Crowning years of delayed hope and expectation, the Queen Mary is now well on her way across the Ailantic to regain, everybody hopes, the Blue Riband for the British mercantile marine. With the caution of the experienced skipper who docs of endeavour to force hig vessel, Sir Edgar Britten has refused to commit himself to an answer to the general wilt she break the Atlantic There are all sorts of factors entering into a reply to such a chal. Tenge but nobody. will believe that templation ashe surveys the beautiful ship in his command and feels the pulse of the engines as the Queen Mary's classic bow cuts through the Atlantic swell, does not feel and know that the record will be brokea.
The Queen Mary is due at Ambrose Light, off New York, next Monday with record broken but the announcement has been made that she is not expected to arrive until noon "according to schedule." Thereafter follows a new chapter in shipping competition on the Atlantic which Is ikely to see in the next decade even more rivalry than in the last until shipping companies, and nations which finance them," have [decided the important question of the small, economic ship against the large, luxury liner. Although con~ vineing arrays of can be paraded to prove the economic aspect of the problem, the giant liner of superlative beauty and power, with luxuries undreamt-of even in mod hotels, will continue to appeal to th travelling public. they gave such encouragement to the gambling spirit of London's citizens that they caused distress wherein "wives and children cry out for bread, and goto bed supper= less often in the year." Neverthe-Jess high personages indulged in the pastime. John Knox found Calvin at Geneva—on a Sunday alas!—engaged in bowls. Of John Aylmer, Bishop of London, it is also recorded that he played on Sunday afternoon, using it is regrettable to have to add language which aroused adverse criticism. Clerical golt—ay in Scotland too—is popularly reputed to suffer the same dis~ ability to-day. The evils of the alley spread to the greens and in the Stuart period the game reached the height of its gambling propensities John Evelyn, in the sporting atmosphere of the Durdans at Epsom played for £10 and won on August 14, 1657—Iet his diary be the witness.
Although this disrepute coin cided with the coming of the Stuarts from over the Tweed, it was Scotland which gave redress. Puritanical disfavour killed the game in England or rather reduced It to the level of public-house or tavern diversion, Scotland had Jearnt it at the end of the 16th century, but the opposition of the Kirk to Sunday bowls retarded progress. Then in the early part of the 10th Century Scotsmen made it respectable and it came to be regarded as a national game even rivalling golf in Scottish favour. So greens established in the 18th century) /—at Haddington, Kilmarnock, Glass gow, Peebles, Lanark and Edinburgh—came into their own. By organizing the game with standard laws the Scottish players put devotees: under a great obligation, Scottish emigrants carried bowls overseas and to them in the main is due the establishment of Lawn Bowls Clubs} in. places like Kobe, Yokohama, Hongkong and Shanghai. The influence of Scottish settlers in Australia gave that country event ually the honour of placing the game on a modern basis. For the: formation of the Bowling Associa tions of Victoria and New South Wales in 1880 gave a lead which was followed—in unhurried dignity—by the home country where the Scottish Bowling Association was founded in 1892. English Associa tions soon were formed and in 1905 single legislative authority was created by the amalgamation of the English with the Imperial Bowling Association. This is the brief story of the vicissitudes of the game which Japanese players are proposing to test in Hongkew. The. choosing of the slip who, in turn, has to select his leader for placing. the mat, throwing the jack, count. ing the game and calling the result, of each end, is of prime import ance. Therein lies the whole essence of bowls—its nice adjustment of temperament, personality and skill in the formation of a team. For team it must be: there is no place for the pure individual ist in bowls. If he intrudes he is a danger to his side and his expulsion or reform is imperative. No sportsmen in the world have shown themselves more appreciative of the team-spirit than the Japanese, as Shanghai rugger play-. fers will admit, 'There is reason' therefore to assume that before Jong some formidable bowling sides will emerge from Hongkew to extend some of the veterans on other Shanghai greens. Good luck to them, tance is the amusingly made to discount. the" activities Mr. A, P, Herbert the wicked "Ind pendent" who startled the country by getting Oxford University to elect him in preference to the official Con servative nominee. Mr. Herbert all intents and purposes a ernment. supporter on main. Is Dut, as everyone knows, he hi views on alcohol, matrimony and leg Fed-tape. "He made what the detached eritle would his opinions. Naturally ie has not succeeded attention to suseeeded in converting the Hou of Commons to. his views. points, but that does not explain why frequent efforts appear to be palpable tifting of eyebrows {ain press reporters. regale respective journals with his latest ad~ venture, Mr, Neville Chamberlat of all people, seems to have can "The other day Mr. eloquent appeal for jo in the amount made for Civil List Pensions which are awarded by a more or les grateful country to men and women distinguished in arts or Hiterature, In resisting the proposal Mr. Chamber~ lain was interrupted by Me, Herbert who explained that he had fixed the proposed amount at £4.00) annually because he thought that Mr. Cham~ berlain would "have the decency" to meet him halfway. Mr. Chamberlain ook exception to the word "decency" Dut excused it on the ground that Mr. Herbert was a new member. Hero surely is another example of the dency to make public eritielsm too mealymouthed, Mr. Herbert was not the right butt for reproving austerity; the discomfited the Chancellor his etymological assertion of im= penitence. Incidentally Mr. Herbert Fecelved from Sir John Squire subsequent support in the press, so although his suggestion was defeated in the House more may be heard of it, In the meantime it would be interesting to know why Mr, Herbert has become levitating to the Government to Which he normally gives his vote. does not mind for pai mentary reputations some= been made in
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.