THE FRATERNITY OF GIANTS

SIR NIGEL GRESLEY (1876-1941)

We are accustomed to certain concepts of British anti-French prejudice as being as reliable as if cast in steel. These ideas go back even centuries. And the more "Establishment" the British person is, the more lively the prejudice we expect.

Now in the pre-WW II era there was no mechanical engineer in England more celebrated than the great Sir Nigel Gresley. He was the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London and North Eastern Railway (L.N.E.R.) and designer of many locomotives but of greatest note for his A4 Streamlined Pacifics especially their class member "MALLARD" at the time, the fastest steam locomotive in the world at 126mph, although Sir Nigel Gresley only accepted 125mph!

                                                   L.N.E.R. A 4  MALLARD

But the brotherhood of Mechanical Engineers exceeds the power of national prejudice. There was another, greater Mechanical Engineer in France: Andre Chapelon. Unlike Sir Nigel Gresley, this genius was relatively frustrated by his administrative superiors, and, unable to get approval to build many new locomotives according to his ideas, he had to content himself with re-building existing locomotives. This he did with remarkable brilliance, which was acknowledged by his peers around the world, but treated as an embarrassment by his superiors. Chapelon was among the earliest champions of a scientific approach to the detail of locomotive design and performance, which had up to that time, been largely pragmatic being based on trial and error -  evolution from previous practice.In 1925 Gresley was so impressed by what he read of  Chapelon's work that he went to France to visit him and consult him. When he returned to England he put in hand the experimental fitting of a Chapelon "Kylchap" exhaust system to an existing L.N.E.R. 4-4-0 "Derbyshire". In 1930 Chapelon visited England and rode the footplate of "Derbyshire". Unfortunately, Chapelon's plans had not been well followed and the system did not work as well as it ought. 

This was far from being their only collaboration. The conventional steam locomotive has a "fire tube boiler" that is, it is pierced with tubes which take the heat from the firebox through the surrounding water to the smokebox and exhaust through the chimney. The steam generated gathers atop the boiler in the steam dome and travels from there, via the valves, into the cylinders and then out through the valves to the exhaust, creating a draught which draws the heat from the firebox through the tubes. The faster the locomotive goes, the stronger the draught, the hotter the boiler and the more steam.It is a real demonstration of a virtuous circle. But in the mid-1920s Gresley began to consider the concept of a water tube boiler such as used in marine applications. This would have been the first variation from the essential principles formulated by George Stephenson in his splendid "ROCKET" in 1829. The motivation for considering this radical change was to obtain marked economies in fuel consumption which, in his latest high-speed trains was becoming a serious concern. 

                                                  Andre Chapelon (1892-1978)

Completed at the end of 1929, No.10000, as it was designated, was a 4-6-4 with a water tube boiler operating at 450 lbs psi. It had 6'8" driving wheels. Its unusual appearance gained it the nickname "the galloping sausage" from the engine crews. After running 70,000 miles it was brought into the workshops for a major overhaul. It seems that not a great deal could be said in its favour. Gresley consulted Chapelon whose reputation for improving locomotives was legendary. Chapelon was interested in the challenge. He recommended some highly technical changes related to superheating All of Chapelon's recommendations were followed, but No.10000 never did live up to expectations. In 1937 No.10000 was fitted with a conventional boiler and streamlined in the manner of the A4s.  George Stephenson RULES!

Judging by the photograph - and there are few of them on Google Images - M.Chapelon was not the sort of person to suffer fools gladly. Perhaps this offers a clue as to why his superiors were so determined to frustrate his brilliance.

                                                              S.N.C.F. No. 242. A. 1.

The finest example of Chapelon's genius is shown in the magnificent  SNCF (Societe Nationale Chemin de Fer - the French nationalised Railways) 4-8-4  No. 242.A.1 completed in 1946.It has been described as " the most outstanding steam locomotive that ever ran upon rails".(Col. H.C.B. Rogers O.B.E. in Express Steam Locomotive Development in Great Britain and France p 105) It produced 4,000 h.p. continually at the Tender drawbar at speeds from 50 to 75 mph.Even at low cut-offs it produced 3,800 h.p.

Books aplenty have been written about the achievements of these great locomotives and their designers. How different from our own times, those in the not so distant past, have become.

CONJUGATING

NSW D 57 Class Steam Loco -The Conjugating Gear for the centre valves may be seen below the Smokebox door.

"Conjugated" is not a word that we hear often. This is doubly so in these times, in this post-classical world, because it is a word heavy with Latin association. Literally," it means " joined together with". So, how does it relate to the massive, brooding, almost brutish image above? The clue is right in front of us, right at the front of the locomotive itself. Right there under the "chin" of the smokebox is  "Gresley's conjugating valve gear".

The locomotive shown above is one of the D57 Class freight locomotives of the New South Wales Government Railways. When they were introduced in 1927 they were the only three-cylinder steam locomotives on the N.S.W. Railways. They retained that exclusive status until 1957 when the nearly identical, but strangely less successful D 58 Class came into service. 

Three-cylinder steam locomotives were developed where the outside cylinders and valve gear on either side were complemented by a central third cylinder between the frames and driving a cranked axle, this was most commonly made practical using Gresley's conjugating valve gear. This valve gear drew its action from the outer valve gear via a rod moving on a pivot under the front of the smokebox.

Three-cylinder steam locomotives were already common in British railway practice and had been so for several decades. They were the result of the restrictions of the British loading gauges and the need for greater power to draw heavier and heavier trains at greater and greater speeds.This arose from the intense competition between the various railway companies prior to the disastrous railway nationalisation undertaken by the Socialist Labor government in 1948.

In New South Wales the need for additional power had historically been met by increasing the size of the locomotive - principally its boiler.This process can readily be traced through the development of the C32, C34, C35, C36 classes of passenger locomotives culminating in the C38 Class. In the C38 Class, we see the absolute limit in many respects, of what was possible. The locomotive and its tender filled the limits of the loading gauge much as a bodybuilder might cause his shirt to bulge and strain. They were as long as the principal turntables in place could handle. Freight locomotives were a different set of requirements, and the D57 Class was also built to the limits of the loading gauge. Moreover, its weight, especially the load on the driving axles, restricted its employment to certain main lines only.If extra power was to be gained, the third cylinder was the way to go.  It is interesting to note that in the USA there were very few three-cylinder locomotives. The reason was simple, the American loading gauges were so large that it was possible to easily envisage and build larger locomotives.

Three-cylinder locomotives had, by and large, been avoided in N,S,W, practice due to the desire to keep mechanical servicing simple since servicing facilities were relatively few and far between in N.S.W. as they are throughout Australia.

The D57 Class locomotives were colloquially known to railway staff as "the big engines".

This classic photo by the great Leon Oberg shows the Gresley conjugating valve gear

Anyone who has heard the triple-beat of the exhaust of a D57 or D58 Class locomotive, and felt the trembling of the earth as they passed at the head of a heavy freight train, will never forget the experience.

DRESSING FOR SPEED IN DEUTSCHLAND

Dressing for Speed

In May 1936 a crossing gate guard on the important Berlin � Hamburg line was alerted by an almost unearthly but rapidly approaching howling. He likened it to a steam-powered siren. Before he could collect his thoughts, his humble crossing was host to the thunder and enormous speed of the streamlined locomotive 05 002 pulling four express coaches. With observers from the Reichsbahn on board, the thundering burgundy-colored machine recorded a speed of 200.4 km/h (124.52 mph). Paul Roth, from the Reichsbahn�s Berlin-Grunewald test facility, who was on board during the test run, likened the unearthly howl emanating from the smokestack of the BR 05 to its boiler working probably dangerously close to the edge of the envelope, as we like to say in today�s techno jargon.
Some time after Errol Kubicki and I had completed our article on tenders, I asked him if he had any ideas for other articles. After several e-mail exchanges, he asked what I knew about streamlined Dampfloks, specifically streamlined tank engines. Well, I never really paid much attention to them � tank or otherwise but that I�d be willing to do a little investigating. To urge me on, Errol lent me a copy of Modell Eisen Bahner featuring a fairly detailed article on the topic. So, here goes.
Much as we admire the sight of a steam locomotive with its jungle of pipes, valves, connecting rods, and much more of the external necessities that propel the machine, this beloved mechanical jungle does little to improve the efficiency of what is already a rather inefficient machine. By the 1930s, the major locomotive builders in Europe, specifically Germany, realized that, if they were to compete with lighter, more aerodynamic railcars such as "Der Fliegende Hamburg" and the up and coming electric locomotives like the E 18, they would have to take a closer look at clothing their Dampfloks in an aerodynamic shell.
While this well-known run set a record, Wolfgang Messerschmidt, the famous German railroad historian, thinks it is (was) not a record. Being quite familiar with American steam locomotive technology, he feels that some streamlined Alco steam locomotives achieved speeds as high as 230 km/h (142.9 mph). This, of course, also eclipses the run made by "Mallard" in England at 202.7 km/h (125.9 mph) but this latter figure is disputed since it was allegedly done on a slight down grade. Actually, some minor attempts to impart some windcheating form to locomotives go back to the early part of the 20^th century when cabs began to be enclosed and the front of the boiler was fabricated in a more conical shape. Take a look at the Bavarian S 3/6 locomotives.
The Beginning
Still, in Germany the effort to develop a more efficient streamlined steam locomotive was on and became more earnest in 1932. William Beil, the director of engineering at Borsig in Berlin (Hennigsdorf), recalls that they were looking at speeds in the 150 km/h (93 mph) range since that was already possible with lighter self-propelled railcars. Borsig conducted some windtunnel testing at its own expense and the Reichsbahn did similar work at the University of G�ttingen. The result was that Lok 03 154 was fitted with a more aerodynamic cab and a parabola shaped boiler door. The running gear and boiler were also enclosed with the enclosures featuring suitable access panels for maintenance. Steaming at 150 km/h (93 mph) it quickly became evident that the engine was able to pull more cars with less effort. This was attributed not only to the streamlining but also to the increased thermodynamic efficiency realized by the streamlining. At the time, William Beil calculated that the streamlining contributed an extra 290 hp at 120 km/h (75 mph). Further calculations for speeds of 160 km/h (100 mph) showed that additional tractive effort would result which would translate directly into hauling more passenger cars.
All of this success led directly to incorporating this technology into the BR 05. As this new project began to, pardon the pun, take shape, the DRG also asked Borsig to streamline
03 193. By then the DRG had also mandated that passenger locomotives capable of speeds exceeding 140 km/h (87 mph) would be equipped with streamlining. Affected were BR 01¹⁰, 03¹⁰, 05 and 06. While this speed demarcation was in effect at the Reichsbahn, this concept was basically ignored in other countries. In the mid-1930s it had become fashionable, especially in the United States, to streamline locomotives whether or not any performance benefit would be realized or not. Fashionable or not, the German locomotive builders also had to be increasingly concerned with the competition offered by the already mentioned lighter and more aerodynamic railcars and electric locomotives. Not only were these quite efficient but they were also very attractive from a marketing viewpoint.
The ubiquitous BR 01 and BR 03
At first sight the famous BR 01¹⁰ and BR 03¹⁰ look almost identical but the difference was more skin deep with the BR 01 being the heavier duty machine with greater axle loading. The lighter duty BR 03 and its BR 01 counterpart were both destined to be clothed with streamlining. Altogether, these types were the most widely built and used streamliners. Initially, the DRG wanted to order 205 of the BR 01¹⁰ but the war reduced this by nearly 75 percent. Most survived those years and in 1949 they were overhauled but their streamlining was removed. Similarly, the original order for 140 of the BR 03¹⁰ streamliners was reduced to 60 at the start of the war. After the conflict, the DB and DR overhauled them but also had their streamlining removed.
The BR 05 in two versions
"In the BR 05 German steam engine development had reached its highest point." Those were the words of the editors of "M+F Journal" 25 years ago. That this is unarguable was proven in May 1936 when 05 002 broke the 200 km/h (124 mph) barrier. Three streamlined BR 05s were built by Borsig under the direction of Richard Paul Wagner at the DRG - two conventional (05 001 and 05 002) and one cab forward (05 003). All were 2�C2� (4-6-4) three-cylinder machines with five axle tenders. (Author�s note: This is the Wagner whose name is applied to the large smoke deflectors)
The conventional BR 05s were delivered in March and May 1935. Both entered revenue service in 1936 on the Berlin � Hamburg line. During the May 1936 record run, 05 002 developed over 3,400 hp (2,535 kW). With advent of the war, both were sidelined since high speed passenger service was deemed superfluous. They survived the war and in 1950, Krauss-Maffei dismantled the streamlining and reduced the boiler pressure to 16 bar. They then entered regular service in 1951 and were retired in July 1958. Engine 05 001 was installed in the N�rnberg Transportation Museum complete with its original streamlining. Together with 05 001, the two Loks regularly reached speeds of 150 km/h (93 mph) and 175 km/h (108 mph) on some stretches.
The cab forward design was radical by any measure. The engine was delivered in the fall of 1937. Unlike the Southern Pacific cab forward engines, the design of the 05 003 was intended primarily to provide better visibility for the crew at the anticipated high speeds. The obvious impossibility of trying to shovel coal into the boiler resulted in use of a stoker system that moved coal dust through a 14 m (46-ft) long pipeline. Even the use of coal dust proved difficult. Test results with two types of coal (brown and hard) were less than satisfactory. In 1944, 05 003 was rebuilt into a conventional locomotive but without streamlining. Its livery was wartime camouflage paint complete with strategically located armor plate to protect vital parts. After surviving the war, Krauss-Maffei overhauled this engine in 1950 and it joined the other 05s in revenue service. The ideal fuel would have been oil but this was not considered since it would have meant use of a very strategic material. Besides, the DRG had only very limited experience with oil-firing.
The Mammoth BR 06
The BR 06 was developed in 1933. It was necessary to have a high-performance locomotive for more mountainous areas and the all-important Berlin � Frankfurt/Main and Berlin � Munich lines. The new prototype engine had to be able to pull 650 ton trains at 120 km/h (75 mph) and on more severe grades at 60 km/h (37 mph). But, it was not until April 1939 that Krupp delivered the prototype three-cylinder BR 06 (06 001), a 2�D2� (4-8-4) design. It and its mate 06 002 were then the largest steam locomotives built in Germany. Their impressive size was further enhanced by their huge partially exposed drivers. Alas, the machines disappointed. There were boiler problems but perhaps potentially more serious was their inability to negotiate radii of 140 m (460 feet) without the possibility of derailing. Some railroaders also cast doubt on the machines� inability to safely negotiate some of the very complex turnout systems in place at that time. One of the driven axles was even flangeless. These limitations and the advent of more efficient electric locomotives on the Berlin � Frankfurt and Berlin � Munich lines doomed the BR 06. It never entered series production. Engine 06 001 was taken out of service in 1951 and 06 002 was hit by a bomb and destroyed during the war.
BR 61 and Henschel - Wegmann
Enter the locomotive builder Henschel & Sohn and the car builder Wegmann & Co. This team designed and developed a streamlined locomotive and suitable passenger cars to compete with the railcars. It was to be a relatively light train based on a 2�B1� (4-4-2) tank engine and passenger cars featuring Jacobs trucks. The DRG, however, wanted the design to make greater use of existing standard designs for both the locomotive and cars. What emerged was a streamlined BR 61 (61 001) and matching passenger cars painted in attractive aluminum and violet colors.
The train made its debut in May 1935 on the Berlin � Dresden route. In acceleration and top speed it matched "Der Fliegende Hamburg." Top speed was 185 km/h (115 mph), but at 150 km/h (93 mph), the locomotive�s running characteristics were not nearly as stable as those of other streamliners, notably the BR 05. Nevertheless, the new train did the 176 km (109 mile) Berlin to Dresden route in 100 minutes, a speed of 64 mph (103.5 km/h). The limited water capacity of the BR 61 was also an issue. Still, the train entered service. At war�s end, it was stationed in Braunschweig. It was then outfitted for service between Hannover and Bielefeld. An accident in 1952 led to its retirement.
To overcome these objections, in 1939 Henschel delivered a larger three-cylinder BR 61 (61 002) with the unusual axle configuration of 2�C3� (4-6-6). To accommodate the increased coal and water capacity, Henschel chose the three-axle trailing truck and too keep axle loading at the 18.5 tons dictated by the Reichsbahn. The new machine performed very well but scheduled service between Berlin and Dresden did not materialize and by 1943 both 61 001 and 61 002 gave up their attractive paint scheme and reverted to dreary wartime gray. But, the story of 61 002 did not end here, and as the immortal Monty Python gang often said, "and, now for something completely different."
After World War 2, 61 002 remained in the Soviet occupied zone of Germany. The servicing facility in Dresden had little use for the one-off locomotive other than to use it for various general purpose tasks. For a while, the engine was used for the personal train of the transportation minister but even while serving this dutiful bureaucrat, the machine exhibited all sorts of ills. As it turned out, the railway development center in Halle needed locomotives capable of at least 160 km/h (100 mph) to test high speed passenger cars then under development. The overhaul facility in Meiningen was given the job to convert 61 002 to a conventional tender locomotive of 2�C1� (4-6-2) configuration capable of 180 km/h (112 mph). The tender was from a BR 44 (44 468). The outside cylinders were from H 45 024, an experimental coal dust fired Lok with a condensing tender. (The less than elegant H 45 024, in turn, was derived from a conventional BR 45.) The reborn engine, now oil-fired, was designated 18 201 and in honor of the first German Pacific, a Badische IVf in 1907. This Lok used the 18 201 number in 1925. To some extent the new, green 18 201 looked like the Bundesbahn�s BR 10 of 1956.
The little BR 60
Though not intended to break or even approach high speeds, the private L�beck � B�chener Eisenbahn (LBE) ordered two streamlined BR 60s from Henschel. The two modest two-cylinder locomotives (60 001 and 60 002) were delivered in 1936. The LBE combined these with two-level coaches. The two trains were used in pull-push service on the Hamburg � L�beck � Travem�nde line. The little tank engines were capable of 120 km/h (75 mph). The LBE ordered a third slightly more powerful BR 60 streamliner (60 003) in 1937.
With the start of the war, the DRG de-emphasized high speed passenger traffic and relegated the BR 60s to heater service but eventually only 60 001 was used for that. In 1945, 60 002 and 60 003 went to the East German DR. Engine 60 002 was in service in the Berlin suburbs until 1958 and the third machine served until 1962 near Stralsund.
The Unconventional BR 19
Yet another but the last attempt to build another aerodynamic steam engine was Henschel�s design for the BR 19. In its outward appearance, the 19 1001 was very similar to the BR 01 and BR 03 streamliners. It was a decidedly unconventional machine of 1�Do1� (2-8-2) configuration. Four two-cylinder steam engines were used. On the right side, two engines powered the first and third driven axle and on the left side a similar arrangement powered the second and fourth driven axles. It was delivered to the DRG on June 13, 1941 and after solving some teething problems, the BR 19 showed stable and quiet running characteristics. Trials on a dynamometer at the DRG�s Grunewald (Berlin) test facility showed that speeds of up to 200 km/h (124 mph) should be easily possible. A promising start, indeed.
In tests on the Berlin � Hamburg line the machine reached 186 km/h (115 mph), a speed that was not only attributed to its unconventional propulsion system but also to the well designed streamlining. While the potential was clearly there, the times did not permit further development. In May 1943, the engine was transferred to Bw Altona (near Hamburg) and used in revenue service. A bomb hit in early in 1944 damaged 19 1001 but she was repaired only to be hit again in August 1944, but this time more severely that was followed by sidelining. In April 1945, the unusual machine was discovered by the advancing American troops, taken into custody and then shipped to Fort Monroe in Virginia in October of that year. Industry engineers and others examined the Lok but did not run it. As a matter of fact, the machine never ran again under its own power. The advent of dieselization by the American railroads quickly obsoleted steam power. By 1952, the engine was scrapped.
The BR 10
No doubt the last gasp in search of a more streamlined steam engine was the BR 10. It was a very advanced three-cylinder 2�C1� (4-6-2) and, according to Wolfgang Messerschmidt, it was really a pseudo-streamliner. Krupp built the only two of these prototypes in 1956, which were intended to replace the BR 01¹⁰ and BR 03¹⁰. The first, 10 001, was coal-fired and its mate, 10 002, was oil fired. The machine�s axle loading of 22 tons imposed restrictions on many lines and, in addition, not all lines permitted its service speed of 140 km/h (87 mph). With times and technology changing rapidly, the end of steam was clearly in sight. Both were retired in 1967.
The End of an Era
As we saw, those streamliners that survived the war were stripped of their elegant windcheating exteriors. Soon the groundbreaking V200 came on the scene as did the E18 before the war. Both were clearly more efficient and faster but even they are retired now. Today�s passengers on the ICE will probably never have heard of the mighty 05 002�s record run. The longest lived streamliner was no doubt 01 1102 delivered in the summer of 1940 and served until 1974. It is now restored and still operating much to the delight of Europe�s steam enthusiasts.
Streamliner Summary

Type	Service Class	No. built	Service Years
BR 0110	S 36.20	55	1939 - 1953
BR 0310	S 36.18	60	1939 - 1959
BR 05	S 37.19	2	1935 - 58
BR 05*	S 37.19	1	1937 - 1939; 1950 - 1958
BR 06	S 48.18/20	2	1939 - 1945
BR 10	S 36.22	2	1956 - 1967
BR 19	S 46.18	1	1941 - 1944
BR 60	St 24.18/19	3	1936 - 1962
BR 61	St 38.18	2	1935 - 1956
18 201**	S 36.20	1	1961 - ??
* cab forward
** ex 61 002

Acknowledgements:
The author appreciates the assistance provided by Kevin Brady and Heinz Brockmann.
Sources:
"50 Jahre Einheitslokomotiven", Alfred B. Gottwaldt, ISBN 3-440-04253-7, 1975.
"Das Grosse Typenbuch Deutscher Lokomotiven", Weisbrod, B�zold,, Obermayer, ISBN 3-334-70751-5, 1995.
"Die Dampfmotor Lokomotive 19 1001", M�rklin Magazin, 2/74, pp. 28 � 30.
"Baureihe 05 � Die schnellsten deutschen Dampflokomotiven", M+F Journal, 1/1975, pp. 10 �12.
"Die Entwicklung der Stromlinien Lokomotiven der Deutschen Reichsbahn", M+F Journal,1/1977, pp. 47 � 49.
"Ganz in Schale", Franz Rittig, Modell Eisen Bahner, Nr. 12/1996, pp. 12 � 19.

"Jimmos starke Herren", Eisenbahn Magazin, 12/9

GIVE IT BACK!

AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER SCOTT MORRISON

We all know the story  :

It was Friday 13th, what could possibly go wrong? The Council of Australian Governments was meeting. These are normally times when the State Governments or various combinations of them of one Political Party gang up on the Federal Government of the opposite political persuasion - which holds the purse strings- in an effort to get more money. But on this occasion, everyone was in panic mode. The World Health Organisation on 12th March had declared the Corona Virus COVID 19 to be a Pandemic. This was the scenario so excitingly depicted in several movies in recent years and in one by Netflix in recent weeks - without the development having become a reality.

But here they were: Heads of our Governments gathered together and the plans swiftly revealed. In short order, Prime Minister Scott Morrison ("ScoMo" to those not too embarrassed to use it) had been having a hard time since early January. As the Bushfire Crisis which was to rage until the greater part of the East Coast was wildly ablaze, was only two weeks old, and already thought disastrous, our bold P.M. took himself and his family off to Hawaii for a family holiday! Worse still, he had allowed himself to be smilingly photographed with the family beachside and enjoying a drink. Ever since he had been shamed into returning to duty, he had been apologetically running to try to show he really cared.

But now' become "stupor Australis", he sought to put on a Churchillian Aura. Like a latter-day Jim Hacker, he began to make histrionic utterances, and, having discovered the magic pudding, to announce the spending of Billions of Dollars the Country does not have. The purpose of these expenditures was to cover the cost of anti-Pandemic measures designed by the World Health Organisation to arrest the spread of the Pandemic.

The effect of these measures was to progressively destroy the economic fabric of any democratic capitalist state. The solution was then to force the people into total dependence on the State. The State, of course, stood ready to let the printing presses roll and pump out the cash necessary for those unemployed by its actions or disadvantaged by its actions. No matter that the State did not have that money in reality: those same people would have to repay the debt in higher taxes over the many years ahead, further binding them to the State.

The P.M. became quite enamoured of the sound of his own voice, and the ex Advertising man of Evangelical Protestant persuasion,with the  Treasurer- the distressed-looking Joshua Frydenburg standing at a distance to his right- was soon announcing all manner of decisions by the stunned "National cabinet". This was banned, that was banned, no one could walk here or there, and the Police would strictly enforce blah, blah, blah on and on it went. The Treasurer began to look as if he himself had not seen the Magic Pudding but was allowing the P.M. enough political rope to hang himself when, in due course, his "loyal" Treasurer would accede to the Throne - as another Treasurer had done in the very recent past.

After a couple of weeks, in which the State Premiers had started off trying to be even more repressive than the P.M. but faltered as the people began to push back, and the Leader of the theoretical Opposition Anthony Albanese became ever more irrelevant as he cast aside his role as Pelosi Parrot demanding Investigations - that was going nowhere in Corona Time - even the P.M. gave up on his daily harangues(oops Press Conferences).

People ....even the politically correct Mass Media - began to ask "When will this all end?" and "Are we living in a Police State?"

There was no doubt that the Police, usually satisfied with Systematic Breath Tests (they used to be called "Random" - but that was only to get them accepted) were now quite enjoying going out in pairs with handcuffs and various weapons and systems dangling from their belts and bouncing off their ample posteriors, handing out "on the spot" fines to people drinking coffee outdoors, or sitting in a park, or on a beach and other outrageous exercises of what used to be freedom. All of this designed by the World Health Organisation 

But the P.M. was not alone. Suddenly our TV Screens were filled with"EXPERTS" and "Ministerial Advisers" who became quite accustomed to their daily roles before the TV Cameras.  Elected? No, not they! But in many ways, they had usurped the role of our Elected representatives. Any way Parliament for a long time was not meeting - Corona Virus risk don't you realise? Then when finally it HAD to meet to enable the spending of the Billions we did not have, many members were, by agreement, not present, in order to preserve Social Distancing!

President ("for Life"?) Xi JinpingAdd caption

This was all very confusing for simple Australian souls. We are a pragmatic people not accustomed to principles and ideas. But gradually intuition began to assert itself.....something was not right about all this. How did we get into this mess? Was it not the case that that the vast majority of all cases in Australia came from overseas and were overseen by our "Experts"? And now our "Experts" are telling us what to d0? Is it not true that our "Experts" allowed the Cruise Ship "Ruby Princess" to discharge her over 3,000 passengers in Sydney  14 of whom have died from Corona Infection? The NSW Health Minister whose "Experts" advised and caused this to happen has not been sacked.                            

 The Minister has not resigned, nor have the "Experts".Again international air travellers to Australia were not banned until late in March. Our "Experts" were trying to catch up! Commonwealth statistics show that the majority of Corona Virus Confirmed Cases in Australia come from overseas travellers. Yes, we are plagued by "Experts" in more ways than one.

Looked at overall, we can see that our would-be Churchill has attacked the economic wellbeing of the Country, the economic future of the Country, the social underpinnings of the Country and the culture of the Country. We have paid a high price for his Hawaiian guilt trip and the mistakes of our "Experts" who are now reluctant to loosen their grip on social control.

What for? So far the deaths from Corona Virus remain far less than for "ordinary influenza" each year in Australia. BY FAR! Each year Australia has between 1,500 to 3,000 Deaths from influenza depending on the yearly conditions and there are an average of 18,000 Hospitalisations. Now the Corona Virus has killed 84 people (if "Ruby Princess" deaths are excluded -70) and 42 are hospitalised.

Why has the response to this WHO decision to declare the title "Pandemic" been made so thoroughly devastating?

No wonder the cry of "I want my life back!" Is becoming so intense. And all the more so since the rabid radical Communist activities of the WHO Director-General become more widely - known.


The only good to come out of the whole affairs the belated realisation that the world including Australia, has let itself become excessively reliant on Chinese cheap goods and that China itself is fragile economically and politically.

AN IRISH JOURNO

PRESIDENT TRUMP

AN IRISH JOURNALIST CAME OUT OF A PUB…….

Or so it seemed when an Irish Journalist named Fintan O’Toole penned, a few days ago, a bitter rant against President Trump and the present status of the United States,

It seems that in Mr O’Toole’s mind the whole world is  “pitying” the United States. And in this fever, he sees no one preferring Detroit or Dallas to Dusseldorf or Dublin!

Basically, his argument is that he hates President Trump. And so, President Trump is “malignant, narcissistic” and has “amplified Corona Virus lethality” (!) and in a “shameful episode” has “actively spread” the deadly virus. And so he froths on.

But all becomes clear when Mr O’Toole tells us that in 2017 the “conventional wisdom” was that a President Trump would be controlled by the wiser heads of the Establishment. And he tells us that President Trump is supported by “very powerful interests” who want “freedom” (!)  and that the President and “his” Party and their Media Allies are at work with hatred and falsehoods.

All of this may go down well in a Dublin Pub late at night. But when set in print it is only good for laughter and the same sort of use Malcolm Turnbull’s book is getting.

Firstly, Mr O’Toole, when he is thinking more clearly, will remember that 4,720,427 0f his Countrymen immigrated to the United States between  1820 and 1975. Since Dublin took the EU Euro money, the numbers have trailed off of course. But perhaps a little research might have helped him to save any reputation he may have, when he reflected that President Trump’s United States is faring far better than Mr O’Toole’s Ireland in fighting the Chinese Communist Party Virus attack. Total USA deaths to date represent 0.18% of the population of the United States, whereas Mr O’Toole’s Ireland has recorded Deaths representing 0.23 % of Ireland’s population of 4.9 Millions. That is to say, Mr Trump’s USA has suffered 177 deaths per million whereas Mr O’Toole’s Ireland has suffered 245 deaths per million. Both are sad statistics recording tragic loss of life. But Mr. O’Toole is in a glass house and should not be hurling stones particularly at those who really merit praise.

But why this vindictive self-deceiving bitterness? Could it be that President Trump is the very antithesis of everything Mr O’Toole and his ilk have brought to Ireland? President Trump defends Life from the moment of conception, he appoints Supreme Court Judges who interpret Statute Law but will NOT invent “law”, he defends Marriage between a man and a woman, he defends the Family, he opposes Abortion, he defends the Christian religion and religious liberty, he defends the rights of the United States against all her enemies, he defends the national borders of the United States, he defends the rights of United States citizens against illegal migrants, he  seeks to stem the flow of illegal migrants and to stem the flow of illicit drugs into the United States, he destroys Trade arrangements which worked to shift American jobs offshore, he has negotiated new Trade Agreements with Japan, Canada, Mexico and made a strong beginning with China. He has made the United States energy independent. Oh yes, quite a list that would, and does get up the nose of Marxist thinking anti-Americans.  And to add insult to injury, Mr Trump has steadily resisted every effort of the old elites with their Deep State obstruction, to undermine him and has continued to drain the swamp of their minions.

Bizarrely, Mr.O’Toole tries to turn the truth on its head and alleges with outrage that President Trump tries to use the daily Press Briefings as a means of creating division. Does Mr O’Toole think we are deaf and blind? Does he think we cannot see and hear the bitter, twisted, disrespectful journo hacks who try to “grandstand” with dishonest questions which attempt to create division themselves. Small wonder the ratings of CNN etc are in such decline. Meanwhile, as soon as the present manufactured Chinese crisis is overcome, we will see once again the tens of thousands of the people gathering again at TRUMP RALLIES, while Mr.Biden, or whoever, will once again be speaking to hundreds in school halls. If Mr.Biden can find the IN door.

Mr O’Toole may wish to feel sorry for someone. He should try looking in the mirror and feel sorry for the sad, dishonest, spectacle he has made of himself.

Who is pitying whom?

"NATIONAL TREASURE"

NATIONAL TREASURE

2009 Outside the entrance to Churchill's War Cabinet Rooms .

As I have noted on several occasions lately, I am not sure if our Great Leader alias "ScoMo", believes I am a "National Treasure" to be bottled up and protected or a "Prisoner" to be confined lest I contaminate others. Either way, he and his mindless minions of the Mass Media keep telling me to "Stay at Home".

Not wishing to believe that I am a "Prisoner" I have begun to reflect on the idea of a "National Treasure". My reflections grew from thoughts of what is to happen when the present Chinese Communist Virus "EMERGENCY" is announced to be at an end. (We might wonder who will make that decision and who elected them.. because it is highly unlikely that our Great Leader will actually make the decision himself.) Clearly, the nation is going to be left with a huge burden of debt and a dramatically reduced capacity to repay it.

The concept of  "National Treasure" made me think of Gold which in turn suggested the "Cross of Gold" speech made famous by William Jennings Bryan at the Democratic Nominating Convention on 9th July 1896 in Chicago. (NO. I was not there ...I am not THAT old!).

WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN Failed 1896 Democratic Candidate for the Presidency

PRESIDENT WILLIAM MC KINLEY ASSASSINATED 1901

President Franklin D.Roosevelt (1933 -1945)

 

There were two big issues at the time for Bryan :

a. Will I be the Nominee and 

b. that the United States should abandon the Gold Standard and embrace "Bi-Metallism" 

Specifically, Bryan advocated that the United States should adopt Silver ( at the rate of 16 ozs. to 1 0f Gold, as well as Gold, to back its Currency, whether any other Country did so or not. The Republicans opposed any move away from the Gold Standard and embraced a policy of High Protective Tariffs to strengthen American Industry. As it happened, the Republican candidate William McKinley won the 1896 Election. His policy was adopted and the United States economy was greatly strengthened. 

President McKinley was the 25th President of the United States. He led the United States to victory in the Spanish - American War. The President was assassinated on 14th September 1901 by a crazed anarchist. Memory of the President seems to have been diminished by a general desire not to encourage anarchism - though we seem to have more than enough fruitcakes on the streets these days- but also by the horrors of the First World War and the ensuing Great Depression and the subsequent Second World War etc.

The Gold Standard was not abandoned until 1933 in the depths of the Great Depression. Reacting to the tendency of wealthy Americans to buy up available stocks of Gold, the latter-day Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt - himself the Polio crippled scion of a wealthy eastern family, went even further than his earlier fellow Democrat  Bryan,  and abandoned Gold altogether as far as United States citizens were concerned.. This was very satisfying to many Democrats on the basis of the politics of envy. For President Roosevelt, it had the great advantage of enabling the United States Government to spend freely by simply printing more money. At that time it was still possible for foreign Governments to redeem United States Dollars in exchange for Gold. 

In 1971 President Nixon - a Republican - brought even this to an end. Dollar Rich foreign Governments were depleting the United States Gold reserves. At present, the United States holds more gold by far than any other country in the world: 

                 

                 USA            8,133       tonnes
                 Germany  3,367.9   tonnes
                 Italy            2,451.8   tonnes
                 France       2,436      tonnes 
                 Russia*      2228.2   tonnes
                 China          2,141      tonnes 

* Russian Gold Reserves grew by one-third in the last 12 months, in a deliberate campaign of Gold purchasing as noted by The Economist.

Gold producing countries are interesting to consider in light of the above:
                  

                  China             399.7 tonnes) annually
                  Australia      312.2  tonnes)
                   Russia          281.5  tonnes)
                   USA               253.2  tonnes)

All of the top three Gold producers need their Gold production to maintain and even build - as in the case of Russia - their Reserves whilst meeting their needs to finance imports or service debts. The position of the USA is somewhat different since its currency has been regarded as the international reserve currency in recent decades. There will be, must be an ultimate day of reckoning.

But, there are factors to consider that tend to undermine Party political representations of the significance of these matters :

Foreign Debt as a percentage of GDP :

Looking at  the Gold Reserves holders we find:

USA National Debt represents 106.70% 0f GDP     Popn.  331,002,651

GERMANY  ditto                               56.93%     ditto     ditto        83,783,942

ITALY            ditto                             133.43%     ditto    ditto         60,461,826

FRANCE        ditto                               99.20%    ditto    ditto         65,273,511

RUSSIA          ditto                               13.79%     ditto    ditto       145,934,462

CHINA            ditto                               55.36%    ditto     ditto   1,439,323,776

                                                                                                                     XI JINPING PRESIDENT OF CHINA "FOR LIFE"(?)


Even so, all is not necessarily what it seems. Starting from the bottom: both China and Russia remain truly undemocratic, totalitarian regimes and the reliability of many of their other published figures is highly suspect and no doubt conceals many "nasties" the rulers do not wish to have exposed. France and Italy have both been subject to the disciplines of the European Union and ought to be more reliable, but in the case of Italy in particular, the situation might not be as bad or may be worse than it appears, Thirty or forty years ago even major international Banks treated official Italian Government figures as being close to valueless because of the size of the grey economy. The propensity for creative accounting on the Italian Peninsula has,  in the last decade, created huge problems for even the Holy See as Cardinal Pell recently re-emphasised. Germany's figures and those of the United States are probably more reliable. In the latter case if only because of the regularity with which the information is published and the intense scrutiny it receives both legislatively and in the professional media.

There are some interesting stories of course not disclosed in the above figures. One relates to the United Kingdom and another to Japan. And if we were able to get to the truth of it, the story of China would be even more fascinating ....but that is not going to happen under the present regime, for as long as it may last.

The United Kingdom was virtually bankrupted by World War I and the Great Depression made the job complete. However, prestige and reliance on the Empire enabled her to muddle through into World War II. Once this great effort was embarked upon, the immense resources of the United States were, with some difficulty, introduced to shore up the tottering structure to ensure the defeat of the enemy and thus the survival of Western civilisation. For if the United Kingdom had fallen and its Royal Navy and Imperial Navies had fallen to the Nazis, the United States was vulnerable to attack upon its mainland. President Roosevelt saw this clearly especially after Winston Churchill succinctly drew it to his attention.

That was all well and good. But the parlous state of the United Kingdom's finances remained, even in Victory.

At present the financial position of the United Kingdom pre recent crises was highlighted by this figure: Its foreign debt represents 313% of its GDP in US Dollars. the only Country with a greater foreign debt is the USA itself and this is frequently held up as a cause of worry, but that debt is only 95% of that GDP. The per capita debt of the United Kingdom is USD 127,000, that of the USA is USD 62,000.

The other case we referred to is Japan,  in this case, the per capita debt is USD 28,200 while the foreign debt is 74% 0f GDP.

The more one looks into this real "National Treasure, the more fascinating it gets :

Gold reserves in the Bank Vaults are one thing, but Countries are keenly mining Gold to support their National Financial policies. Rates of production are known and verifiable, as are "reserves" in the ground  yet to be mined :

The leading holders of "Gold yet unmined" are :

                                                 No of years production at present rates:

Russia                                           Approx. 20 years

South Africa                                    Ditto   40 + years

Australia                                           Ditto   30 years

United States                                   Ditto   12  years                     
 China                                                 Ditto      5 years

South Africa is ranked as the 32nd largest country in the World by GDP and there seems little prospect of its standing changing too greatly, so its long-lasting "Gold in the ground "reserves, though important within the Country are not necessarily of great international significance. 

At the other extreme is China which has the second-largest economy in the world ranked by GDP. Should its capacity to produce Gold be exhausted in 5 years or so, it would seem highly likely to become a major buyer of Gold on world markets, forcing a much higher price. This might explain Russia's eager buying of the metal during 2019. Australia could also be seen as holding a very sound position if its policy settings are maintained at prudent levels. The United States already holds a strong Gold position, and the prospect of another 12 years production at present rates,  allows sufficient time, particularly with current foreign trade reforms and tight discipline on international defence commitments ( by having Japan and the NATO countries carry their fair share of the burden - it is interesting to note that the entire annual Russian defence expenditure does not equal the annual increase in NATO spending since President Trump took NATO to task) to allow a Second Term President Trump to begin solid reduction of the foreign debt problem.

SUMMARY

All things considered, and especially looking at the at present incalculable, but no doubt severe, economic effects of recent international Government actions in response to the Chinese Communist Party Virus "Pandemic", these factors show that the world is in for a very interesting time in the next twenty years or so.

At age 80, the odds of my seeing it through to its conclusion ( unless that is an imminent surprise Second  Coming ) are not necessarily strong. But I do wish you all well with that lot! I have especial concern of course for our children and grandchildren and for my many younger friends.

SIR PHILIP GAME  Governor of NSW in 1932

But, just as the "Pandemic " panic was sprung on an unsuspecting world in a two day period, I never underestimate the power of surprising developments. I recall the story told of the daughter of the New South Wales Governor. Sir Philip Game.   She said of the State Premier Jack Lang, who was advocating repudiation of the State's international debt during the Great Depression: "Mr Lang was going to 'bolish Daddy, but Daddy 'bolished him." Lang was dismissed by the Governor on 13th May,1932. We never know what is 'round the corner!The present "Emergency"(?) has amply demonstrated that.

THIS LITTLE BOY

Your Scribe at age 2yrs and 8 months outside Mark Foy's Department Store in wartime Sydney - preparing to meet Santa Claus for the First Time!

Y

In that wartime December, I had no thoughts about the last day of my 79th Year! Nor probably much thought about "the war" everyone kept referring to. NO! Only thoughts about Santa Claus! The important stuff - right?

Time has been "on the jog" and this little boy has lived through World War !!, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the dropping of numerous Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs,the Cuban Missile Crisis, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the Pontificates of Ven. Pope PiusXII, of Pope Saint John XXIII, of Pope Saint Paul VI. of Pope John Paul I, of Pope Saint John Paul II of glorious memory, of Pope Benedict XVI, and he has lived throughout Global Financial Crisis and several disastrous Labor Governments.

All of that only to come to this: a world crisis that has brought economic collapse to the world within days.An epidemic that's causing a large number of deaths. And a threat to the free world more sophisticated than that of the Nazis or the Japanese in World War II.

That little boy would NOT have thought it possible. Nor did he think it possible in his teenage years,  his twenties, thirties, forties, fifties, sixties or most of his seventies. 

You see, he is still here inside this all -but eighty "tent" as Saint Paul called our bodies. He looks out in shock and horror at what has been done to our beautiful world of activity in such a short time. There is even a South American wandering around wreaking havoc with his demented ideas.

                Nurse Bignell's Hospital where I was born at about 5.00pm on Tuesday, 9th April 1940- a  warm 21  Degrees, windy but Sunny!

.

I know that his gratitude to his late Grandparents, and his late Parents, to his dear Wife and wonderful Children and Grandchildren, and those who love him is unbounded! The love and appreciation of his friends living and dead, in direct contact and in electronic contact is one of the greatest consolations to his heart and mind and spirit. And he reserves a special place in his heart and mind and spirit for those Priests living and dead who have been such blessed helps and comforts to him.

Better times ahead! The tent "will carry the little boy into his 80th Year about 

5.00 pm tomorrow the 9th April 2020 - God Willing.

"It is all in God's Hands" Gen Robert E.Lee CSA.