One result of the Continent's uneasy state is that British holiday resorts are counting on a boom in foreign visitors. The Coronation brought shoals of them last year, and the continual rumours of war are likely to bring more shoals, not to mention the numbers who will make holiday at home instead of going abroad. I don't know of any who have actually cancelled an intended holiday on the Continent. but I have heard three or four, in the past fortnight, enquiring anxiously of friends whether they thought it really safe to go.
Of foreign visitors, Americans are always looked on as the most fruitful source. What says the immortal "Selfmade Merchant," "old Gordon Graham" in the letter from London to his son "Every time I entered a store all the assistants quit what they were doing and started in to mark up prices." At least 65,000 Americans are expected in the next three months.
At the other end of the scale the day-by-day trippers from French and Belgian ports are an increasingly lucrative trade, as they are allowed on these short excursions to do without passports, Small profits and quick returns. They may not spend much, but the aggregate is enormous.
Adding in the in-between folk who come for a week or two, the tourist trade this summer is expected to add Conspiracy Verdict some £32,000,000 to our "invisible Verdict was given yesterday in a case of unusual character and interest, in which three firms of bookmakers—"turf commission agents" as they are politely called nowadays—brought action against a man named Abrahams and four others for conspiracy to defraud. Of the four one had died before the action began and of two who were accused of exports Probably this figure could be doubled if the trade were organized and developed. There is a Travel Association, which gets a small subsidy from the Government, and distributes mountains "of leaflets about England, arranges tours and generally spoonfeeds visitors.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.