PORTRAIT OF THE WEEK
Deluges withfive inches of rain reported in a day—brought the rivers of south and east England out in flood, killing three people, closing roads and railways, destroying bridges, presenting a £3 million bill to the insurance market, and bringing boats into Tonbridge High Street. The Young Liberals, assembled along- side the official party conference at Edinburgh, called for a national disaster service, and it seemed that the party after its conference might well have first call on it. The Conservative party • conference also looked fissile, but Mr Enoch Powell denied ambition for the leadership—he merely wished (he said) to influence 'the way the party moves and is led.'
The best trading results for over a year put much-needed strength into sterling and pushed prices on the Stock Exchange to new records. The trade gap for August shrank to £30 million, against July's figure of £81 million. Disputes in the motor industry cast a shadow over the figures for September : a strike at the Girling brake factory stopped production of Ford Cortinas, Jaguars and Land-Rovers.
Mr Tom Cartwright stood down from the MCC team to tour South Africa. Mr Basil d'Oliveira was called in to take his place, Mr Vorster, the South African Prime Minister, at once said that, though South Africa was ready to receive an MCC team, `the team as now con- stituted is not the team of the mcc but the team of the anti-apartheid movement, the team of the South African Non-Racial Olympic Com- mittee and the team of Bishop Reeves.' Who- ever's team it was, though, the MCC seemed certain not to send it.
The fivepenny post (for prompt delivery) got under way; about a quarter of the first day's letters bore a fivepenny stamp. Mr Stonehouse, Postmaster-General, sent out a rallying call to his troops, and followed it up with a two-tone bleep. This—more exactly a high-pitched bleep followed by a bleep of lower pitch—would indicate to a telephone user that there were no lines available, as distinct from the monotone bleep indicating that a number was engaged.
Dr Salazar, ruler of Portugal since 1932, suffered a/stroke—his second in a fortnight— which left him partially paralysed. The Council of State met, apparently to consider a successor. Mr Ian Smith, ruler of Rhodesia since 1964, was under pressure from the extremists of his party, and seeking further talks with London in an attempt to strengthen his position.
The United States government went out of its way to warn Russia that military action against West Germany would meet with an Immediate response' from NATO. The President also con- demned the Chrysler Company's decision to put up the prices of its cars: the British con- sumer, protected at a humbler level, saw beer prices raised on the strict condition that there must be no change in the public bars.
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