While the Anglo-Italian conversations in Rome, between Mr. Chamberlain and Signor Mussolini, were not productive of substantial results, they do not appear to have turned out the abject failure which it was at first thought io be the case. It will be remembered that before Mr. Chamberlain reached Rome it was announced that concrete results were not expected, and while to some that might be taken as preparing the world for ultimate allure, it must be remembered that on several points Mr. Chamberlain's activities were already circumscribed, while in others there never was any real hope of securing concessions from Italy. Thus on the Spanish question it was well known beforehand that nothing short of a Nationalist victory would satisfy Signor Mussolini, while on the subject of Franco-Italian relations, French insistence that negotiations should only take place direct, and through no intermediary, made any chance of achieving results in this connection very slim. The tone of ihe joint communique issued in Rome is on the whole satisfactory, and the impression gained is that if Mr. Chamberlain obtained no striking results, he certainly did no harm. What is of importance, however, is the remarkable anti-French outburst in the Italian Press and notably in "Revere," That this essay on the art of expectoration will be highly offensive to the French is to be expected, but it is to be hoped that the typical French sense of humour will relegate such an outburst to the unimportance it so patently deserves. At the same time it must be confessed that so long as incidents of this nature occur the establishment of a suitable atmosphere in which France and Italy can negotiate for the settlement of outstanding problems will be delayed, and in that delay is to be found causes for uneasiness. That should not prevent Britain and Italy proceeding with the conclusion of those special conventions set forth in the Anglo-Italian Agreement of April last. The adjustment of mutual relations on the basis of that document is of the highest importance, and while Brit may be expected to stand solidly behind France in any dispute that might arise, until it does occur it is obviously the duty of all statesmen, giving more than mere lip-service to the ideals of peace, to seek in every way to restore the bonds of amity, World's Telephone Centre London is now the hub of the world's long-distance telephone system. The last few years have seen world-wide improvements in this method of communication, but it is as a reSult of the combined excellence of British technical and commercial achievement that nearly all inter-continental telephone calls pass through the London switchboard. Great Britain is. now directly connected" by land-lines to every capital in Europe; a radio-telephone service between this country and the United States of America has been in service for over ten years, and similar services have also been established between Great Britain, the British Dominions and South America. The route mileage of international circuits now radiating from London is long enough to go three times round the equator, and the mileage of wire used would reach from the earth to the moon. As far as the internal long-distance telephone net-work is concerned, progress in Great Britain has been remarkable. Twenty-five years ago there were only four trunk lines cerine ing London and Scotland; today there are more than a hundred. "In 1924 there were only two Circuits between London and Plymouth, the chief town in the south-western part of the country; now there are no less than 91, and 77 of them have been established in the last four years. There are 3% million miles of single telephone wire in operation in Great Britain, and it is estimated that this comparatively small country accounts for nearly ten per cent. of the total number of telephones in the world.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.