T HE serious Russian offensive against Finland to the north of Lake Ladoga, which was still continuing at the end of last week, has now spent itself, with heavy losses to the...

It may be supposed that the attention of the Japanese Government has been given to the methods of calm dis- cussion by which the Governments of the United States and Great...

The speech delivered by Herr Hitler at the Sport Palace in Berlin on Tuesday, the seventh anniversary of his first appointment as Chancellor, is best summed up in the orator's...

It would be a mistake to expect spectacular results from the conference of the Balkan Entente about to open i n Belgrade. The members are Turkey, Greece, Yugo_ slavia and...

We have become accustomed to the knowledge that Germans from set policy have discarded all law and all humanity in their attacks by sea and air. What end are their methods...

The General Election in Canada is likely in some of its aspects to be an unpalatable affair. The dissolution an- nounced by the Governor-General last Thursday was sudden and...

Two announcements made in the House of Commons on Wednesday provide considerable reassurance regarding both the volume of foodstuffs to reach these shores and the prices at...

There was one passage in particular in Mr. Churchill's speech at Manchester last Saturday to which too much importance cannot be attached. It was that in which he spoke of the...

become increasingly important in the life of Parliament. The great Conservative majority often prefers to thrash out its internal controversies in private On the face of them...

been extremely poor, a fact to which some of the news- papers have very rightly called attention. There are far too many members, especially on the Government side, who only...

An article on another page of this issue raises very perti- nently the question of liquor restrictions in war-time. The subject has many angles. That undue consumption of...

One of the most distressing elements in pre-war un- employment was the large number of men who were out of work over a long period of time—amongst them not only older men,...

Our Parliamentary Correspondent writes : Tuesday's debate on Workmen's Compensation was a somewhat acri- monious affair. During the last war an Act was passed authorising a...

T O know the truth and see things as they are is much less easy, but not a whit less necessary, in war- time than in peace. It is indeed far more necessary. To cherish illusions...

O NE of the maxims which has been dinned into the public mind almost since the first day of the war is that the whole community will have to bear the burden and share the...

in so little of it as a mere signature. To that I owe the following discerning assessment, from a Californian correspondent whom I do not know: Excuse a personal remark : Your...

A QUESTION which many people are rightly asking is, what amount of help is Finland receiving from abroad, and particularly from Great Britain. There are many reasons why the...

when regular R.A.F. officers are moved from one station to another they receive "disturbance allowance" to cover the cost and removal, but that in precisely similar circum-...

the 4 o'clock news bulletin. We get quite enough news to satisfy most of us as it is. But better spacing would improve matters. One, five and nine is much better than one-, sx...

legal and club—particularly Brooks's and the Garrick—circles. Sir Chartres appreciated greatly his posi- tion as Chief Magistrate at Bow Street (carrying with it the task of...

of our ties with France is closer acquaintance with nomen- clatures as satisfying as they are unfamiliar. I see, for example, that one of the members of a delegation from the...

was a historic occasion. Apart from an aged vessel in Kingstown harbour, unknown to the books of reference, but described rather hesitantly as a gunboat by my chief source of...

By STRATEGICUS W AILE it is fatally easy to take counsel of our wishes in reading Herr Hitler's intentions, it is a little more difficult to impute to him a detachment from his...

By ELIZABET T HE Swiss are perhaps the most individuahstically developed people in the world ; it is rash, therefore, to generalise about their opinions and reactions. And yet...

his address at the Mansion House last month the Prime Minister stated that if we want to win and, if possible, to shorten the war, "we must control imports, we must do without...

By PREBENDARY W, WILSON CASH F EBRUARY 6th, 1940, marks the date of the centenary of the signing of the treaty at Waitangi between the Maoris and the British, under which New...

By DR. W. B. SELBIE T THERE lies before me as I write one of the less grue- 1 some relics of the Great War. It consists of a stout volume of some four hundred and fifty pages...

By G. II. GRETTON R EVIEWING the events which brought war in 1939 steadily nearer, the historian will pretty certainly see in the Munich talks of September, 1938, Herr Hitler's...

By ILSA BAREA T ODAY I leaned down to touch the round, firm yellow 1 bud of a winter aconite that had broken through the frozen ground. At the touch of the cold petal, I...

OF PRINCE ALBERT IN the House of Lords, on Monday, Lord Chancellor Cot- tenham moved the second reading of a Bill, introduced on the previous Friday, to naturalise Prince...

that the Joint Committee is composed, in so far as its executive is concerned, of serious and experienced people. Monsieur Delbos, after all, was one of the wisest and least...

counter these insidious attempts to separate the two peoples. We must be prepared to face the possibility that Herr Hitler may decide to prolong throughout 1940 the war of...

Stuttgart broadcasts resemble the Tales of Hoffmann which we receive from Hamburg in that they aim at disintegrating confidence by directing little darts and arrows of...

to Paris encouraged by the spirit and the energy of the British people. They were almost as much impressed by our climate as they were by the black-out. "These heavy...

the war the Joint Committee of the two Houses may meet together in public session in order to proclaim to the world the identity of their aims and purposes. I can foresee an...

By HAROLD N1COLSON HE Joint Committee of the French Chamber and the House of Commons has held meetings this week in London under the chairmanship of its president, Monsieur...

effect could not be dangerous. It is the fact that these statements are approximately correct which render them so damaging to Anglo-French relations. Upon the basis of "Well,...

CANADA AS WAR WORKSHOP? By R. S. LAMBERT Ar the beginning of the war, when the United States Arms Embargo was still in force, and it was still uncertain whether it would be...

The Arsenal Stadium Mystery." At the Astoria and New Victoria.—" Pieges." At the Cinephone. A DETECTIVE story must be one of the haidest jobs a director can be assigned,...

Reopened Museum IN wandering through familiar passages al the Victoria and Albert Museum one soon comes upon boarded-up doors, for most of the valuables have gone to the...

THE THEATRE 4 , Desire Under the Elms." By Eugene O'Neill. At the West- minster Theatre. Desire Under the Elms was written in 1924, and is as com- pletely a play of its time...

A certain country vicarage in East Anglia has been invaded by mice which rejoice in the absence of any cat. Birds are regarded as too precious to permit the presence of so...

Those ingenious Oxford biologists who make special study of the ups and downs of animal life should note that mice are almost multitudinous this year in a great many places— in...

Peace-Time The question is ,being considered whether the close season, which begins, oddly enough, on February znd, shall be post- poned. Partridges, the most perfect parents...

Now that the world has left its old profession —Dealer in drugs, and dregs, and mattress-maker- To let its sportive genius find expression Among the benches of the...

in hard weather suffer from thirst as well as hunger. Certainly great numbers of them come to running streams in such seasons. This is strange, since snow is water in another...

S/R,—Mr. H. R. Williamson's attempted way of escape from the absurdity which I pointed out will not do, I am afraid. Christ did not enunciate the commandment "Thou shalt not...

Sm,—The letter you published last week from Mr. Rayrner under the above heading makes depressing reading if it truly reflects the thought of the young man of today. It is...

[Correspondents are requested to keep th.;ir letters as brief as is reasonably possible. Signed letters are given a preference over those bearing a pseudonym, and the latter...

Si,—The Prime Minister has intimated that it is not in the public interest to disclose the precise nature and extent of Allied co-operation with the Finns. Sir Walter Citrine,...

a little beside the mark? It is possible that Mr. Curry unduly ignores the formidable lions in the path of Federal Union. I have not read his book, and can offer no opinion. But...

Stu,—May I try to make peace between Mr. Harold Nicolson and Mr. Curry? They are both nearly right. Mr. Curry is right to advocate the general idea of federation without...

Snt,—Miss Anne Beckett, questioning whether there is " effec- tive " government in Great Britain, states that this country has a "permanent core of a million and a half...

the institutions which he loves falling in ruins around him, I get the greatest consolation from your correspondence columns. Before the last War young men at Oxford were being...

J. Gibbs, argues that if German aggression is hereditary the same should apply to French aggression. He cannot, I feel, have read much German and French literature, for the...

Sne,—The First Lord of the Admiralty has told the country that "a million more women must come into our war in- dustry." It has apparently escaped the notice of the Government...

ments scheme is making but slow headway in country, as distinct from town districts. The experience of this village is probably typical: a meeting was called by the Parish...

one wno has American and British friendship at heart, may I express my regret at seeing the comments on Mr. Kennedy's return to this country that disfigure "A Spectator's...

Snt,—In your comment of January 26th on "Clerical Incomes," you state that Canon R. E. Roberts in Convocation drew attention to the enormous disparity between them, and "that...

Sol,—A correspondent in your issue of January x2th quotes a paragraph from the Bridgwater Mercury to the effect that : "German announcers have gone so far as to mention small...

Snt,—As a reader of many years' standing, I was surprised at your strictures on Mr. Churchill's broadcast. There are, at certain times, things that need to be said, warnings...

Munby in a letter which you published on January 19th states that he is a Communist and appeals for democratic education and academic freedom. It is a little difficult to see...

SIR, —In the first paragraph of his review of Dangerous Thoughts Mr. Joad says that one of the essays is about John Wilkes. There is no reference to John Wilkes in the book. One...

SIR,—Lord Derby and others have emphasised the importance of useful occupation being provided for the years immediately preceding the age at which a young man will normally...

The Technique of the Sermon The Art of Preaching. By Charles Smyth. (S.P.C.K. 8s. 6d.) This "Practical Survey of Preaching in the Church of England, 747-1939," is addressed...

The Socialist Sixth ot the World. By Hewlett Johnson. tGollancz. 7s. 6d-) 4- IN material results the Soviet Union moves up a steady incline: her moral advance is steeper...

IT is a commonplace—too much of a commonplace—that economically the Allies are infinitely better placed to wage war than is Germany. It is a fact of common knowledge- buF not...

The History of the German Army. By J. Benoist-Mechin. (Zurich : Scienta. los. 6d.) How to Conquer Hitler. By Hellmut von Rauschenplat. (Jar- _ rolds. los. 6d.) THE story of...

The Locks of Norbury. By the Duchess of Sermonct (Murray. as.) The Locks of Norbury. By the Duchess of Sermonct (Murray. as.) THis is one of those books (many have been...

A REVIEWER of fiction, opening a new parcel of novels on a cold, unpromising morning, when the rest of the post hasn't been so good, is liable to give them a cold, unpromising...

is an excellent collection of Irish street ballads, sogte of them traditional, some known to be the work of a single author, complete with the tunes to which they were (or are)...

collection ' which strikes an excellent balance between the familiar and the little known, and includes a delightful selection of light verse, ballads and children's rhymes ; it...

Men, Martyrs and Mountebanks. By Beverley Baxter. (Hutchinson. 8s. 6d.) Tim book—an "Inner Story of Personalities and Event s Behind the War "—is much better than its facile...

tion from Pushkin's plays, prose and poetic stories, folk tales, and lyrics. The selection is well made, but the book suffers from the very varying standards of success reached...

re- mains an excellent subject for a biographer with any talent, so packed with incident was his life, so dynamic his character, and so variegated his writings. Mr. Todd has,...

By CUSTOS THESE are still overflow markets. It is now plain enough that a much larger slice of the £35 0 , 00 0,000 of Conversion 41- per cent. loan than most of us estimated...

One can always rely on Mr. McKenna to provoke a little healthy controversy in his annual address at the Midland Bank meeting. This year he has re-opened a question recently...

There could be no clearer indication of the broadening of investment demand in the stock markets than the ease with which substantial blocks of Lancashire Cotton Corporation...

THOUGH the B.B.C. in the first few weeks of the war must have done much to make the very mention of a gramophone record distasteful, the paucity of entertainments to attract...

MIDLAND BANK LIMITED BANKS' INDISPENSABLE SERVICES AVOIDANCE OF INFLATION RIGHT HON. R. McKENNA'S ADDRESS THE ordinary general meeting of shareholders of the Midland Bank...

A substantial measure of credit inflation and increased liquidity are the two outstanding characteristics of the posi- tion revealed in the banks' balance-sheets at the end of...

Like Mr. Campbell the Westminster Bank chairman also looks for a growth of deposits and advances. Mr. Rupert Beckett believes that even after allowing for an increase in savings...

NATIONAL PROVINCIAL BANK RECORD DEPOSIT FIGURES MR.C. F. CAMPBELL ON CURRENT PROBLEMS THE ro7th annual general meeting of National Provincial Bank, Limited, was held on...

INCREASED TAXATION EFFECTS THE twelfth annual general meeting of this company was held, on January 25th, in London. The Right Hon. Lord Catto of Cairncatio presided, and in...

It becomes more apparent every year that F. 1 . Woolworth and Co., the low price chain stores, IMO counted among our most alert and adaptable individ concerns. Last year, in...

THE UNION BANK OF AUSTRALIA DIVIDEND 7 PER CENT. THE annual general meeting of the Union Bank of Australia, Limited, was held on January 29th at 71, Cornhill, E.C....

The steel " control " has been more persistent than most of the new controlling authorities in its efforts to keep down prices. It has succeeded in keeping prices of the...

There is the tang of the industrial north in Mr. Gerard Dewhurses review at the annual meeting of William Deacon's bank in Manchester. While emphasising th e importance of a...

WESTMINSTER BANK, LTD. DIVIDEND MAINTAINED ADVANTAGES OF OUR BANKING SYSTEM OPPORTUNITIES FOR INCREASED EXPORT TRADE HON. RUPERT E. BECKETT'S ADDRESS nit annual ordinary...

F. W. WOOLWORTH AND CO., LTD. ANOTHER RECORD YEAR CONSIDERABLY INCREASED SALES MR. W. L. STEPHENSON'S ADDRESS THE thirty-first annual general meeting of F. W. Woolworth and...

For each of the past three years the Tobacco Securities Trust Company, whose investments are largely in tobacco businesses managed by the British American Tobacco Com- pany, has...

Some of the financial implications of Australia's war ifort were examined by Major-General Sir John H. avidson, in his address to shareholders of the Union Bank f Australia this...

THE usual prizes were offered for a new fable in the manner of Aesop, introducing a cow, a whale, or a goose, and furnished with a moral referring to Communism, Fascism, or...

[A prize of a Book Token for one guinea will be given to the sender of the first correct solution of this week's crossword puzzle to be opened. Envelopes should be marked...

past, for example, Dr. Jowett of Balliol, or the Rev. W. A. Spooner of New College, are re- membered less for their real achievements than because of the agreeable anecdotes...

c co 'fi t ' .11111;11111.1_ SOLUTION NEXT WEEK The winner of Crossword No. 47 is Mrs. E. Playfair, New Copse, Wootton Bridge, Isle of Wight.