OPINION .sx SPEAK UP FOR OUR FRIENDS !sx .sx A BAFFLED and bewildered little country stands at the centre of an international storm .sx Belgium is accused- without a scrap of evidence- of being implicated in the murder of Patrice Lumumba .sx Her leaders are insulted , her embassies are attacked in a score of countries .sx In Ghana , President Nkrumah , who has done more than most to stir up trouble in the Congo , orders every Belgian citizen to quit his country .sx Boldly and clearly .sx HOUNDING Belgium has become an international pastime .sx Why ?sx Because those who said the Congolese could govern themselves will not admit they were wrong .sx So Belgium , bowed down by internal troubles , mourning a terrible air crash , is made their scapegoat .sx Who will speak up for Belgium ?sx Who else but Britain .sx We have fought beside Belgium in two world wars .sx We are allies still .sx Britain should champion Belgium .sx Not with the careful , hooded language of diplomacy , but boldly and fearlessly .sx It is time to show the world that this country does not desert her friends .sx THE FULL TABLE .sx HAPPY , happy families !sx Never before have Britain's larders been so well stocked .sx Supplies of meat and dairy produce were substantially higher last year than in 1959 .sx Lucky , lucky housewives !sx To have such a splendid variety of goods to choose from .sx Not so long ago older folk were reminding young wives , harassed by shortages , of the good old days of abundance .sx Now it is mother who picks up recipes from her daughter .sx The dinner table is the best answer to the grumblers in Britain today !sx GO AHEAD .sx " THIS is colour day , " proclaimed the American television network , N.B.C. And hour after hour it poured out its programmes in bright colours .sx In America colour TV is five years old .sx There are already 600,000 sets in use .sx What about Britain ?sx The B.B.C. is ready to launch a colour TV service , but the commercial TV contractors want to delay it for 10 years .sx The Government should settle this argument with two words to the B.B.C.:- Go ahead !sx MAN OF SYMPATHY .sx ONE man beyond all others is saddened by the deaths of two elderly sisters who killed themselves because they had to leave their cottage .sx Mr. John Crabb , clerk to Newmarket urban council , says :sx " I shall always feel this as a personal failure .sx " There is no reason whatsoever why he should reproach himself .sx The sisters had to quit as their home was falling down .sx And Mr. Crabb did his best for them , even driving them to a new house .sx John Crabb has the qualities of sympathy and understanding .sx Too often lacking in officialdom .sx LION RAMPANT .sx MR. HENRY NEWTON of Acton does not want his daughter to marry a Scotsman .sx He says that the Scots are foreigners who have no business to be in England .sx The first ruler of the United Kingdom was a Scot .sx The Lord Chancellor is a Scot .sx The Prime Minister is a Scot- and so were four of his predecessors this century .sx Let Mr. Newton beware .sx By protesting against Scotland he may be guilty of rebellion !sx THE EMPIRE IS PUT ON TRIAL .sx ARCHBISHOP MAKARIOS puts the Commonwealth on trial .sx His ex-Eoka Government decides that Cyprus will join it for five years .sx During this period Britain will be expected to subsidise and defend the Cypriots .sx They will enjoy all the trading benefits of Imperial Preference .sx It is a safe bet that at the end of five years Makarios and company will sign on again .sx It is equally certain that the British Government will welcome them .sx How splendid it would be if , just for once , the Government were to voice the real feelings of the British people .sx And tell Makarios they are not prepared to accept him on such terms .sx OPTIMISTS WIN .sx GOOD cheer for the week-end .sx Ford Motors are to put 13,000 men back on a five-day week .sx One more demonstration of the industry's recovery .sx As springtime approaches , orders pick up .sx And the car men get ready for another bustling season .sx The pessimists said the motor industry was on its knees .sx The optimists said " Nonsense .sx " As usual , the optimists have been proved right .sx OUT AND ABOUT .sx EARL RUSSELL and his friends have hit on an original way of spending this afternoon .sx They intend to sit outside the Ministry of Defence .sx It is their protest against the H-bomb .sx They ought to have a pleasant time .sx The weather forecast is good ; except for them , Whitehall should be deserted .sx And they will have a fine view of St. James's Park , with its placid lake , pelicans , rare ducks , and other wild life .sx Why not follow Lord Russell's lead today ?sx Head for the parks to enjoy the sun .sx Not in a foolish cause , but in a glorious one .sx Good health !sx THE TOILERS .sx THIS group of men , says a report , work on average between 55 and 60 hours a week .sx They also put in an extra two or three evenings .sx And they never go on strike .sx Who are they ?sx The trade union officials of Britain .sx Men who earn only a fraction of what their talents and responsibilities could bring in the open labour market .sx The unions are fortunate indeed to find dedicated leaders at cut-rate prices .sx But it is time the members decided to pay up and be good employers .sx WRONG TARGET .sx THE Labour Party says that the Tory Government is destroying the social services .sx Under the Labour Government 18.1 per cent of the national income was spent on social services .sx The present figure is 19.5 per cent .sx There are many worthwhile targets for the Opposition .sx What a pity to aim at the wrong one !sx HOW MANY SERFS ?sx .sx MRS. MARCIA POWER , whose husband made her clean his uniform , wins a divorce .sx The judge says she had to act almost as a serf .sx Up and down the country husbands will be saying they would never behave like that .sx But do they ever ponder how their gardening tools are mysteriously returned to the shed ; their books tidied ; and often , even their shoes cleaned ?sx How wonderful if they showed their appreciation this morning with a surprise box of chocolates or a bunch of flowers !sx THIS IS THE PRICE OF HASTE .sx HOW the Government must repent its haste and folly in Rhodesia !sx Eighteen months ago this territory was peaceful , orderly , and thriving .sx Africans within the Federal Government were getting valuable experience in administration .sx Then Mr. Iain Macleod became Colonial Secretary .sx Suddenly everything changed .sx Timetables were scrapped .sx The ill-conceived Monckton Commission was rushed out to Rhodesia .sx Overnight , minor African politicians were inflated into international figures .sx And as the British Government stepped up the pace of change , so the Africans stepped up their demands .sx No choice .sx TODAY , in London , that rash and thoughtless policy has caused a crisis- a crisis that never should have happened .sx No wonder there is doubt and fearful heart-searching .sx If the Government now reverses its plan to give the Africans control in Northern Rhodesia it may indeed face difficulties from African politicians greedy for power .sx But if it fails to modify that plan Rhodesia may well be plunged into chaos , like the Congo .sx For Mr. Macmillan and his ministers there is no choice .sx They must safeguard Rhodesia against chaos .sx And try to repair the damage they have done .sx PROSPERITY LEAGUE .sx WHO can grow the fastest ?sx That is the exciting competition going on among Britain's major industries .sx Top of the table , at the moment , is the chemical industry .sx Then comes engineering , followed by iron and steel .sx Even the staid and timid Treasury is cheered by the tremendous upsurge in investment .sx It reports that new factory building this year is likely to be 40 per cent up on 1960 .sx Britain's business men are right to back their faith with cash .sx For expansion today means still greater prosperity tomorrow .sx THEIR FREEDOM .sx BERTRAND RUSSELL , the 88-year-old standard bearer of the Ban-the-Bomb crusade , has a devoted following .sx Thousands march with him- and sit with him too .sx It is said by some that he is a saint ; by others that he is a prophet .sx He is , in fact , a philosopher with a highly developed sense of publicity who has been spectacularly wrong on the great issues of our time .sx How long ?sx .sx BEFORE the war he urged the British people to welcome Hitler's troops as tourists .sx After the war he favoured a preventive war against Russia .sx Now he wants Britain to demolish her defences .sx Throughout the years Lord Russell and his supporters have been able to pursue their eccentric campaigns in freedom .sx They should ask themselves this question :sx How long would that freedom last if their policies were adopted ?sx GOOD WILL MAN .sx AN experiment in courtesy is launched by the Electricity Board .sx The board is laying a cable along a seven-mile route in Surrey .sx A warden , Mr. Jack Finlay , has been appointed to smooth out difficulties for householders when trenches are dug outside their front gates .sx Splendid .sx By showing concern for the people the board will earn their good will .sx Happy patrolling , Mr. Finlay !sx THE FACTS BACK WELENSKY .sx GOOD for Sir Roy Welensky !sx The tough , resolute Premier of the Rhodesian Federation shakes the life out of his critics .sx He calls them " jelly-boned .sx " He promises to preserve federation against African fanatics and woolly minded individuals in the West .sx Some may ask :sx Is Welensky justified in being so harsh to those who disagree with him ?sx The facts answer that .sx Congo shambles .sx CONTRAST his firm , successful rule in Rhodesia with what has happened in the Congo .sx There Welensky's opponents have carried their theories into practice .sx There a UNO army of Africans , bossed by an Indian , has been in charge for months .sx And what has it made of the Congo ?sx A bloodstained shambles .sx No wonder Welensky has lost all patience with his misguided tormentors .sx They have earned his strictures .sx And his contempt .sx THE THRIFTY ONES .sx SOME people are for ever complaining that teenagers earn too much and spend it all when they get it .sx Now a survey of the Post Office Savings Bank shows how wrong that idea is .sx The biggest group of depositors in the bank is made up of boys and girls aged 15 to 19 .sx Certainly teenagers earn more than ever before .sx Certainly they spend more .sx But how splendid that in the most prosperous days in this country's history the old-fashioned virtue of thrift should still have a powerful appeal for young people .sx UNDERSTOOD !sx .sx THE Danes are annoyed with British farmers for fighting against Danish competition .sx They say that our farmers do not seem to understand the meaning of free trade .sx There is no doubt what the Danes understand by free trade .sx It is that they should be free to sell as much as they like here , while buying more and more from our rivals .sx Germany has now supplanted Britain as Denmark's principal supplier .sx The farmers of Britain understand free trade .sx That is why they fight it .sx CURTAIN UP .sx THE Palace cinema at Buckley , near Chester , will be reopened next week by Barry Flanagan and Eric Platt , both aged 19 .sx Eric says :sx " We believe in the cinema .sx And we know what people want .sx " The combination of enthusiasm and shrewd anticipation of public taste has launched many great enterprises .sx Barry and Eric have enthusiasm .sx They are backed by a resurgent film industry .sx It could be curtain up on two success stories .sx Of the old Palace .sx And Barry and Eric .sx FOLLOW OXFORD !sx .sx DONS at Cambridge want the study of agriculture to become an honours degree course .sx Farming is Britain's most vital industry .sx It is increasingly dependent on new techniques- and on the universities to provide men of knowledge and skill .sx The older universities are often accused of being interested only in dead subjects .sx Now Cambridge has the opportunity to show it is just as interested in the living .sx Particularly as its rival , Oxford , has had a similar course in farming for 15 years !sx HERE ARE THE NEW PIONEERS .sx JOHN GLENN , Virgil Grissom , Alan Shepard .sx One of these three men has a date with destiny- the first journey into Space .sx At the beginning of this wonderful century many people believed that there were no more worlds to conquer .sx