Keith Mayes

DEADLOCK IN THE DESERT

Technology turned a wilderness into a lush oasis. But Coachellas troubles were only just beginning …

out of the non‐stick frying pan

‘The space programme is the first time that technology has advanced at an abnormal rate without depending on a war …’

ELEPHANTS among the chickens

‘The relative failure of the antitrust laws proves yet again that legislation is only as strong as the will that enforces it. Since the end of the New Deal it has made little difference to antitrust enforcement whether the Republicans or the Democrats held the White House. Republicans are considered pro‐business and cannot afford to be too soft on mergers; Democrats are considered to be hostile to business, and cannot afford to confirm this impression by being too harsh.’

JOBS FOR THE ALL‐AMERICAN BOYS

It is hard to fix on a date when the Vietnam war started. It will be equally difficult to decide when American participation ended. Most wars end with a massive demobilization of troops, a decline for war‐related industries, and a surge in consumer‐spending. Yet Americas defence companies could foresee the diminution of the Vietnam war as early as 1968, and made their adjustments early.

Buddy, can you spare a million?

David Sarnoff, the RCA chairman who died in December, was an outstanding example of the American creed that, Whittington‐like, a man can rise from immigrant penury to become a multi‐millionaire.

Corporate giants duck out

Flying in from Chicago, Bunker‐Ramo Corporation boss Frank J. Allston, Jr., looks at the yellowy‐brown pall hanging over New York City and thanks heaven he is not still living under that particular cloud. ‘It looks as if some giant maid just shook her mop out,’ grumbles the man who took his company away to Illinois after years of operating in the towering and sprawling mass below.

America column: Cathy comes home — with big brother

A few weeks ago Cathy, the 11‐year‐old daughter of some friends of mine, came home from school with a questionnaire. She was asked to answer 22 points about her classmates, nominating three in each case.

Threat to Britain's ‘hidden’ trade

Each month, Britain can breathe either a sigh of relief or one of added satisfaction as its “invisible” exports take the balance of payments position not‐so‐badly into the red or straight into the black. Regularly as clockwork, the import‐export situation is brightened with the news that the earnings from shipping, banking, insurance and the like have chinked‐up another £40 million on the national cash register.