the President &apos;s speech . Sir , - we are much indebted to the Times for publishing yesterday , in full , the broadcast of the President of the United States to his people - and to the world - an account of his recent visit to Europe . this address , and the President &apos;s inaugural speech , has brought a voice and an authority to the councils of the free world - and outside it - that speaks in frank , clear , and unambiguous terms , enabling those who hear and read to appreciate the dangers and the immense issues involved . his language , more than that of any other , reminds me of the great utterances of Sir Winston Churchill during - and immediately after - the war . your obedient servant , Henry Morris-Jones . Bryn Dyfnog , Llanrhaiadr , near Denbigh , north Wales , June 9 . repeated interference . Sir , - Mr Kelf-Cohen , in his letter to you published on June 6 , criticizes the emergency resolution passed by the transport salaried staffs &apos; association &apos;s annual conference in regard to the interference of the government in the running of the undertakings of the British transport commission . that resolution pointed out that the present attitude of the government precluded the possibility of an integrated and coordinated transport system , which conference believed to be essential to the economy of the country . in abandoning the policy of integration , the government had made it impossible for the commission to pay its way . in speaking to the resolution I quoted from the leading article in the Times in connexion with the government &apos;s proposals , which article stated that : disintegration is being carried too far . in many respects there will be less integration than there was in the 1930s . the article added : the plan will put the railways in the position of splendid isolation , except for pipelines , which is commercially unrealistic . the railway boards should be put in a reasonable position to provide interlinked and complementary transport . in spite of this commercially unrealistic position , Mr Kelf-Cohen alleges that each member of my association receives &amp;pound;4 per week in subsidy from the taxpayer , and apparently he has arrived at this figure by dividing the total B.T.C deficit by the number of employees , and then debiting the whole of the deficit ( including the sums paid for interest and other commodities ) against the employees . the payment of proper remuneration is generally regarded as the first charge on an industry : Mr Kelf-Cohen appears to regard it as the last charge . Mr Kelf-Cohen asks if the members of the association are now prepared to give up &amp;pound;4 per week , but does he know what he is really asking ? a junior clerk of 16 receives &amp;pound;230 per annum : does Mr Kelf-Cohen expect him to work for him for &amp;pound;22 per annum , or a young man to return from the forces at the age of 20 and work for him for &amp;pound;162 per annum ( &amp;pound;370-&amp;pound;208 ) ? it should be remembered that until the implementation of the Guillebaud report , under which railway rates of pay were based on the principle of comparability with those of comparable employees in other employments , railwaymen had worked for considerably debased rates of pay , and it was they who had been providing the subsidy necessary for the running of the railways which are necessary to the economy of the country . yours faithfully , W J P Webber , general Secretary , transport salaried staffs &apos; association of Great Britain and Ireland . Walkden House , 10 Melton Street , N.W.1 . opening pairs . Sir , - in 1907 at Westminster , Charterhouse made a first wicket stand of just over 400 . M H C Doll , 294 not out , and R L L Bradell about 104 not out . there were only six or eight extras . yours truly , R R Trall . Ridgeway House , Ottery St Mary , Devon . mathematics . Sir , - several of your correspondents on this subject have put forward the view that , over the passing years , there has been a gradual increase in difficulty in university honours courses in mathematics , and that their content is now less suitable for intending schoolteachers than formerly . I believe these views to be incorrect . it is true that there have been considerable changes over the years in the character of the mathematics taught in British universities , but this is to be expected of any living subject . the main change has been a move away from the mathematical jugglery referred to by one of your correspondents to a more logical study of mathematical structures and ideas . the type of honours examination question at present set is in fact easier , in that it demands less in the way of memory and manipulative technique than the type of question common 50 years ago . one would like to claim also that present-day examination questions demand more in the way of understanding , but this high ideal is not always attained . because of the use of special terminologies , the newer mathematical subjects may be meaningless to teachers in the schools ( or even to some university mathematicians ) , but this does not necessarily make them harder for the student . the present-day student tackles with ease questions on abstract algebra or topology , for example , but finds difficulty with questions on older disciplines such as elliptic functions and spherical harmonies . none of these subjects , old or new , has any direct application in the school curriculum . nevertheless , many of the newer subjects are likely to be of more use to the intending school teacher than the older ones ; this is especially true of abstract algebra and set theory , which should help to clarify his understanding of elementary mathematical and logical processes and in this way should improve his skill as a teacher . in conclusion , although I believe that university courses have benefited , and that students &apos; lives have been made easier , by the reduction in the demands on manipulative jugglery , the pendulum should not be allowed to swing too far in the opposite direction . there are certain basic mathematical techniques and methods which should not be omitted from university courses , but which should form part of the equipment of every mathematician . yours faithfully , R A Rankin . department of mathematics , the University , Glasgow . cooperation in Europe . not at expense of commonwealth . to the editor of the Times . Sir , - we , the undersigned , while fully realizing the need for the closest possible cooperation with all European countries , would deplore any step that prevented closer economic cooperation with the commonwealth . we therefore hope that the government will refrain from either signing the Rome treaty or associating themselves with the common market until arrangements have been made to ensure that the commonwealth does not suffer thereby . yours , &amp;c . , John Dugdale , Robin Turton , Arthur Creech Jones , Robert Grimston , E Shinwell , John Barlow , H A Marquand , Beverley Baxter , Arthur Henderson , Ronald Russell , Douglas Jay , Patrick Wall , Barbara Castle , John Hollingworth , John Mendelson , Peter Walker . House of Commons . statement on Kenya . Sir , - Lord Salisbury in his letter to you does not very clearly define either whether he knows what the Secretary of state for the colonies actually meant when he said of Kenya : I am sure that the right thing to do is to study the position and to take constitutional advance at the pace that is appropriate to the economic circumstances of the country , nor does Lord Salisbury say what he himself thinks Mr Macleod should have meant by these words . having just paid a visit to Kenya and having met and talked with a cross-section of opinion there it is my firm conviction that the economic and political stability of Kenya can best be safeguarded by ( 1 ) releasing Mr Kenyatta as soon as possible in the hope that this will strengthen the government now in office and lead to a settling of present African unrest and ( 2 ) going forward to independence phased towards the end of 1962 or the beginning of 1963 . with this , I am quite satisfied , white opinion in the great majority agrees . to give independence overnight too quickly would be a disservice to Kenya in general and to the future stability of the African administration in particular . on the other hand to wait too long can not serve the economic or political well-being of the country . it can not help the white population in Kenya and they accept this ; and it will not enable the African political leaders to control their followers . Mr Macleod has a difficult decision to make on timing . in the interests of Kenya political leaders in Kenya , both British and African , and political representatives in both Houses of parliament at Westminster should not read into his words more than there is . the words seemed to me to express an open mind for future negotiations . if all parties in Kenya can have such a mind then all will be well and there will be a great future for the country in which European and African will play a part . yours sincerely , K Lewis . House of Commons , June 8 . Sir , - Lord Salisbury , in his letter on June 8 , wisely draws our attention to the statement by the Secretary of state for the colonies on constitutional advance in Kenya . he finds satisfaction in the apparent willingness of Mr Macleod to tie constitutional advance to the economic circumstances in Kenya . the statement was no doubt not intended as a comprehensive pronouncement on the conditions in which constitutional advance might take place . having said that , it must be made clear to every interested person that the economic situation can not , and must not , be used as a brake on constitutional progress . the deteriorating economic situation , serious as it is , is the result of political and constitutional uncertainty , among other factors . the economic condition of Kenya can not finally recover until further constitutional advance takes place ; that is , until a responsible government with an African Prime Minister and an African majority in the council of Ministers , with popular support , is in effective leadership of the country . we shall fail seriously again if we do not take note of the fact that the majority of people in the country want political advancement first and economic progress second . there are great issues to be settled before full independence can come , and here the needs of all the races must be faithfully considered . but his excellency the Governor was surely right in his speech at the opening of the present session of the legislative council , when he clearly hinted that with the encouraging formation of a government under the Lancaster House constitution , further steps in constitutional development are now possible and probable . yours truly , R Elliott Kendall , head of the methodist Church in Kenya . 10 , Ravine Road , Boscombe , Hampshire . hospital dispensing . Sir , - in providing information for your special correspondent for his article on the shortage of hospital pharmacists in today &apos;s edition of the Times I discussed many aspects of the problem . I am disturbed to find that some remarks of mine are liable to be misinterpreted and could be taken to refer in a derogatory fashion to the ability of retail pharmacists to interpret correctly the prescriptions written by hospital doctors . this was never my intention and such an interpretation is possible because my remarks were of necessity condensed . what I intended to imply was that doctors often prefer not to be used solely in a consultative capacity in recommending treatment for patients to their general practitioners because they prefer to prescribe such treatment themselves , to know that it has been supplied and then to follow up their patients by seeing them again . this situation can be realized by the use of E.C.10 ( H.P ) forms written by hospital doctors and dispensed by retail pharmacists . it falls down , however , when the patients fail to take their prescriptions to the chemists and this does sometimes happen . yours faithfully , G Bryan , chief pharmacist . the Middlesex Hospital , W.1 , June 5 . Spain . Sir , - may I , as one of the younger generation to whom Sir Thomas Moore on June 7 addressed a lesson in Spanish history , be permitted to comment on some of the points he raised ? Sir Thomas &apos;s history is clearly partial . he claims that in 1938-39 Spain was in convulsion and that Franco created order from this chaos . but how did the chaos arise ? 