24 DECEMBER 1937

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NEWS OF THE WEEK

The Spectator

J APAN has not yet replied to the British and American Notes protesting against the attacks on the U.S. gunboat ' Panay' and H.M.S. ' Ladybird' ; and the delay is attributed to...

* * * * The Fall of Teruel Last week

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the closing of the Gibraltar and Portuguese frontiers by General Franco was regarded as an indication that troop movements were taking place in preparation for an offensive,...

Japan's Next Steps Such blunders may have a serious effect

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on military opera- tions, for it is possible that the conditions Japan may be asked to observe in the future will impede her in the conduct of the war. To avoid coming into...

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More Russian Executions It might have been hoped that M.

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Stalin's success in the Russian elections would moderate the purge that has now been in progress for several months, and that what is claimed as the greatest and free-est...

Unrest in Egypt Egypt's acquisition of independence has not prevented

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history from repeating itself in the relations between the Palace and the Prime Minister, with, however, this material difference, that there is opposed today to an experienced...

* * * * M. Delbos' Balance-sheet The French Press

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is engaged in casting a balance-sheet of the results of M. Delbos' tour in Eastern and South Eastern Europe, and the German Press in assuring its readers that the tour achieved...

A Foreign Affairs Debate The Opposition were in every way

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within their rights in asking for a debate on foreign affairs, on the eve of the six weeks' adjournment of the House, but the discussion on Tuesday did not, as in the present...

* * * * Homes for Delinquents An article in

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this issue of The Spectator emphasises that in many cases juvenile delinquency is the result of unsatis- factory conditions in the home and in the family. If such is the cause,...

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Both the Prime Minister and Mr. Eden adopted a hush-

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hush strategy. No one blames them for behaving with due circumspection, or wishes them to emulate the dictators and bawl their objectives across the world. But Mr. Chamberlain...

Incidentally, this was the first speech which Sir Arthur has

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delivered on the international situation. He seemed less confident than usual, but nevertheless made the best- informed contribution of the afternoon. He has visited China twice...

The report of the departmental committee on Pensions for Members

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is a disappointment. No doubt the number of ex-members who fall upon evil days is small. But every- one knows that such cases do occur. The committee recom- mend a compulsory...

The Week in Parliament Our Parliamentary Correspondent writes : Tuesday's

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debate on the foreign situation was an unsatisfactory affair. There was no special occasion for it, and the participants roamed over the whole face of the earth. As so often...

Rent Restriction Though the Labour Members of the Committee on

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Rent Restriction reject its Majority Report altogether, criticism is most likely to concentrate on its proposals for abolishing control of the lower-rented houses. The Report...

Movements of Industry The Ministry of Labour's annual industrial census,

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which has been published now for 13 years, provides a valuable survey of the development of British industry as a whole and of the relative shifts and changes within the...

WIRELESS FOR PRISONS

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IN response to our appeal of last week for subscriptions from readers of The Spectator to enable wireless sets to be pre- sented to the, convict and other prisons of Great...

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THIS FAVOURED LAND

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All that is true, and the recognition of it must temper sensibly whatever satisfaction we may feel on other counts. But the other counts deserve to be taken note of none the...

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GERMANY'S FALSE PROPHETS

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THE last month has seen. the foundation of a new -1.I- Church in Germany ; and while in other countries Christians will celebrate Christmas in accordance with the ancient...

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Mr. Bingham's death is very sad. American Ambassadors in London

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from James Russell Lowell onwards—indeed from John Adams onwards—have generally been men of marked culture and personality. Mr. Bingham was in addition a man of marked charm. He...

The appointment of Mr. A. E. Barker to take charge

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of the B.B.C.'s new foreign broadcasts is very reassuring. Of the importance of the new departure, whose chief- purpose is to provide some offset to the propaganda, mostly anti-...

I cannot quite abandon the question of i t o'clock

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matins as I had intended, for I owe an answer to a courteous letter from a clergyman who prefers the Choral Eucharist at and asks " why the wayfaring man, if he be a Christian,...

Last week's reception to Lord Cecil to celebrate the award

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to him of the Nobel Peace Prize would have gone off better if the speeches had been fewer and briefer, but it was a great success none the less. Two observations of Lord Cecil's...

A couple of lines here and there have sufficed to

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chronicle the arrival at Lisbon of Sir Walford Selby, the new British Ambassador to Portugal. But the event may prove important. The new Ambassador has for the last four years...

A SPECTATOR'S NOTEBOOK

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G ENERAL LUDENDORFF ceased to be a figure of consequence nineteen years ago, for it would be a poor service to his memory to dwell on the vagaries of his post-War career, which...

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INDIA IN TRANSITION-III: UP IN THE CLOUDS

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By RICHARD FREUND S IMLA, the summer capital of India, is one of the loveliest spots on God's earth. Perched on the knife-edge of a wooded ridge, looking out on the deep...

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FRANCE AND FREEDOM

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By FRANCOIS MAURIAC [M. is a Mauriac, of the Academie Francaise and winner of its Grand Prix in 1926, distinguished novelist, his best-known work being " Le Noeud des...

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THE VOICE OF UNDER THIRTY XI

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[The writer, whose age is 27, is a Civil Servant] TN no generation has the " voice of under thirty " ever I been unanimous, but today the polyphony is so rich that even the...

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WHY CHILDREN STEAL

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By C. L. C. BURNS T O judge by figures alone there would appear to have been a remarkable increase in the number of young people coming before the Children's Courts within...

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ALEXANDER THE CORRECTOR

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By ROSE MACAULAY T HE title of Corrector of the People was conferred on him, so Mr. Cruden always said, by Divine Providence, but never confirmed by secular authority, though...

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MY LAST JOURNEY

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By LUIGI PIRANDELLO [This was the last short story written by Signor Pirandello, and was completed only a few weeks before his death.] S TARTLED from my sleep—I find myself...

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GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

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By D. J. T. LUSK IF nine out of fifty-four Powers confer Three times in each Capital City, In how many ways can a deadlock occur If they sit on a Standing Committee ? Who is or...

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Commonwealth and Foreign

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. DANZIG, GERMANY AND POLAND By JOHN KAESTLIN R ECENT developments in Danzig have once more focussed world-wide attention—or rather would have done were it not for the gravity...

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STAGE AND SCREEN

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THE THEATRE " Room Service." By John Murray and Allan Berete. At the Strand Theatre THE critics, rightly, found this piece uproariously funny ; and so did the audience on the...

- THE CINEMA

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IN a recent book by Gilbert Seldes there is a publicity photo- graph of Greta Garbo, in which her face has been superimposed upon a picture of the Sphinx This well illustrates...

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THE BALLET More Polish Than Polish

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A POLISH ballet is Covent Garden's contribution to Christmas entertainment. The company have come here with the honours of the Paris Exhibition thick upon them ; so they ought...

" Ensi g rosser Kampf der deutschen Gelehrtenwelt gegen einen Despoten,

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der seine Geringschiitzung der Wissenschaften hOhnisch zur Schau trug." Dieser Satz stammt merkwOrdiger- weise nicht aus unserer Gegenwart, sondern er ist von dem grossen...

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Woodcock Dates It is usually maintained by sportsmen that the

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great month for the arrival of woodcock immigrants from the north and west is November. Evidence that comes from acute observers .on the South Coast convinces me that many more...

Old Cottages • It is strongly desired by the Ministry

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of Health that as many people as may be shall avail themselves of the giant for reconditioning old cottages, but local bodies do not always agree with the Ministry or support...

COUNTRY ' LIFE

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Mistletoe for Holly The vans, often armed with rather ruthless campaigners, which tour the country against Christmas and return laden with holly, have had much longer journeys...

Christmas Flowers In spite of the altogether exceptional severity of

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this December a quantum of flowers as well as berries will greet Christmas Day. One of the least expected (in my garden) is a bush of the common mauve Veronica, a bush described...

Nuts or Squirrels Keats remarked in a famous poem that

The Spectator

the squirrel's granary was- full. It is not only, or chiefly, the granary that is filled, at any rate in the case of the grey squirrel. There is a country house remarkable,...

Chincherinchees The nearest rival to the Gleams within the house

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is a bowl of South African Chincherinchee flowers sent over in cold storage. They are a marvellous combination of strength and delicacy. The bottoms of the stalks which you are...

A Perfect Pot Plant

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The brightest thing in the house is a pot or two of the Golden Gleam nasturtium. The plants have never seen the inside of any glass house. They were dug up in the garden before...

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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[Correspondents are requested to keep their letters as brief as is reasonably possible. The most suitable length is that of one of our " News of the Week" paragraphs. Signed...

THE COTTSWOLD BRUDERHOF

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[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR, —In June last you published an article describing the Cottswold Bruderhof—a brotherhood founded in Germany which recently migrated to...

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• THE VOICE OF UNDER THIRTY [To the Editor of

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THE SPECTATOR.] SIR,—Two comments : (r) Tout comprendre, c'est tout par- donner. Those who have written to castigate or condemn these writers must have forgotten what it was...

THE .NAMES OF MEN OF WAR - [To the Editor

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of THE SPECTATOR.] Sm,—Any naval historian induced to take up the Navy List and catalogue and weigh the names of our present vessels, would, no doubt, declare that many ships...

THE COAL BILL [To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR,—On

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page 1,088 of your issue of December 17th, in your note on the Coal Bill, you suggest that it is open to the Royalty owners to withdraw their acceptance of the results of the...

FOOT-AND-MOUTH : CURE OR KILL ?

The Spectator

[To, the Editirr of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR, —One of the arguments in favour of the killing policy is that our export of live cattle to foreign countries depends largely on our...

Page 20

RELIEF FOR CHINA

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[To-the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR, —May I beg the hospitality of your columns for an appeal on behalf of the Clothing and Comforts Committee of the Relief of Distress in...

MR. CHAMBERLAIN AND PUBLIC HEALTH

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[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] Sia,—The present campaign for a healthier and fitter Britain may seem rather belated to many of us, but it is perhaps appropriate that we...

THE FELLOWSHIP OF ST. MICHAEL

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[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR, —May we bring to the notice of your readers the work of a society unique of its kind and rendering service that must appeal to all ? We...

JEWISH CHILDREN IN GERMANY

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[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] Sta,—Readers of The Spectator are not unfamiliar with the general conditions governing the lives of Jews and other " Non-Aryans " in Germany....

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BOOKS OF THE DAY The Good Society (Professor E. H.

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Carr) Personality. Parade (John Sparrow) .. The Once " New Deal_" (D. W. Brogan) An Amiable Dictatorship (Honor Croome) Leon Blum (Francis Genn) . . • • • - • • • • • . 1152...

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WINSOME IS AS WINSOME DOES

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Personality in the columns of the Daily Mirror, Mr. Godfrey Winn has selected some of the most telling pages from his causerie and embellished them with portraits of himself...

THE ONCE "NEW DEAL"

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L'Experience Roosevelt et le Milieu Social Americain. Par M. FRANCIC has earned gratitude in the past by an excellent study of the economic aspects of Italian fascism and many...

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AN AMIABLE DICTATORSHIP

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Economic Planning in Corporative Portugal. By F. Cotta. (P. S. King. 8s. 6d.) Economic Planning in Corporative Portugal. By F. Cotta. (P. S. King. 8s. 6d.) DR. SALAZAR of...

NOT QUITE M. BLUM

The Spectator

Leon Blum. By Geoffrey Fraser and Thad& Natanson. ios. 6d.) RELIABLE and informative books on modern France are rare ; it is, therefore, unfortunate that this particular book...

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LE BRAVE DES BRAVES

The Spectator

Marshal Ney. A Play in Five Acts. By J. C. Masterman. Preface by R. C. Sherriff. (Cobden-Sanderson. 5s.) MR. A. P. HERBERT once wrote a book—his best, I think called The Secret...

CHARLES DARWIN

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Charges Darwin: The Fragmentary Man. By Geoffrey West. (Routledge. t5s.) Ir is interesting to consider what would have happened if Charles Darwin had not sailed as a naturalist...

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SHORT STORIES

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The Faber Book of Modern Stories. Edited by Elizabeth Bowen. (Faber. 8s. 6d.) Pavements at Anderby. By Winifred Holtby. (Collins. 7s. 6d.) THAT list 'takes some getting down :...

Page 26

TENDERNESS IN TWO MOODS

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" THE floors of ocean were patterned by the life that surrendered and passed for ever below its surface." It is of that marked life that James Hanley writes—the life of the...

Page 28

THE CEMENT PRICE RISE

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The decision of the cement industry to raise its selling prices by 3s. per ton underlines the favourable position in which cement makers are now placed. Most of the increase is...

WISE INVESTMENT

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WITHOUT stretching a point in favour of the season of good cheer I feel that markets may fairly be said to be on the mend. The change in Throgmorton Street is not so much a...

GOOD PREFERENCE YIELDS

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Treasury secrets are so annoyingly well kept that I do not pretend to know whether another large-scale funding operation will be hatched out early in the New Year. The...

Venturers' Corner

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Selling by old holders of the R.M. and E.D. Realisation shares, who have received a substantial pro rata allotment of Union-Castle Steamship £t ordinary, is doubtless...

* * * *

The Spectator

ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT PROSPECTS In view of my references to the favourable prospects of electrical equipment shares in the spring it is disappointing to see the monthly index...

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COMPANY MEETING

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AGAR, CROSS AND COMPANY SUBSTANTIAL RISE IN SALES The thirty-first ordinary general meeting of Agar, Cross and Co. Ltd., was held on December 16th at Dorland House, Regent...

FINANCE

The Spectator

BANKING AND INDUSTRIAL PROFITS IN accordance with custom, I shall hope next week to say something with regard to Financial and Business Prospects in 1938. For the moment, and...

FINANCIAL NOTES

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MARKETS QUIETLY STEADY. CHRISTMAS week is seldom an active one in the Stock Markets and the past few days have proved no exception. Never- theless, the steadier tone noticeable...

BANKING CAPITAL IN SCOTLAND.

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It is a good sign of increased trade activity North of the Tweed that two of the Scottish Banks have recently announced a fresh issue of capital. At the annual general meeting...

PASTORAL PROFITS.

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The pastoral companies in Australia for the most part pursue a conservative policy in the distribution of profits, and that is well considering the extent to which earnings are...

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COMPANY MEETING

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BANK OF NEW SOUTH WALES AT the ordinary general meeting of the Bank of New South Wales, held at the head office, Sydney, on Friday, November 26th, 1937, the Chairman, Sir...

COMPANY MEETINGS

The Spectator

CARRERAS, LIMITED RECORD PROFITS THE thirty-fourth annual general meeting of Carreras, Ltd., was held on December zoth at Arcadia Works, Hampstead Road, London, N.W. Mr....

SCOTTISH AUSTRALIAN CO.

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SUBSTANTIALLY IMPROVED RESULTS THE annual general meeting of the Scottish Australian Co., Ltd., was held on December 17th at the offices of the Company, 197 Winche ter House,...

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* * * *

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AGAR, CROSS. At the recent annual meeting of Agar, Cross and Company the Chairman, Mr. Stuart C. Sheppard, explained that with the proceeds of the recent issue of £350,000 in...

SHARE PUSHING.

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It was with considerable satisfaction that the City noted the attention given in Parliament last week to discussing the evils of share pushing. Moreover, the Debate was the more...

CARRERAS' PROSPERITY.

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Optimism not only with regard to the Company's present position and prospects, but also with regard to the general trade outlook, was the outstanding feature of the address of...

A circular to proprietors of the Bank of Scotland also

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contains proposals for a new issue of stock, a feature of the arrangements being the elimination of the unpaid capital of the whole of the issued stock. Assuming the proposals...

O NE of the noblest ways of honouring the memory of

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a loved one is by endowing a bed or ward in a great national hospital. Brompton Hospital would help you reverently to carry out your wish. You would at once honour your loved...

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD NO. 273 SOLUTION NEXT WEEK The winner

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of Crossword No. 273 is Mr. Robert George Rope, The Green, Kirk Langley, near Derby.

" THE SPECTATOR " CROSSWORD No. 274

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BY ZENO ACROSS I. VitaLvehicles. 8. Perfume bought by a young person on relief ? 14. My first and second are unchecked in 31. 15. What the ugly sluggard wants. 17. What is...