plat- Russia fornt urges the overthrow present Constitution. A Communist

A

of the

wus attacked. Two years later there was a sen- in trade union office is not for ever sational strike at one of the greatest preaching revolution, or even acting war plants in the northwest. the prelude to one.

craft union mainly affected sent_one.

is why he was elected. Not because he is a Communist.

Arthur Horner is an example.

He

The

That night the organiser recalled that in 20 months he had worked

Son-of-a-Wiltshire - schoolmaster, Sir Cyril Hurcomb, head-of-the he started as a 14-year-old clerit in Trampoort Commission starts with n Some say the party has never

He tempers his handling of trade of its organisers up to tell the men the G.W.R. telegraph department at good team. If he can fire their en-been so ineffectual politically. I non alfairs because he is a Com- to resume work at once. The man Swindon.

thusiasm he should de well. I have think that is an exaggeration. It munist. But he still does his job y sent was one of the Ave in Lord In the archives nt Paddington every confidence in his ability." there still rests the testimonial 110 That the name given to the new was pretty low between 1939 militant trade union leader. That Swinton's dossier. brought with him from the local set-up irritates Sir Fells. vicar

In 1891-Give this Ind 1

"Why British Railways with chance and he will soon make his " he asks, "When we absorbed anaric."

other The new boy earned promotion call ourselves the Great

than anyone before him. Railways.

never been more than 16.000 Com- Within 30 years of handing in thethe right name

munists at any one time among our testimonial he had gone as far as he British State Railway, And It's

Communist miners. Yet

Arthur could go he was general manager.

Communists, and those who former secured nearly 60 percent of sheer nonsense to operate under such But Sir Felix was ambitious. He mouthfuls as *Railway Executive support them unwaveringly the votes when he became reneral bad his eye on the directorate. Committee (Western Region)." though not formal members of

secretary.

T

The industrial influence of compuntes in 1921 ve din't the Communists has probally is one of the three greatest miners 15 factories, and added: "We had

Western never been potentially more dis. leaders of this century. There have a stoppage hii nine of them." Basis of policy now is the turbing.

BY THE WAY by Beachcomber

don,

begs to draw attention to "cer-

THE

these Government knows things. Its altitude is reflected in the policy of Transport House. It is based on the memories of yes- It would be wrong to claim that terday and the fears of tomorrow, because. Mr. Horner was elected the majority of the miners who'voted tor The Communists resent this. They him were Communists., Ile Hot in complain when because of his negotiating record early war years are used against and in spite of his Communism. Them. They say, with justification:"

Figures mislead

incidents DI the

"No one has been more zealous than our members in stepping up Britain's production since mid-1941

TO one in Britain knows exactly to this day."

how mony Communist sup

nine results.

In the recent controversy

about

THE President of the tapped the bathing beauty's kner Nothing to do with me

Louisiana State University, with his gavel. of which I was once Borsar.

LETTER "I didn't come to this banket, to A

to a morning paper No refused the other day to judge be insulted." replied the beauty with beauty contests because "I a pout.

tain inaccuracies in the article Last! porters there are in any one of the "menace" of the Communists, learned long ago

900 million pounds of margarine,"major unions. The Horner example the general council that every

of the Trades "Oh," vouchsafed a history

indientes how misleading are election Union Congress, woman is a queen-somebody's "then why did you come?"

Anybody who could lose

most vulnerable hundred million queen."

pounds of mur

organisation of ail, has kept curl- Though not in the best scholastic shouted the beauties, in chorus, "Get very violently but must be an ex-trade union movement estimate that

any funny stuff," garine must not only detest the stuff The best informed experts in the ously silent. tradition, and though lacking the

ceedingly clever dignity of Arnold in his weightier on with the judging."

person, "To lose among the miners the Communists would be the most dangerous. Ban Why? Because the easiest course pronouncements, this remark shows

such a quantity of margarine is no hold 20 percent of the paid offices. Communists from trade unions and Mathematics mere sleight-of-hand," the part played by films in eduen- paused opposite a small blonde girl. Er Orson Welles when told.

commented Among the engineers, builders, and tion. I like to think that some There were tears in his eyes. lonely old spinster in Miami, reading

"Don't try

The Professor of

this, sighed ne she recalled the pen- "Are you Miss Jelks?" he asked. Restaurant piece

niless boy who called her a swell She nodded. "Long ngo I knew dish in the drug store one day. your mother, She was my

She was his queen

46

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Lou COSTELLO in

FROM THE FRONT.

IN THEIR NEWEST & BY-FAR-THEIR FUNNIEST HIT "BUCK. PRivates coME HOME"

Aquired the

"You

cent. of the elected offices.

ganisations.

electrical workers they hold 13 per-u Invite the creation of rival, or-

It is slightly less among the rail- What, then, can the T.U.C. do? waymen, and below 10 percent, in Little more than urge all trade workers, general unionists to imitate the energy. of The Com- the Communists. For it is individual sald the ush is orf so ere's the pommunists have made no appreciable energy and organisation which Is levennysen what went with the impact on the textile, operatives and the strength of the minority "Red alibut but that's ori."

#gricultural workers.

Menace.".

E girl anded me three sorty the transport queen. Her wet saucer and workers, and tallers.

make me sick," said the Chairman, as he beautiful Mins Jelks.

NANCY

No End to His Pleasure

HOW CAN YOU DO BOTH AT THE

SAME TIME?

EASY

000

DO YOU HAVE ANY HOBBIES, JETHRO ?

A

YES -- I LIKE TO RIDE MY BICYCLE AND WATCH THE TELEVISION

AT THE

SAME TIME

By Ernie Bushmiller

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