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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (March 31, 1963)
2 g SUNDAY, MARCH 31, 1963 MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD. OBEGOW ; - - Influence of Great Britain Disproportionate to Its Area (Editor' no!: "Th world U getting mUr all th tim," Tryon egr. Yt how much do mott oi u know about our neighbor in thi rn mallr world, even about thou nation and paopln with whom w Hit lh cloinl associa tioni, upon whom our dea tinies may dpnd th moil. (It ii. in iact, a blurrd or cut-dated pieiur many of u have oi other coun lriei - a pictura that i( vigu on gtography, ng lacta or iorgt history, ig nor or i unawara oi progress, dismiii or iail to account ior Chang. (Th dispatch that follow 1 th lint oi a rla designed to sherpen your pictur o( th niiion that hara your glob, to bring it up to dat without ng Ucting th pait. Thy ara ktch that may lurprita you with om thing you thought you know - and didn't. Todayi Britain.) 'mm. - '"IT m "V v, ' Te ' r By ROBERT MUSEL United Pri Inttrnational London - (UPD - Great Brit ain, the United Kingdom and the British Isles are not three versions of the same thing. Great Britain is an island composed of England, Scot land and-Wales. The United . Kingdom is Great Britain plus northern Ireland. The British ' Isles Is the term properly applied to the United Kingdom plus the is- lands around it - the isles of Scilly to the southwest,, the Isle of Man to the west, the channel islands to the east and the Orkneys and Shetland tp the north of Scotland. For all this impressive nomenclature, it is a small place - 75th in size among the nations of the world with ' a land mass of 94,288 square miles, roughly the ilze of the state of Oregon. But its influence throughout history has always been dis proportionate to Its area. Great Britain measures only 600 miles from north to south but its sons have taken its language, system of gov ernment, culture and curren cy to the ends of the earth. Product Mor Milestones You could lose it in many of the states of the United States yet it ha produced more milestones in the history of invention than any other nation the steam engine, the let engine, the railroad, radar, television, penicillin, atomic theory among them. It has only 54,000,000 peo ple (ninth In world popula tion) but It ranks second In world trade, behind the Unit ed Slates. It Is the central banker of the sterling area which includes one-quarter of the world's population and carries on 40 per cent of the world's commerce. The British consider them selves a seafaring race, part ly because there are so many bays and inlets that no point in the land is more than 75 miles from tidal water. The North Sea washes the northern shores, the Irish Sea the west. The Atlantic Ocean is to the south and to the east Is the historic "moat," the English Channel which di vides it from the northwest coast of Europe and lis near est neighbors, France, Bel- glum, Holland. Narrow Channel Paint - The channel Is 21 miles at Its narrowest point between Dover and Cape Gri Nez in France. Because Britain grows only half the food it needs and has few natural resources other than coal and low-grade iron ore, it is the world's best cus tomer the largest importer of wheat, meat, butter, fodder grains, citrus fruits, tobacco, wool and hard timber. In return it sells locomo tives, aircraft, motor vehicles electrical equipment, chenv Icals, textiles and most types of machinery. The importing and export Ing accounts for 10 per cent of the total trade of the world. Britain Is very densely pop ulated ranking fourth behind only Japan, Belgium and the Netherlands. Few countries have a many people living in towns (80 per cent) or such a small proportion working In agriculture (4 per cent). A British Tradition Complanlng about the weather Is a British tradition but meteorologists consider it "temperate and equable." The average annual temperature la 50 degrees. The annual rain fall of 40 Inches Is well dis tributed hence there Is a long growing season, streams rare ly dry up, grass is green throughout the year and there is scarcely a month without flowers. Britons are mainly descend ed from the people who Inhab ited the island 000 years ago. The last of a long succession of invaders and colonizers from Scandinavia and the con tinent were the Normans who conquered Britain In 1066. They were a Viking people who settled and intermarried in France. rwr . l . ja- iiinrji.L- -t1 ii i hi h p ii ir - '". .sr. ) ,r i -f!i& sssBS rail ys t'A SURROUNDED BY NEW BUILDINGS This picture of London show St. Paul's Cathedral, now surrounded by new buildings, bordering on Cannon st. and Cespside in.. . an arch which was levelled during World War II. In the center right with the square tower and steeple is Bow Church, whose Bow Bells are world-famed. (UPI) Before the Normans came the Celts, the Romans in 55 BC led by Julius Caesar him self, the Anglo-Saxons and the Scandinavians including the Danes (King Canute was Dan ish). The English language, a marriage of Anglo-Saxon and Norman French, came to be predominate while dwindling use of Celtic- languages con tinues in some areas in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ire land, As the Romans found and all invaders and would-be in vaders have learned since, the British are tenacious of what they consider their rights and liberties. Wales conducted guerrilla warfare against the Normans from 1066 to the de feat of their Prince Llewellyn in 1284. Scotland did not yield to England until 1603. And even today there are liberation movements still smouldering in Wales and Scotland with their aims inde pendence from England. The great majority of males over 15 are in fulltime em ployment and nearly all single girls and one-third of married women go out to work. The average male salary is about seven shillings (one dollar) an hour or 15 sterling ($42) for an average work week of 42 to 48 hours. Women average eight sterling ($22.40). There is no equality in wages. The major recreations of the British are soccer and the cinema although attendances at both are diminishing. This drop-off is attributed partly to television. The British are per sistent drinkers of tepid (room temperature) beer-in prefer ence to hard spirils-and spend a lot of time at their pubs. The per capita beer consumption in 1962 was about 19 gallons. They love dancing and more than 5 million go to the "palais"-as dance halls are known-every week. British home heating and food are among the most crit icized and joked about in Eu- rope. The British stubbornly stick to the coal fire which is inadequate in houses not prop erly weather-proofed; hence the constant complaints in cold weather. Buses, taxis and subways are also mostly un healed. Still Th Exception The Caesars brought cen tral heating with them but 2,000 years later it is still the exception in British homes. The British diet is improv ing but many families, espe cially outside London, still rely on starchy, stodgy or fried foods and are suspicious of "continental" sauces and seasonings. They are begin ning to learn, however, as they increasingly take their holidays abroad and London has developed several world class restaurants. There are nearly 9 million children and young people in full time attendance in the schools, over 90 per cent of them in the free lower schools and the other 10 per cent in the private and preparatory schools. There are 23 univer sities, most of them assisting with state funds. Schooling till the age of 15 is compul sory and the ministry of edu cation contends that there is, for practical purposes, no il literacy. Britain's economy is a mix ture of free enterprise and so cialism. The most dramatic ex ample of the latter is the na tional health scheme which provides a comprehensive health service for every Brit on from the cradle to the grave. Presents Many Face Britain presents many faces to the world. To Napoleon it was contemptuously a nation of shopkeepers. This is Dartlv true. It is also the nation that gave birth to Shakespeare and enriched the literary life of tne world with Ben Jonson, Milton, Spenser, Kipling, George Bernard Shaw. H. G. Wells and Nobel Prize win ners John Galsworthy and Sir Winston Churchill. Gainsborough, Constable and Turner were its greatest artists. It has never produced a great composer, yet its folk songs are among the most tuneful in the world. Britain Is a democratic monarchy. There is not writ ten constitution and Winston Churchill once remarked the U. S. Constitution took thou sands of words to say what the British constitution said in none. Queen Elizabeth is the nominal head of state. The throne is above politics. Un der her is the actual govern ment of the country, generally drawn from either the Tory (Conservative) or the Social ist (Labor) party which com mand about the same number of voters. 1.. At the moment, and tor the past decade, the Tories have held office. Other Political Party The only other political party of any consequence is tne Liberal Party which holds seven seats in the lower House of Parliament, the House of Commons. The upper house or House of Lords is composed of peers of the realm. It has little power except to make Com mons "think again"-by hold ing up legislation. There are no Communists In Parliament and the Com munist Party is small and in fluential only in a few indus trial areas and some unions. The British have never taken kindly to extremes in politics or anything else. If there is any one label that can be put on these 54 million people it is this: they are middle-of-the-road people. Incidentally Britons should not be called "Cockneys," ex cept the very few who have earned the name by being born within the sound of the bells of the Church of St. Mary-Le-Bow in London. Recipients Would Lose Race Funds Salem - (UPD - Removal of eight recipients from State Racing commission funds has been recommended to the Senate State and Federal Af fairs committee by Sen. Wal ter Leth.(R-Salem). Leth voiced support for a bill which would confine such funds to the State Fair, coun ty agricultural fairs, the Pen dleton Round-Up, and the Pa cific International Livestock Exposition. The bill would grant the State Fair and Livestock Ex position $75,000 a year instead of the present $35,000, the Pendleton Round -Up would continue to receive $7,500 a year, and the rest would be distributed to the counties for fairs or agricultural shows. Cut off from racing funds would be the Eastern Oregon Livestock Show at Union; the Mid Columbia Livestock Show at The Dalles: the Northwestern Turkey Show, Douglas county; the Merrill Potato Festival, Merrill; the Klamath Basin Roundup as sociation, Klamath county; the Spring Lamb and Dairy Show, Canby; the Pacific Coast Turkey Exhibit, Yam- mil county, and the Oregon State Corn Show at Oregon State university. SAVE THIS COUPON. The PARK HAVILAND I S. W. PARK at SALMON IN PORTLAND Here's a BIG special for a great week end of pleasure and relaxa I tion in the heart of Portland. Enjoy I the beautiful new swimming pool in the sky, the TOP OF THE PARK DINING, the stimulating Finnish I Suana and carefree days of fun. I M TMf Mr inttm j Jfe UtaJ Rmt Ourt 1 Beautiful I ALOHA ROOM I TOP OF THE PARK I DINING FREE GARAGE I With This Coupon WEEK ENO SPECIAL ! FUN BREAK 3 DAYS-2 NIGHTS I FOR 2 PEOPLE 10 m TOTAL COST MUt. THIS coupo wow fM. KBEIMTrOII Harold Wilson in Washington on First Visit By ROBERT MUSEL United Pren International London - (UPD - When Har old Wilson was a young boy he liked to walk along the street mentally working out the square root of automobile license numbers. In time he applied one of the most formidable brains in Britain to . politics and now he Is In Washington on his first visit to. the White House as leader of the Labor party and possibly Britain's next prime minister. Wilson came to the United States this week end to dis cuss foreign,' defense and eco nomic affairs with President Kennedy, Secretary of S t a t e Dean Rusk, Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara and Sec retary of the Treasury Doug las Dillon, He will be in the United States about a week, return ing for the introduction of the 1963-64 budget by the Macmillan government. Then, some time in the . next two months, he will go to Mos cow at the Invitation of Pre mier Nlkila S. Khrushchev. Takes Over Leadership WhBt kind of man Is Wil son? One can say quickly that he is a man who at 21 was one of the ablest economists of his time and an Oxford lecturer, at 31 became th youngest cabinet minister in 150 years as president of the board of trade, and one month short of his 47th birthday took over the leadership of his par ty as successor to the late Hugh Galtskcll. But many Britons, Includ lng Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, will tell you these are only surface answers, There is an uneasy feeling among his political opponents and also among some of his own associates that they have never sheared through all the layers to the essential Harold Wilson, Perhaps his discussions In Washington will provide some of the answers the Kennedy administration also is looking for. Certainly Wilson, who Is sometimes accused of not tak. ing definite stands on vital Issues, will make clear exact ly his views on the Anglo- American alliance, which he generally supports although not in all aspects fit mutual defense policy. A Graying Man President Kcnmdy and his aides will find Wilson plumpish, graying man look ing older than his years. In terminably sucking a big pipe and given to such man-of-thc- peoplc dress habits as sweat crs under his Jackets and a veteran nylon pebble-grain overcoat with tartan lapels. Ho will speak to Amcri cans, as he docs it home, in the broad, flnt accents of his native Yorkshire although he has spent enough time at Ox ford and in London to have lost It. As far as Prime Minister Macmillan and hi associates HAROLD WILSON Britain's New Labor Party Leader are concerned the accent may be part of Wilson's protective coloration (like his careless dress). But they know, too, that cultivated accent or not. he Is apt to heave to his feet In the midst of a rmplicated parliamentary debate and at tack the government with a dazzling display of, fact and wit drawn from a mind that never forgets anything It has learned.. No Us Checking If Wilson snys a certain ! statistic is on a certain page of a government report there Is llltle use bothering- to check. It's there. The years have only sharpened his mem- i ory. Wilson's record en route to his present position as . leader of "Her Majesty' Loy al Opposition" (an officer of the crown in the democratic monarchy) is almost unique In British politics. He was tip ped for a cabinet post at 27, made it four years later. Ho was only 32 when he , took on the wily Anastas Ml-, koyan of Russia In exhaust ing negotiations. Mikoyan, a ' veteran at this sort of thing, thought he had the young ; Briton on the ropes but Wil- j son bought his first pipe and used to draw on it hour aft er hour keeping his blood pressure down while Mikoy an vainly tried to keep the tension up. Ever since, Wil son has rarely been seen In public without a pipe; it's part of his political cquip page. His sharpest memory ot his youth, and one which colors i his thinking even today. Is that his father was unemploy. cd for two years. His father still lives and they appear to be close. Macmillan and his party have been trying hard in. re cent weeks to force Wilson to make specifically clear every thing he plans to do on the big issues nf British politics if his party assumes power at the next election and it has a 15 per cent lead In popular polls at the moment. They are trying hard also to pin the label of unreliabil ity on him as their best hope of encompassing his defeat. Wilson's friends contend h"e is consistent, that It is his crit ics who cannot follow the log ical unfolding of his attitudes. And he can be forthright. He demanded at a public rally this month that the govern ment halt the export of arms to South Africa because of its apartheid policy. Against Defense Politics He also has been outspoken against Macmillan's defense politics and is understood to be in favor of dropping Brit ain's independent nuclear force. He believes in some nation alization of industry the official policy of the Labor party but he laughs away as ridiculous a recent conserv ative party pamphlet which alleged that 'he planned to take over most of the big firms In Britain. After the death of Galls kcll in January there was a three-way battle for leader ship of the Labor party among Wilson, the Deputy Leader George Brown and James Cal- laghan. Callnghan dropped out after the first ballot and Wilson won a surprisingly large majority on the second ballot. More Human Image Wilson is married and since his elevation to party leader he has been busy creating a more human public image (he has very few close friends). Television viewers recently saw him perform his "party trick" hitting a golf ball over the roof of his house with a mashie niblick from a point only a few yards in front of it. He was watched by a small force of rooters his wife and two sons. He was also seen dancing at a reception with a party worker. 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