The process of pulling down "Old Englgnd" continues. London has lost Waterloo Bridge and the Adelphi, among other landmarks, but the capital is not the only town to suffer at the hands of the demolitionists.
Those who lament the destruction of picturesque and historic buildings have a new cause for anxiety. Tunbridge Wells, noted health resort, favoured in the past by many an English monarch, is threatened with the removal of four old shops in the famous colonnaded promenade known as the Pantiles.
The buildings have been a feature of "the Wells" for 299 years, but they are now in such a state of decay that reconditioning is said to be impossible. It is proposed to pull them down and build new shops with flats overhead. Fear has been ex-
The present disastrous war is not the only cause of suffering to the patient multitudes of plodding peasants. The "shui tsai" or water calamity, has again made its appearance this summer and autumn. Having recently returned from a ten day's trip of inspection, your correspondent is in a position to provide some details. The south bank of the Yellow River broke at a village in Putaihsien called Chengchiassu on August 81, the break measures a distance of about two English miles, and so far there are no plans for its repair. The flood waters have spread through parts of Putai, Lichin, Po-hsing, Kwangjao and Shoukwang-The number of wholly or partially flooded villages is 668. It was encouraging to find the increasing sense of responsibility felt by the magistrates for the sufferers. Many of these to the number of some thousands, are being collected together in temples or in schools (closed for the time) or any available public buildings or disused factories. They receive food at a cost of 8 cents a day per person or less than 3/- per month. In these temporary refugee settlement& rany lay on straw mats or on the bare floors. Young mothers nursing their babies looked ill and underfed.
Children cried for more food, others chopped up leaves, hoping somehow io get them boiled Your correspondent with a number of Chinese colleagues spent two days in distributing about $2,000 to the families quartered on both sides of ihe dyke running northeast towards {he sea—a journey of 45 li on the north bank. This was accomplished on bicycles and made a very pleasant run before breakfast. The sunrise, siver and the many willow trees made a picture intriguing to an artist. Then at a sudden turn, instead of the river, what looked like the sea appeared. Across the wild expanse of water could be seen the two ends of the bank, the top of a temple being all that is left of the village of Chengchiassu, many half uprooted trees and still-more water. That first morning it took us an hour to get across the river. After breakfast we began shed by shed, or shack by shack perhaps, first to investigate and give out tickets which the recipients exchanged for dollar notes almost at once. Some were almost afraid to give up. their tickets. About noon an aeroplane flew over but no bombs were dropped. By the end of the second day it was seen that these refugee encarprenis stretched for several miles along the bank. Then there are the thousands still left in partially flooded villages. pressed that the new buildings will fe out of harmony with the Pantiles, but the architects responsible have declared their intention to preserve the 18th century character of. the place," 7 Mention of Waterloo Bridge reminds me that much of Rennie's masterpiece has been retained for future use. Of the 800,000 cubic feet of stone that were removed from the river site more than a quarter is in storage. The field where the masonry is assembled has been nick-named The Graveyard of Waterloo Bridg Some of the granite will go back into the new bridge and more of it may possibly be used in the County Hall extension. It will make admirable building material for the construction of new river walls A
New Zealand memorial is being constructed of old Waterloo Bridge stone and quantities have also gone to Australia, Rhodesia and South Africa.
Timber from the foundations proved to be in excellent condition. Doors made from the elm piles have been fitted in the new Orient liner Oreades.
Work on the new Waterloo Bridge is now starting. The first steel dam has been lowered to the river bed. London's lunch-time crowds and embankment sightseers can look forward to nearly three years of free entertainment as the new bridge takes shape.
When sound was introduced to the cinema many heard, or thought they heard, the death knell of the theatre. One theatrical critic announced with a flourish that henceforth he would exercise his critical faculties almost exclusively on the products of the no-longer silent screen.
But it was not long before the larger cinemas began the policy of interspersing stage shows in the "canned" programmes. The reversion in favour of flesh-and-blood acting is spreading. Dozens of converted theatres are returning to their original function in life. Their slogan is "Back to Variety." This does not mean, of course, any waning in the film's popularity.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.