The issue may very well turn on the general state of prosperity and employment. Recent returns of the latter. have been encouraging and it is said that the next returns (unavailable before this goes to the post) will show a big drop in unemployment, The seaside always provides a lot of extra work in the summer.
There are optimists who prophesy a big revival of industry before the autumn. Sir William Crawford, for instance, who is going to New York as head of the delegation to the Advertising Convention at the World's Fair. As a result of extensive market research he says he forsees the trade curve taking a "steep upward bend" "at the beginning of September."
Against this, the Stock Exchange is still lethargic. For many months past stockbrokers have had an appalling time. Here is a small example. A neighbour of mine, a stock-jobber normally well-to-do told me the other day that he would have no roses this year. "We got black-spot badly last year and had to scrap the lot," he said, "and I couldn't afford to replace' them." When the Stock Exchange languishes, it means that less money all round is being spent. This year's London Season too, is very quiet, partly, of course because the King and Queen are away, but much more because people are tightening their purse-strings. have cancelled all their entries for the centenary meeting at Henley next month, on the ground that the political atmosphere as between Great Britain and Germany is not conductive. "We regret it," says Herr Pauli, head of the German rowing organization, "but we do not think the visit would be pleasant in the circumstances." The decision also debars the famous Austrian sculler Josef Hasenoerhl, winner of the Dia-mands in 1937, from coming.
The whole incident is rather curio ous. A month ago the Germans had entered for every event, Three weeks ago a British football team was playing matches in Germany to the friendliest reception. And now this! The "Manchester Guardian" speculates that it may be Germany's reprisal for the recent decision of the International Student Federation not to support the World Student Games at Vienna in August.
These were to have been held at Bonn in Germany, but after the Anschluss Germany transferred them to Vienna, and also decided to make her own rules for the contest. Simultaneously she decided to withdraw ce-operation from the International Student Federation, which accordingly withdrew its support from Vienna and is trying to organize games of its own elsewhere. The "Manchester Guardian" says:
No doubt the Italians and a few other nations dwelling under the shadow of the Axis will support the Vienna games, but the rest are expected fo stand by the federation n matters of this kind Britain plays an important and Germany "would probal be right (though one has no evidence) in assuming that British influence had much to do with the federation's decision to stand by its own rules. It surprising if the Ger-to. wither which after al! is largely was to some exter inspired by the snub administered to it in the matter of Vienna.
Who says that international sporting contests breed good fellowship among the nations? They appear to lead to nothing but rows.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.