Evening star., 1924-07-31
LONDON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

aristocrats and plutocras, and directly
across the way is the park, now re-
splendent in midsummer glory. Mean
time Mr.. and Mrs. Kellogg are ten
ants in a Mayfair mansion, Crewe
House, for which they pay out of
their own pockets an annual rent of
$12,6 SEQ, or about three quarters of the
ambassadors salary.
No sooner Is the average American,
If he be of the male persuasion. ar
rived in Londontown than he proceeds
to deck himself out as much like the
native of the gentleman species as he
possibly can. He rushes to Piccadilly
gloves Ito carry, not wear). soft
hat 10 supplant the straw he brought
with him and top tsilk) hat for the
be invited. The American Bar Asso-
citation almost sent up the price of
"toppers' when its members learned
that the morning dress" required for
the King and Queens garden party
called for that kind Of headgear.
Radio is not approximately as wide
ly developed in Great Britain as it is
In the United States. There are only
about a million receiving sets in use,
and the mum ber of habitual listeners
In probably does not reach 5000, 600
The licensing system is responsible
for the fact that less than one-tenth
OF the population consists of radio
addicts, as compared with our 4O,-
100000 or 50,000,0O0 fans. Every
Briton who has a receiving set must
pay a government licensing fee of
1925 or $3.37k. depending, respec-
lively, on whether the set is manu-
featured by the British Broadcastinx
Company or is homemade. The gov
balance goes to the broadcasting COM
pany, which Is trust formed by the
companies manufacturing radio ap-
paratGs. Anybody using a set with.
out license is subject to q fine of
$3.50, or six months Imprisonment. un-
DER the act prohibiting the mainte-
nance OF wireless receiving stations
without q license. Bands, artists,
speakers and others who furnish radio
programs are paid for their services
By the oroadcasting company.
'.'
One of the proletarian boons con-
fered by the Labor government Is
the opening of Hyde Park to taxi
cab traffic. Previously only private
vehicles had access to the park The
new government also raised the motor
speed limit from 12 to 90 miles an
hour. Why didn't we think of that?'
winston Churchill, who was in office
under Lloyd George. lamented. when
the a pain n Iii people save thanks for the
Park. -
The Prince Of Wales, who will soon
be in the United States. wants the
American people to know him in
some other capacity than merely that
of "a regular fellow" who falls of his
horse systematically and frequents
Partisan cabarets He is. in fact, one
of the hardest working young men in
Great Britain. His daily program in
busy times like these discloses a
series of activities that keep him 60
wing from one end OF the kingdom
to the other. His job is to represent t
the royal house on an endless variety
OF public and semi-public occasions.
The unaffected, tireless and smiling
manner in which he weathers the con-
stant ordeal is responsible for his
popularity, which amounts to down.
right affection.
Every American visitor to Britain
is cross-examined about prohibition.
There Is dry movement in this
country, but there seems little pros
pect, in the measurable future, that
it will ever get anywhere. Labor. it
is said, would oppose it. tooth and
nail. The British liquor interests
leave no stone unturned to advertise
the epidemic of lawbreaking that is
alleged to have resulted from pro-
hibition in the United States, and
urge Brtons to take timely warning
from that horrible example. Our
country is depicted. too, as succumb-
ing in terrifying degree to the drug
prohibition. Britain has not gone
back to pre-war liquor licensing laws.
Hourse of sale in public houses
(saloons) are still restricted, though
ennees is not wholly eradicated. but
1t is vastly less than in the old days.
foremost jndustrialists Of Great Brit
ain-a steel and iron magnate OF
Shefield-for the British business
view of Americas high-tarifr policy.
He rejoined:
I'VE, of course, think it is a mis-
take from your point of view; that It
Is restricting your exports and is
locking in your gold: is undoubtedly
costing you $315, 100000 per annum,
and increasing the cost of production
and the cost of living On the other
finding it easier to compete with
American manufacturers in other
markets, owing to- your high
policy"
{Copyrixht, 1924)