A SPECTATOR NOTEBOOK

ONE of the least satisfactory tendencies in contemporary journalism is the passion for imputing motives and assuming intrigues. Take the case of Mr. Eden's position. The facts, which I stated last week, are perfectly simple. The Foreign Secretary finds the double burden of his administrative office and the leadership of the House too heavy to carry, and will have to relinquish one or the other, leaving it, of course, to the Prime Minister to decide which. But simplicity, I suppose, makes poor copy. So—Mr. Eden wants to concentrate on the House as a step towards succession to the Prime Minister ; Mr. Eden wants to leave the Foreign Office because major policy is decided at conferences of Heads of States, or else because he differs from Mr. Churchill over the Atlantic Charter ; Conservatives want Mr. Eden out of the Foreign Office because he is too well-disposed towards Russia ; Lord Beaverbrook wants him out because he would like the job himself ; the new Foreign Secre- tary will be Sir Alexander Cadogan (I speak the truth when I say this has appeared in print), and so on. It will be deplorable if Mr. Eden does leave the Foreign Office, but if a large prize were offered to anyone who would name a suitable alternative Leader of the House of Commons it would certainly go begging.

* * * * Mr. Robert Foot is not, I imagine, leaving the B.B.C. for the Mining Association because he will get a larger salary there ; twice a Secretary of State's remuneration should be enough for any man. He no doubt feels that the opportunity of trying to put the coal industry straight at this juncture is even more important than the post he held at Portland Place. That is obviously a tenable view- • and an arguable one. His departure means a swift rise to the top for Mr. W. J. Haley, who till seven months ago was Editor of the Manchester Evening News. In September of last year, when Sir Cecil Graves resigned his co-directorship of the B.B.C., and Mr. Foot became sole director, Mr. Haley was appointed to the new post of Editor-in-Chief. In that capacity he has taken programmes vigorously in hand and in particular was responsible for converting the Forces Programme into something different under the title of General Forces Programme. Now, at the age of forty-two, he succeeds to what must on every ground be regarded as one of the great positions in the country. The appointment is in a sense experimental, for seven months is not a long apprenticeship, but little doubt appears to be felt about it in instructed quarters. The B.B.C.'s educational work in the broadest sense is thought likely to benefit considerably.

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I am glad to see that the House of Lords has sustained the findings of the Court of Appeal reversing the verdict' of a Divisional Court whereby L3,50o damages were awarded against the Daily Express. for an alleged libel against a person of the name of Knupffer. It is hard for a layman to conceive how the original verdict was given, for what the Express published, a few days after Russia was attacked in t94t, was simply an account of the anti-Soviet activities of a body called Young Russia, established in France and the United States. Mr. Knupffer, who became head of the British branch of Young Russia in 1938, claimed that the passage was directed against him, and Mr. Justice Stable awarded him the remarkably heavy damages of L3,500. The interesting point in the hearing by the House of Lords was the definition of the law by the Lord Chancellor. Two questions, he said, were involved ; " the first was a question of law— could the article, having regard to its language, be regarded as capable of referring to the appellant? The second was a question of fact, namely, did the article in fict lead reasonable people, who knew the appellant, to the conclusion that it did refer to him? " The first question, Lord Simon ruled, with the concurrence of all his colleagues, should have been answered in the negative and the case brought to an end. Actually the Judge admitted the evidence of many " reasonable persons" who thoUght the article referred to the complainant, and on that found in his favour. It is a nice distinction, but one of great importance to newspapers, which live under a constant threat of libel actions.

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One curious feature of last week's controversy in the House of Commons is that no report_that I have seen quoted the clause that all the pother was about. Mrs. Cazalet Keir moved an amendment to Clause 82. But what does Clause 82 itself say?. I would defy any ordinary Brains Trust to answer that. Members of Parliament

no doubt knew, but I will undertake to say that not one newspaper- reader in a thousand—or a hundred thousand—was better informed on the matter than I was myself up to five minutes ago. Actually the clause reads:

"Regulations made by the Minister shall make such provision as appears to him to be desirable for the purpose of securing that the remuneration paid by local education authorities to teachers is in accordance with scales approved by him ; and in approving any such scales the Minister shall have regard to any recommendations relating to the remuneration of teachers made by any body of persons constituted by the Minister which is representative of local education authorities and of teachers."

It is that enactment which is to be restored to the Bill on report.

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Accidents must happen in war, but the past week has brought news of rather a distressing crop—British planes over the Atlantic shooting down an American transport machine and its crew in the belief that it was German ; an American destroyer shelling an American landingLparty in the Pacific and killing thirteen ;

American bombers killing thirty-nine people and wounding fifty-five seriously in the Swiss frontier town of Schaffhausen. A melancholy addition to the more legitimate casualties of war.

* * * * With all apologies to non-classical readers, who need not grudge the inch or so of space involved, I transcribe these admirable elegiacs from last week's Guardian :

THE SOWER

Exiit ecce sator quo severit ; inque serendo Pars obiter cecidit, praeda volatilibus.

Pars alia in scrupos, radix ubi fi : obortam Protinus exsiccat, sole calente, sitis.

Pars alia in vepres, et vepribus undique nazis

Strangulat oppressam spines messis earn. Pars alia in glebam fruges dat lapsa feracem

Tres decies, decies sex, deciesque decent.

C. W. B.

Jim&