Chairman

Secretary

Treasurer

Overseas Publicity

British Publicity

Programme Committee

Film Liaison

Publicity Liaison

Fred Brown
Dave Cohen
Philip Duerr
Ewan Hedger
Terry Jeeves
Eric Jones

John Carnell

Roberta Wild

Charles Duncombe

Joy Clarke
Vincent Clarke

Pamela Bulmer
Ken Bulmer

Dave Newman
Norman Shorrock

Peter West

John Brunner

Ethel Lindsay
Nigel Lindsay
John Roles
Arthur Sellings
Ken F. Slater
Walter A. Willis

At this stage I must warn members that the Convention Hotel is almost completely booked out and late-comers will almost certainly have to take their accommodation in an adjoining hotel. Not that that presents any problem - you can either stop up all night in the Convention hotel or get a good night's sleep away from the madding crowd.

Elsewhere in this issue you will find a brief statement from our Progremme Committee, I do agree with their policy of not announcing items at this early stage or making elnborate statements about the programme which might not materialise, although the entire framework of each day's events has been decided. You will find many pleaeant surprises listed in the Programme.

There is also an anncuncement in this issue regarding your application for tickets for the Luncheon on Saturday, September 7th. This will be one of the major items and well worth attending - but it will be essential for you to apply by Wednesday, September 4th, if you wish to make reservations. While every effort will be made to accommodate everyone, the Committee cannot guarantee reservations received after the 4th. Non- dining members will be able to hear all the speeches and

The Committee also wish to draw your attention to the fact that the Society Draw (announced in Journal No.2.) has been extended until September 7th and will now take place during the Convention. It was realised after we had gone to press with the last issue that little time had been allowed for applications to be received from overseas members, and although sufficient tickets have been sold to enable one member to win free expenses at the Convention, applications are still coming in. The number of prizes will now be governed by the tickets sold up to midday on September 7th. You will, of course, be able to purchase extra tickets at the Convention on the 6th and 7th.

In conclusion I must commend to American members the 250ft 8 mm colour cine film which has been made by MAD Productions (Mersey And Deeside - basically your Programme Committee) entitled "May We Have The Pleasure?" This has been made especially for showing in USA and a copy was flown to Don Ford in Ohio to screen at the Mid-Westcon. Thereafter it is available from him on loan to recognised fan groups in America (see separate announcement). A copy will also be shown at the Convention but in effect it is an extremely humorous advertising film for this year's World Con.

Next stop - the Convention.

- Ted Carnell

London is the biggest city in the world. It is roughly in the form of a square twenty miles on a side, and covers over four hundred square miles. In this area live over eight million people - a number rivalled only by Greater New York.

Nobody knows quite how old London is. When the Romans invaded Britain two thousand years ago, they found a small town on part of the site it now occupies. They knew it as Londinium.

With the possible exception of Paris, no other Capital city in the world dominates its country as London does England. A sixth of the population of Britain lives there. London Transport Executive runs the world's largest municipal transport system. It owns nine thousand buses and coaches and four thousand railway cars. More than four thousand million passengers a year travel by London Transport. The Underground Railways, together with their extensions to country districts, form the longest municipal railway in the world. Part of the subway system is the world's longest continuous underground tunnel.

London is governed by the world's largest municipal governing authority, the London County Council. The Metropolitan Police (1829) was the world's first organised police force.

London is the home of the world's oldest democratic parliamentary government. It was in London that the fist modern-style postage system was inaugurated (1841); here is the world's first national bank (the Hank of England); here is the world's first and still biggest international insurance agency (Lloyd's of London) ...

You can add to that list for pages.

And you still won't have the faintest idea of the real London.

London is a city of history and pageantry - the Guard is changed daily outside the royal residences; Parliament, at the beginning of each session, is opened in state by the Queen in a golden coach.

London is a city of commerce. The Royal Exchange is here; the docks - Port of London - handle about fifty million tons of the merchandise a year. London is a city of splendour. St, Paul's Cathedral and the Mansion House, the Royal Palaces and the very-nearly-palaces of the West End - these are splendid.

London is a city of art. The Royal Festival Hall is the finest concert hall in the world; there are world renowned masterpieces in the Tate Gallery, there are magnificent buildings and imposing statues.

London is a city of pleasure. Relax in one of the Great Parks; wander out to Kew for the world's finest botanical gardens. Dance to London's most polished professional musicians; listen and dance to its most polished amateurs in one of the forty or fifty jazz clubs in town.

London is a city of memories. Drink your pint of beer where Doctor Johnson once argued (ask Mack Reynolds what it's like to sample a London brew in a bit of London that isn't even London - it's owned, and even policed, by a private authority, and has been since 1388!) Mark the spot where history was wiped away by the Great Fire of 1666 or by the greater fire of 1940's Blitz...

But you can do all these things if you're coming to London in September. Plan to stay over after the Con. We of London, who know and love this unique, uncouth, awkward, sprawling and wholly charming giant among cities, will be glad to introduce you.

And why not? There isn't a more varied background on earth to a holiday. Want to go sightseeing? Swimming, in the Serpentine? Boating, up the Thames north of Port of London? Making whoopee? Making new friends? Making a habit of London? You might, you know - people have done it!

It's not an expensive town, and its fascination is good value for no outlay. It'e too big to bore you. It's not to be missed.

Be very welcome, friends!

ONLY A FEW SHORT WEEKS TO GO, and things are taking shape very nicely. A few details here and there need filling in, but the main programme structure is all sorted out.

There's just one minor triviality that is giving rise to a lot of speculation, and that's the audience, i,e.YOU. Now, quite a lot of the programme has items (still on the secret list) in which the audience can participate, and several more which depend on members of the audience for their success.

Let's consider the Luncheon first. This part of the programme is where the President, the Chairman, the Guest of Honour, and the official speakers are permitted to shine in all their glory, but there'll be a chance for you to make a name for yourself as well. Perhaps you belong to a fan group or organisation and want to present a message to the Convention on their behalf... Perhaps you want to get up and say something mind shattering in its cosmic significance... Or perhaps you merely want to discuss the political situation in Lower Patagonia! Well, providing you can guarantee to be amusing and/or interesting, we'll do our level best to give you your chance. All we ask

How about this Fancy-dress Party which we mentioned in the last Journal? Better get cracking on costumes because we want this to be one of the high-spots of the Convention. As already mentioned, there will be prizes in a number of categories - really useful prizes like beer! - and it would be a shame to see them go to the Programme committee by default. Naturally, any sort of costume will qualify; it doesn't necessarily have to have any connexion with fantasy or science fiction. As a matter of fact the Programme Committee will probably attend heavily disguised as human beings - which just goes to show the! For the benefit of our overseas visitors, it should be mentioned that there are a number of very good theatrical coatumiere in London who will provide costumes at short notice and reasonable price. Anyone requiring details of such establishments need only drop us a line.

And now for an item which hasn't been mentioned before, the Grand International Tea Drinking Contest...

Many of you who read fanzines will have seen mention of the prodigious quantities

Just to conclude, a few words about some of our other arrangements... We are well aware of the considerable interest which now exists among SF fans in tape-recording and cinematography and we want to do the best we can to accommodate people who have these interests. As far as tape-recording is concerned, we propose to provide a number of outlets from the amplifying system into which people can plug their tape recorders. This method is far better then having people crowding round the stage with individual microphones and will undoubtedly produce a better quality recording. The outlets will provide a fairly large signal at a comparatively low impedance and, if you can record from the extension loudspeaker sockets on a radio with your machine, you'll

The problems set by our cinematographic friends are rather different and resolve themselves mainly into positioning of cameras and lighting. Most of the time we shall be able to arrange positioning with the proviso that it doesn't interfere with other people's enjoyment. Given good weather the hall itself is very light during the day, since it has large rooflights, and it should be possible to shoot some film. The stage lighting alone will be ample for black and white filming and sufficient, we think, for colour; but a final check when the lighting is installed will enable us to make sure. Photo- floods can be used on some occasions but we must insist that these are not used when filming staged items.

For your information, the mains supplies in the hotel are 200 volts AC 50 c/s. The supply points in the hall are standard British 15-amp 3-Pin and most of the bedrooms are provided with British 5-amp 3-pin outlets. A supply of these plugs and similar minor accessories will also be made available at the con.

All members of the World Science Fiction Society are entitled to buy one or more tickets for a Grand Draw. All bed, breakfast, and entrance charges for the three days of the Convention will be paid for the winner of the Draw, and further prizes will be added at the discretion of the Committee.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 7th 1957

Tickets are 2/-, or 30 cents, each and 4 tickets for 6/6d or 1 dollar. All applications for tickets, with cash, must be made to:

Joy and Vince Clarke,
7 Inchmery Road,
Catford,
LONDON S.E.6,
England.

A numbered receipt wILL be sent to you, the number of which will act as your draw ticket. A separate receip t will be Bent for each ticket required. The counterfoils will be used for the Draw.