1948-04-10 — Page 4

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 1948.

The Channel Tunnel Dreams Company

And Charlie-guardian of the Dover Hole

to construct a Channel tunnel.

by

.

ERIC BENNETT

They turned it down in 40 minutes. In 1930, on a free vole in the House of Commons, the scheme margin of 129 to 172. was again defeated by the narrow

RENCH and British M.P.s to Napoleon III, which won the op- In 1924 the Prime Minister, Ram- recently decided to urge proval of the distinguished British say MacDonald, called a meeting of both their Governments engineers I have already mentioned. all living ex-Premiers, Lloyd George, Some years later an, Englishman. Asquith, Baldwin and Rosebery, to William Low, drew up plans which, consider the tunnel again. Although the M.P.R pointed have been accepted as the basis for out that the first five years' all future Channel tunnel schemes. work would be expended on a

In the seventies the project really pilot tunnel, probably about een sunk at Shiskespeare Clift and got going, and by 1081 a shaft had seven to ten yards wide, at a more than 1,000 yards of tunnel built, ¿cost of £1,000,000 a year to each Although this tunnel has not been country, French and British en-dition, and the water has not seeped lined, it has remained in good con gineers agreed that the construc- irt. tion of two main railway tunnels at a cost of between £45,000,000, and £65,000,000 would be simp ler than it would have been be- fore the war.

No wild Stock Exchange-rush for the 4s, shares of 66-year-old Channel Tunnel Company, which now stand at about 2s. 6d.; has been caused by the news.

Hated crossing

At Sangnite, near Calais, the French fot to work d erected

compressed air plant for the tunnel. Queen Victoria, who loved her villa in the South of France but hated the Channel crossing, was all for the iden.

Then the British Government step-

Ilere are the chumpions of the ped in. Channel tunnel: Napoleon, Win-

works,

When war was imminent In' 1939 dictum after the first world war that the champlons, remembering Foch's

a Channel tunnel, "if it had not pre- vented war, would have shortened it by two years," revived the idea.

It collapsed with the fall of France. Throughout all these vicissitudes Health of the shareholders in the Channel Tunnel Company has never wavered.

"Ever rosy' idea

Mr. Leo d'Erlanger,

director

of the company, who shares the ston Churchill, Queen Victoria, the footsteps of Queen Alexandra holds

Joseph Chamberlain, following £60 fees with two colleagues, til? Marshal Foch. Charles Jumes and Mrs. Gladstone, descended the d'Erlanger, took in the company.

the abares his father, Baron Fox, Prince Albert, Lord Ypres, choft and and tunch at the Lord Milford Haven, Lord Las- and some say the dust he got on his downe, Lord Salisbury, John impeccable clothes soured him. Bright, Mr Gladstone and Charlie Gatehouse.

since

Helped to dig

He refused to let the work go on without parliamentary nuthorisation, and Lord Wolseley, on behalf of the War Ofee, damned the utterly.

scheme

The holders of the 458,757 shares value £91,331 8s., will rarely

par

sell.

For besides a major engineering project the Channel tunnel has be- come an act of faith, an ideal, and a drenm.

The dream Is ever

all towns

rosy. M.

Dover cutting down the trip to

Although he admitted that a com- Charlie Gatehouse got

further pany of men could hold the mouth Basdevant, a French engineer, sug- than most of them, because he of the tunnel against an invading gested adding two road tracks to the helped to dig the shaft of the tunnel, army, Wolseley apparently consider double railway line in the tunnel. which was actually begun in 1881, ed, that there was. threat of invasion

Another suggestion is a new Lon- and has been sitting on Shakespeare by troops disguised as tourists-re- don terminus with a special Con- Çilk, Dover, guarding the hole ever markable foresight for a soldier in tinental track to the coast, avoiding the days when wars were fought ne- The champions have been sup- cording to the Queensberry rules.

by more than 30 minutes, and ported by à formidable array of

runging non-stop to Calais or Paris. The Committee engineers, Including Brunel, Robert

of Imperial Every generation of shareholders Stephenson, and Sir James Bruntoes again in 1907 and a few weeks be- belleves that it will see the tunnel Defence examined the scheme in the Channel Tunnel Company who built the Mersey

railway fore tunnel.

the 1914 war, and rejected it before it dies. And that But they have always been de- each time.

Charlie Gatehouse, too. feated by the challengers, who re- gard the tunnel as a mermee Britain's safety, led by Joseph

10

Chamberlain, · Lord Randolph Chur- chill, Lord Wolseley, Mr Balfour,

Lord Kitchener, Mr Asquith, Goschen, the Duke of Cambridge, and the Commitice of Imperial De- fence.

It all began in 1802, when Charles James Fox met Napoleon, then First Consul, after the Fence of Alens.

Napoleon suggested that the Chan- nel funnel would be a great idea.

A French engineer. Mathieu. pro- duced plans, and

the English pull- was enthusiastic,

Licins

thut.

Chi-

The Napoleonic wars killed #11 Then another French #inter, Tome de Gamond, took up the idea. His Arst plan for a tunnel on the sea bed was objected to on the grounds thut it might tend to the sitting up of the Thames Estuary,

But in 1856 he submitted a scheme

JESTS ANDD.

JEERS

Many A true word hus spoken through false teeth.

been

An old-timer is one who remem- bers when a girl gave her boy friend a lock of her hair Instead of a key to her fat.

Then

there

was

the

violin good night and bow to bed.

absent-

100%

FOLKESTOME

goes for

ENGLISH CHANNEL

Donn

CAPE GRIS NEX

An artist's conception of the new tunnel scheme

"This is the part I like about their New Look-ironing day.”

SPOTLIGHT ON A WELL-DRESSED, WELL-FED EUROPEAN' COUNTRY

Belgium fears the

will

IN BRUSSELS

Frul is cheap, plenufel

A shadow on

Britain's

PORT STANLEY.

by JOHN DEANE POTTER

name

HIS article is being writ ten from the unhappy islands of the South At- lantic where-although it is an all-white British colony, where has been a bad crop and now they

ore Ed. a pound, minded girl fiddler who kissed her one in ten of the 2,400 popula- South America.

ertion is a civil servant-the people have no vote, no old-age pension, no national health in- surance and little education,

At first sight, the people on these treeless Islands, which 650,000 sheep, whose wool is the chief export, lead an idyllic life in a windswept paradise.

•

•

"Are you a good typist?" "Oh yes, I go Sunday."

to church every

"My husband's story about cut- ting his way through the Burmese Jungle ended abruptly when I told him to go out and chop some wood. for the fre. Woman in court. One on the chin-dit.

•

'He: It was the ring that ruined me,

Friend: Boxing or betting. He: Wedding.

He: Will you blush if I tell you harbour a funny story? She: I'll try.

Patlen! (coming out from under the ether): Why are all the blinds drawn, doctor?

Doctor: Well, there's a fire-ocross the alley, and I didn't want you to wake up and think the operation was a failure.

POCKET CARTOON

by OSBERT LANCASTER

"Believe or not, the Last time I saw old Tulkinghorne he was in

on armoured' wilt 2'!.....

the

contain

is

low.

D

are

Other problems BSENTEE landlordism and the importation of high-pricel labour from Britain at three times

soon

B

be over

By Sam White

BRUSSELS.

ELGIUM'S Tantastic prosperity is a heady wine. After taking huge draughts of it for the past four years even the Belgians themselves have come to believe in the "miracle" of their country,

party

Washington, It is argued, has often expressed the view that European currencies are overvalued. Perhaps, then, dollars could more readily be obtained if American aid to Europe were made to appear less expensive to the Americans. The suggestion, therefore, is that it may be advisable for European currencies to devalue in relation to the dollar.

Whatever the virtue of such a ylow a definite mood of financial unease exists in Brussels.

Cream still goes with coffee, Belgium's difficulties are intensified butter with bread. Taxis re- by United States. restrictive trade main so luxurious that you practices. Belgian exports to

CRISIS OVER LEOPOLD? America (including uranium hesitate to hail them. Hero

from the Belgian Congo) amount to only you can imagine yourself in a two per-cent of American exports to in the country, and it is a curious com- There is only one live political issue combination of prewar Puris Belgium. Every appeal made to mentary on the common sense and and London-or in a bustling Washington to lower tariffs against realism of Belgian politicians that Middle West city ablaze with Belgian goods has fallen on deaf should combine to form the present those who are most divided on it neon lights where shops bulge cara and the gap continues to grow. with goods.

government, The issue is that of King Leopold, The Government is composed almost equally of the the anti-Leopoldists-the Socialists. Leopoldists-the Catholic party, and

It is prosperity for the many -not only for the few. The prevailing high prices impose no real hardships on wage carners. for wage and price indices re- main about level.

TRADE RESTRICTIONS Much against her free trade policy, Belgium has been forced to put re-

strictions on indiscriminate American importa

Now the Belglan Government are Good clothes and fabulous using every means of propaganda food here reproduce an almost and diplomacy to persuade Washing forgotten type the well- ton that Europe la a good investment. dressed, well-fed European. his Western Union is one of these means, Another is a possible realignment of face genial with contentment.

European currencies.

CRIM WARNING it is hard to believe amidst all this that the dollar-financed party is nearing its end.

Yet the facts carry a grim and urgent warning. Belgian prosperity was floated on a sea of war-acquired dollars. These dollars ran out 1 1947, but the situation was saved by fifty billion dollars' worth of credits. Now almost all that has gone, too. Meantime Europe's economy, Instead of improving, grew worse. Belglum found herself a creditor

nation unable to collect unless her debtors. too. received dollars.

Further credits to debtor countries now they have reached an absolute were financed by the Government: limit beyond which Belgium risks inflation. Unless Britain and France can once again pay for

Belgian goods, Belgian

prosperity

doomed.

19

THE BOURSE Rumours created financial pante..

I ACCUSE THE

Ugly accents on the radio are hastening the decline of standard English, says LORD KENNET

a

Crisis over Leopold is likely to come this year when the heir to the throne. Prince Baudouin, comes of nge and hna to return to Detglum for military service. When that happens, will Lecpold audiente in favour of his son? If not, very delicate con- stitutional Issues will be posed.

Pro-British feeling has not abated one scrap since the liberation.

THE LIBERATORS

Britons are still the object of charming little gestures of friendship on every hand. We are still remein- bered as "liberators."

Culturally we have stolen the field from the French to such an extent that you can even hear English anoken among Belglans themselves. De Gaulle created a bad impression here

when In a recent

speech he spoke of France being the leader of Western Union. In such matters the Belgians look to Britain for leader-

ship.

think

Footnote. On second thoughts I is unwise to bank on a de- pression in Belgium. These people, with their Ingenuity and capacity for hard work have a way of getting the better of even the most hopeless circumstances.

BBC

the

to do with helping people to make best of things by speaking best way, which is that which is most practically useful and the most pleasant to hear.

the

I

sort of

The Executive Council, which the local Cabinet, consists of senler Government offelals and one or two others, like the manager of the Falklands Company, who nominated by the Governor.

Gingery 51-year-old Governor Imported from Miles Clifford, who lives on a little hill outside Stanley in a 20-roomed Other things, including wages, are Jack flying in the gardon. is entitled

house with proportionatelly

red roof and Union Income cigarettes cost 1s. 1., and whisky, only a last century squire, but with tax is 18. in the

£, 20 English to a salute of 17 guns. Really he is

as it was in England before the war. the cheapest drink, is still 12s. Od., almost unlimited powers.

HERE are several Being

spoken an intelligent, benevolent English languages. There is Stanley

Other amenities arc Low, In despot, he does not use his powers, American, social life, with the cinema twice as soon as possible,

there

quickly and plans to give the people a vole away from the mother tongue, to a rudimentary

running week and a

which we wish all good things in its a dance once They seemed to be forgotten by the world until President

week. The quaintest social

He has a mammoih task in front adventures. There are somo ne old sidelight is of him. Education is among

Now, the power and authority of the brothers of standard English, such as demand to take them

Peron's the black list on the wall of every first priorities, as the 6d-a-week Northern English, East Anglion, and

the BBC about this are so big that over made public-house, giving the Britain send warships to make a

names of schools in Stanley supply only the Wessex. Those are not inferior sorts 20 or so men who are barred from education you get

it has in its hands o or death show of force.

In any Engilsh

of

arc English. They buying liquor for 12 months.

Once Languages treasure.

upon

time for good English. Its elementary school up to 12 years.

different

present from Now

standard people of different parts of our practice, and They are blacklisted for three

suppose policy, Nigeria has salic reasons: They have been drunk and teachers tour ***uments, spending respectable.

but £5 old and In sheep stations 15-year-old pupit Exe through the narrows of Port Stanley disorderly; their wives have com- two weeks in each pläcc, with two-

as island spoke such different sorts of makes one think that it is unaware English that they could not under or does not care about this respon- awny back to South

For the rest, there is standard stand

each other. Out of this zibility, and is Africa, and they are saying bitterly nined to the magistrate that the month intervals between visits, So English, by which

almost inclined to wo mean Eng-medley our in the Ave little pubs and the little have neglected their

writers, teachers, prefer English with some homes

and the people are barely literate. lish spoken as grammatically houses:

"Now we suppose Britain asked to be put on

as children through drink; they have

preachers, and speakers have forged accent to standard English without will forget us, as she has

English over need be spoken, and for us a common language

and a because done in the past hundred years, and we'll cannot trust themselves

they

without any sort of accent.

a standard way of speaking it. If it is so, the influence of the to

Standard drink become the Dead End Kids of the

moderately.

English is a national Our standard speech vacful, BBC is so great that in a few genera- South Atlantie again."

Because it is standard, we can all tions there will be no more stand- understand each other. Its sharp ard English, and our grandchlidren consonants and settled vowels will have to know that words make it as cary to follow as sounding like Orntoyce and Onit English can bo. It is beautiful. and Arntee and Annty all mean just needs some volce control to Aunty, and that will be an effort, and

it properly, which come waste of good brain-stuff. naturally to those who hear and "Too Highbrow'

it in childhood and gives variety and modulation

I am not thinking of the BBC# in pitch, dialect quality and loudness.

programmes, in Scotch- Contrariwise, speaking with an favourite Essex dialect. Good dia- trish, or Welsh-English, or in its accent 13 unpractical, because it is lect is not bad Engilah. It is not harder to follow, and it is gen- there, it is in the general broadensis. erally rather ugly.

talks, reports, and the like, that they It takes more pains to maintain ought to do their best to help and the uniform standard speech than strengthen standard English; and on It does to let the language slip the whole they do not do as much as back into a variety of accents, and they should. Too often the voices those who can influence the matter chosen for the purpose have accents ought to give all the support and which are ugly and difficult to fal- encouragement they can to the bot- low.

although

the marò trouble- suppose the reason why the BBC some, course.

does not stand up for good English This has nothing to do with speech and seems rather to encourage fashion, or being genteel, or with bad accents is that it is afraid of class and the old school tio..

seeming too superior and highbrow. It Surely it need not. It is not superior has nothing to do with the socalled and highbrow to speak well; it is. Oxford accent, which, if I under slovenly and unsocial not to. And stand what that means, is not anyhow the BBC with its vant in- standard Engilsh but a very tires fluence ought not to be afraid to be some and affected' accent' which is a bit In front of our ordinary ideas, not, by the

way, #poken at the leading them, rather than a bit bo- University of Oxford. It has only hind, dragging them back..

When you first sall Into Stanley, the only town on the islands, you might be back in an English village of the early nineteenth century with one or two differences.

course.

phaning by name NOR instance, the islands have good telephone system.

of

Always mutton

THEN you leave Stanley and visit the islanders money are two other W what is

enlled tho.

problems to be solved. (Spanish "cl campo"-the country) people who have never "Camp"

Many sheep farms are owned by you find shepherds working

seen the hours a day for £2 bds.

15 Falklands, and not a penny of the They get free house, free mutton, islands.

a week. pront from them ever returns to the free peat.

cx-

a

H

The islanders export 6,000,000 lb. Unfortunately, the view of some The of wool from their sheep every Government ofcials, openly need year. Although they cat numbers; you just pick up

nothing pressed, is that the people are unft the but mutton, they never export it, for a vote receiver and ask for a person by because it is too expensive for the

place is so small you do not

name.s Everyone knows everyono Falkland Islands Company, which This not only embitters the else, and every second person seems controls. to be called Diggs.

he's telling it on the jetty,"

Then

Di the

three-quarters

Folklanders, but is regarded by Jalands, to fit up refrigerator plant, ent

strangers like myself as an imperti- In Stanley they have д relay So every year 40,000 sheep are

and dangerous denial of ds: system left on all the time, so that killed and thrown on the

beaches mocracy. they can hear any announcement at to rot. Whatever the reason, it is onco

The favourite one is, "Bill melancholy sight for anyone from patriots, a dangerous small voice is Although the islanders are great Smith has just landed some fish, and rationed Britain.

being raised Occasionally' which says The Islanders, who are 90 percent that, though they would hate to leave the housewives take their baskets to British and 10 percent. Scandinaviah, the British Empire, perhaps they buy quickly, Little fishing is done, and German, can live cheaply and would do batter under the Argen- because it is unprofitable to fish fairly comfortably, If roughly, yet tine. stormy seas if you can get other they are unhappy, Never have I work.

heard so much criticism

ve A little vision in Whitehall could The main dlot here

mution Government as I have heard in this in five minutes by glying these lost, of the still those dangerous, small volcca chops for breakfast and mutton for tiny colony 7,000 miles from Britain. last-century villagers a few of the every other meal, with no mint The first grievance is that they things I always thought, until 7 or sauce. It costs 3. a pound. Pointoes have no vote. Consequently they rived here, were the birthright of normally cost 24. a pound, but there say they are treated like niggers.

avory Briton.

...BUT THESE ARE TOP

FAVOURITES

The Canadiun, voice of Stowart MacPherson (top) and the Northern accent of Wilfred Pickles please millions. they a bad influence?

But aro

It

@peak

learn

ter,

..