Family Money: Private Banking

By Leslie Wright

A recent report on Europe’s private banking system hinted that this sector of the financial services industry is facing a crunch. Ironically, the very thing that produced the boom in private banking is now causing its biggest headache. Bankers can no longer rely on the sort of low-key, stable relationships with clients that they once could.

At one time, a handful of blue-chip banks - such as Coutts and Hoare in the UK, and UBS, Credit Suisse and a small number of private banks in Switzerland - served a niche market. Most of their business was funnelled offshore to avoid high tax regimes. Their clients were ‘captive’: they rarely moved accounts. The new breed of High Net worth Individuals (‘HNWIs’) has far more money to deposit, are technology savvy, and expect high levels of choice and service. The new rich are also more international than their parents and - frighteningly for private bankers - they will move their accounts to another bank that provides a better service and fits their self-image.

The internet offers clients information and choice that was not previously available. Now banks can offer wider and quicker channels of distribution and communication. But it also puts pressure on them to match the information a customer can get for himself or herself online.

Changing their image

Private banks have responded to these market changes by going in one of two directions: specialising toward the top of the value chain and maintaining the traditional personalised service; or they have widened their business to capture a less wealthy group. The latter, referred to as “universal” banks, are a big threat to those further up the tree.

It costs six times more to get a new client than to retain an existing one. Hold on to them at all costs, is the universal banks’ mantra. Hence many “private” banks are now offering products to the low end of the HNWI market, starting at around $50,000 to $100,000. An example is Create, a joint venture between the UK high street bank Lloyds TSB and investment bank Goldman Sachs. Create aims to capture clients at the $100,000 mark - but is also for those with $5m plus. Create’s low-end product is known as Create Portfolio, which is a fund-of-funds service for people who want basic management of their finances without paying for face-to-face private banking service. Create Partner is the second level and comes with a relationship manager and client control over investment decisions.

The top-of-the-range product is Create Private, which looks more like traditional private banking. Lloyds TSB, however, is not alone in wanting to be all things for all clients. Royal Bank of Canada Private Banking, HSBC, Barclays, Citibank, NatWest, Investec and others split their high-net worth business into two or three wealth classes, mirroring the distinction between “mass affluent” and full private banking.

Not all banks think this way: many are loathe to lower entry criteria, preferring instead to concentrate on the top of the market - the traditional private banking market. A survey concluded that 90% of private banks want to concentrate on “differentiation” in the next three years to attract and retain clients. The UK bank Coutts, for example, focuses on the high-net worth market. Turn up to open an account with less than $500,000 in your pocket and you are not welcome. But there are other ways, apart from discrimination by money, to specialise. Swiss private bank Pictet Et Cie has hit upon the idea of the “family office; a banking service run over the internet that aims to get the business of an entire wealthy family including children. This concept is working for Pictet, which has increased its traffic over the net. The ‘family office’ is a specialisation.

Technology plays its part

Forester Research, a market research company, questioned 50 senior executives of private banks in March this year about their clients’ technological demands and what they were doing about it. While 62% said they used the internet to communicate with clients only, 16% thought they were ahead of the client’s demands - and that, alarmingly, was down from 26% two years ago. One respondent said, “[clients] want to access their account, want to transact online and want our research online. After we offer that, they always want more features. It’s never enough.”

The Net is changing private banking from the inside out. And, again, the driver is increased client knowledge and expectation. Banks are experiencing a shake-up and don’t know yet how it will work out, and how much will fundamentally change. Some commentators have even predicted that the days of face-to-face banking could be over. Technology has altered the banking landscape considerably, but so has shifting world demographics. There will still be old-style relationship management for those who want it. In fact, relationship management could become a more specialised and valued skill in the future, and traditional private banking relationships may continue in a different guise.

Already, banks are finding it hard to attract and retain skilled staff because the industry is growing so fast. Some banks reported that their staff turnover was 20% a year. Staff costs comprise the largest component of the cost base at 57%. A survey on 30 UK-based private banks found demand for private bankers already outstripping supply, and forecast to grow 27% by 2005. Intense competition for staff is extremely good news for some: senior relationship managers can earn upwards of $300,000 a year.

Some are capitalising on their scarcity by setting up boutique relationship management companies that act as high-class personal advisors to the wealthy. Indeed, this was the rationale behind my having established Westminster Portfolio Services in Pattaya. Seven years ago I saw the need for a firm here offering a quality face-to-face portfolio management service, aimed toward investors with less investment capital than is required to qualify for traditional private banking services.

There is potentially a vast amount of business out there for private banks. Europe and North America account for 60% of all private banking assets, but the figures for Asia and Latin America show an untapped market. Most are targets for the new “universal” private banks.

Private banking remains a fragmented industry: the top 10 private banks have a combined market share of fewer than 12%. The mighty UBS, the leading bank in terms of assets under management, has just 4% of market share. In the UK there were 10 banks calling themselves private in 1989. Now there are roughly 200.

by C. Schloemer

Good points: brave, easily trained, excellent retriever, strong swimmer, intelligent, good temperament, loving

Take heed: no drawbacks known

The Irish Water Spaniel is a most attractive animal, loyal, intelligent, and has a deeply affectionate nature. As happy in the water as on land, this breed is a fearless swimmer, and is most useful for hunting wild fowl. The Irish Water Spaniel is often called the clown of the spaniel family, possibly due to the unique appearance of a characteristic topknot together with a peak of curly hair between the eyes. He is also the tallest of the spaniels. He may seem forbidding to strangers, but this dog is devoted to his owner and family members.

Size: height: dog, 53-58.5 cm; bitch, 51-56 cm

Grooming: Daily brushing and weekly combing. Seek advice on stripping of unwanted hair from your veterinary or dog grooming salon. Take care that mud does not become caked between the toes.

Origin and history: In the late 1100’s before the days of King McCarthy II, dogs found in southern Ireland below the River Shannon were called Shannon Spaniels, Irish Water Spaniels, Rat-tail Spaniels, or Whip Tail Spaniels. The breed’s development is disputable before the late 18th century. Archaeological findings in a lake dwelling site near Dunshaughlin, Ireland, reveal remains of dogs with the same type of skull dating back to the 8th and 9th century. Ireland’s Sir Robert Cecil is recorded to have sent the King of France an Irish Water Spaniel in 1598.

by Marion

Whilst I like to keep what is left of my mind in the “open” mode, there is, as far as I am concerned, no justification to prey upon human beings when they are at their lowest ebb, generally during the period immediately after a death. It is during the period of bereavement that “normal” thought processes go out the window and everyone is easy pickings for the unscrupulous. I remember after my father’s death, going around the funeral parlour to pick the casket which would be used for his body’s final trip. There was so much pressure being brought to bear in that it was being insinuated that my father deserved the best, so I would “naturally” like the more expensive and ornate coffin.

When mediums look like “cashing in” through claims to be able to contact those who have passed on (or over, if you prefer), this is reprehensible. If they can contact the dead, then let them be judged on their results, not on the word of mouth recommendation of someone who is still bereaved and who will grasp at any straws.

The following extract comes from the enquiring minds at www.skeptic.com, a group of people who are prepared to acknowledge the imponderables, but are not prepared to accept sham.

“The latest medium on the American stage is one John Edwards. After Uri Geller and Shirley MacLaine, then it was James Van Praagh, to be followed by Edwards as we enter the new millennium. This man has a daily TV show in the US called “Crossing Over” on the Sci Fi network and a New York Times best selling book “One Last Time.” He has appeared, unopposed, on Larry King Live and has been featured on Dateline, Entertainment Tonight, and an HBO special. He is so hot that his television show is about to make the jump to network television, as he is soon to go opposite Oprah in CBS’s afternoon line-up.” So is he that good? Is he that accurate? Can he really contact the other side?

Please take the time to read the experiences of an audience member from an Edwards taping. His name is Michael O’Neill, a New York City marketing manager, who reported his experiences as follows (quoting from the Skeptic article). “I was on the John Edwards show. He even had a multiple guess “hit” on me that was featured on the show. However, it was edited so that my answer to another question was edited in after one of his questions. In other words, his question and my answer were deliberately mismatched. Only a fraction of what went on in the studio was actually seen in the final 30 minute show. He was wrong about a lot and was very aggressive when somebody failed to acknowledge something he said. Also, his “production assistants” were always around while we waited to get into the studio. They told us to keep very quiet, and they overheard a lot. I think that the whole place is bugged somehow. Also, once in the studio we had to wait around for almost two hours before the show began. Throughout that time everybody was talking about what dead relative of theirs might pop up. Remember that all this occurred under microphones and with cameras already set up. My guess is that he was backstage listening and looking at us all and noting certain readings. When he finally appeared, he looked at the audience as if he were trying to spot people he recognized. He also had ringers in the audience. I can tell because about fifteen people arrived in a chartered van, and once inside they did not sit together.”

“Most of the time, however, mediums do not need to cheat. The reason has to do with the psychology of belief. This stuff works because the people who go to mediums want it to work (remember, they do the readings, not the mediums). The simplest explanation for how mediums can get away with such an outrageous claim as the ability to talk to the dead is that they are dealing with a subject the likes of which it would be hard to top for tragedy and finality - death. Sooner or later we all will face this inevitability, starting, in the normal course of events, with the loss of our parents, then siblings and friends, and eventually ourselves. It is a grim outcome under the best of circumstances, made all the worse when death comes early or accidentally to those whose ‘time was not up’. As those who traffic in the business of loss, death, and grief know all too well, we are often at our most vulnerable at such times. Giving deep thought to this reality can cause the most controlled and rational among us to succumb to our emotions.

“The reason John Edward, James Van Praagh, and the other so-called mediums are unethical and dangerous is that they are not helping anyone in what they are doing. They are simply preying on the emotions of grieving people. As all loss, death, and grief counsellors know, the best way to deal with death is to face it head on. Death is a part of life, and pretending that the dead are gathering in a television studio in New York to talk twaddle with a former ballroom-dance instructor is an insult to the intelligence and humanity of the living.” Amen!

by Mirin MacCarthy

There have been plenty of mythical animals. The Unicorn of course, and the Minotaur which was supposedly half man and half horse. There is also the long suffering Cabbit, half cat and half rabbit which reputedly hops around the hills and dales of England. So how about a wild beast which is half lion and half tiger?

Liger

Well the half lion/tiger is not a mythical beast, and in fact is relatively common. The reason that this can happen is that both the lion and the tiger are big cats. They share many features, such as the number of chromosomes, and mating will produce a “half-breed” animal.

Just as the mating of two different dog species will produce dogs with the characteristics of both parents, lions and tigers will do the same. However, there is a large difference depending upon which species was the father of the cubs. If the father was a lion, the offspring are called “Ligers”, but if the father was a tiger, they are called “Tigons”.

Ligers and Tigons are quite different physically. While both show some lion looks and tiger stripes, the Ligers are very vigorous animals that grow very much larger than either parent animal. Some Ligers will even stand more than 4 metres tall on their back legs and will weigh upwards of 600 kg. That is one large pussycat! The largest Bengal Tiger on record was just over 500 kg.

On the other hand, the Tigons do not reach the same size as either parent and some are even considered to be ‘dwarf’ animals. It has also been noted that the flowing lion mane is not present in either Ligers or Tigon males. Though the tigers involved are usually of the orange colour, white tigers have been mated with lions to produce white Ligers and golden tabby tigers have been mated with lions to produce golden Ligers.

Most Ligers and Tigons occur in zoos, where the two species are kept in the same enclosure and accidental mating can occur, but there is some zoological experimentation done as well to see what the hybrid animals are like.

In the wild there may have been some cross breeding but this is not very likely as lions and tigers very rarely overlap with their territories. There is also the fact that lions are social animals and stay in groups, while the tiger is a solitary animal, only coming together to mate and then return to their solitary existence. Female tigers keep their cubs with them for a couple of years and then revert to solitary living.

Both the Ligers and the Tigons show personality traits of both parents. Tigers love water and the cross bred animals adapt well to the aquatic environment, but the lion part of their make-up does not like water so the animals show an initial reluctance to accept jumping in the water.

Handlers of these animals also report that the animals can show some confusion at times between their mixed heritages. Even their voices are a combination, as they usually chuff like a tiger and roar like a lion, but without giving the typical lion grunt at the end. It is also claimed that Ligers are more docile, while Tigons are more aggressive.

Many of these crossbred animals are infertile, but some Ligers have continued to breed and have cubs of their own. A lion male mated to a Liger produces cubs called Li-Ligers. In theory you could also get Ti-Ligers, Li-Tigons and Ti-Tigons - but it all seems a trifle silly to me! If there were some inherent advantage in doing this, then let the geneticists go ahead, but I fail to see any good valid scientific reason for continuing this crossbreeding.

by Richard Bunch

From Alex Hamelinck: I’m an avid reader of your column, although often it is too difficult to comprehend, as I know little or nothing about computers.

I bought a second hand IBM laptop (380ED), later it turned out to be a French keyboard. This no problem for me as I can’t type, but for others who can, it is. Can I have it changed, with a new keyboard? Somebody mentioned something about sticking stickers on the keys and changing software. Can I have the Thai alphabet installed as well? How much would it approximately cost and where can I have this properly done? Will any computer shop be able to do it?

The second problem is that the modem does not always dial when I want to make a connection with the Internet. It’s a Xircom, after a while it does, can it be repaired?

Computer Doctor replies: Thanks for your comments about my column; it is nice to get some positive reader input.

As regards to your questions, the French keyboard is really not a problem as is the Thai. Firstly, you need to purchase a set of stickers for the keyboard; these will have Thai and English characters on and follow a US English keyboard layout. It then rather depends upon the operating system that you are using but in essence, you need to look at the Keyboard/Regional Settings area in Control Panel and select the appropriate keyboard and language settings. It is possible that you will require the OS installation CD so make sure that this is to hand first. Frankly, this is something that you should be able to accomplish yourself but if you are reluctant then any computer shop ‘worth their salt’ should be able to assist.

As to the problem with your modem, I am imagining that this is a PCMCIA modem; there are known problems with some PCMCIA modems under some Windows Operating systems, primarily Windows 98 and ME. It could be that the drivers are corrupt. I suggest in the first instance you obtain an updated driver from the Xircom website. Then remove the existing driver and the PCMCIA slots. Once this is done, reboot without the PCMCIA card inserted and the OS should reinstall the slots. You may then insert the PCMCIA modem and when requested, point to the driver that you previously downloaded.

From D J Blakey: I’ve got a problem! Every time I sign on to my PC a message appears on screen. Second Chance - Discard Confirm, the amount of space used by checkpoints on drive C: has exceeded your drive space limit for that drive. Either change your limit, or click ‘discard’ and Second Chance will discard the following checkpoints: 45. The number 45 at the end of the message seems to go up one every time I sign on. Why does the PC advise me to ‘discard’ instead of ‘change limits’? How do I rectify this problem? Any help much appreciated.

Computer Doctor replies: This message is almost certainly generated by a third party utility, most of which I have no room for as they very often create more problems and anxiety than they cure. I would suggest in the first instance you remove any third party utilities you have installed on your computer, restart and run the bundled windows tools such as Scandisk and Defrag. If these do not report any problems then it is fair to assume that the software you were previously using was erroneously reporting. If, on the other hand, the native Windows tolls baulk or report errors then you will need to address the identified problem/s.

Send your questions or comments to the Pattaya Mail at 370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, 20260 or fax to 038 427 596 or e-mail to [email protected] The views and comments expressed within this column are not necessarily those of the writer or Pattaya Mail Publishing.

Richard Bunch is managing director of Action Computer Technologies Co., Ltd. For further information, please telephone 0 1782 4829, fax 0 3842 6335, e-mail: [email protected] or see the firm’s website www.act.co.th

The Reunion

My recent visit to the USA promised to be fun, interesting, informative, and exciting. It was. I hadn’t travelled there for many years, and I was delighted to have finally found the time to break away to take care of a little personal business and squeeze in a much needed holiday. October’s blaring headlines of the tragic events of the September 11th terrorist attack in New York City and Washington D. C. had my nerves frayed about flying, but living in a Buddhist culture has made me somewhat fatalistic. When I can’t do anything about a situation I think about something else.

My planned destination was Atlanta, Georgia, a place I had never been to. But old friends had agreed to meet me at the airport and had graciously welcomed me into their home for my stay. Of course I hadn’t seen these friends for decades, and it was fairly certain that the ravages of time would have dramatically changed us physically. Would we recognise each other?

The flight from Bangkok through Tokyo, and Chicago was long and arduous. Disembarking for Immigration at O’Hare International Airport, and changing planes to fly into Atlanta had left me exhausted and disoriented. Missed meals and too much champagne had rendered me nearly senseless, and by the time I arrived in Atlanta, I managed to get so lost in Huntsville Airport, I couldn’t find the baggage claim area. All of my fellow passengers whom I might have recognised had disappeared. They obviously knew where they were going. Aware that friends were anxiously awaiting my appearance, I was becoming concerned. Concerned? More like unhinged. How hard could it be to find a sign and an arrow pointing to the baggage claim arrow? Not so difficult if you stay in the arrival lounge. But I had missed my directions on one of those ‘trains’ which bridge the distance in massive airports. Finally I took my fate in my own hands and exited the train when the doors opened, not caring where I ended up. Eureka! Baggage claim area.

Hordes of people thronged around the baggage carrousels; we were packed shoulder to shoulder, cheek to jowl. I was unconcerned about my luggage. That had been checked from Bangkok all the way to Atlanta, and since I am one of those people who’s luggage the airlines unfailingly send to ‘luggage Heaven’, I rarely see my personal belongings until the day before I plan to leave wherever I have been travelling. Finding my friends was my main concern, and I waded through the herd, peering into every face. Strangers, strangers, everywhere, but not a friend in the crowd. Grabbing a luggage cart I leaned against it for support.

Alone and deserted. Unloved and unwelcomed. Poor me. And then I felt an arm slip around my waist and a tender kiss planted on the back of my neck...I FROZE. As a journalist, I am informed about the cunning con-men and deft pick-pockets who ply their sneaky trades in public places, especially in busy American airports. Clamping down tightly on my carry-on bag, I stiffened my elbow and without turning around, I send a searing blow into the ribs of my unknown intruder. Finally facing my assailant, I gazed into the face of my gracious hostess, who had come to welcome me with love and affection. The whole contingent of friends were there to greet me, and had recognised me at once. Hearty hugs of happiness and friendship were exchanged. And of course the tears were flowing, too. Especially from the elderly lady whom I had so unceremoniously punched in the ribs. “Welcome back, Dear”, she managed. And I began to cry as well.

by John D. Blyth, P.O. Box 97, Pattaya City 20260

G.J. Churchward disliked speaking in public. The only occasion on which he is known to have done so on locomotives was in London, the subject being ‘Large Locomotive Boilers’. His opening comment was that the problems with a modern locomotive were ‘mainly a question of boilers’. He proceeded to prove the point by building the first 4-6-2 or ‘Pacific’ (the name came from the USA but it caught on in Britain, too). Not a 4-6-0 but I cannot keep it out.

From the picture you will see the sheer size of this engine. The weight on the coupled wheels precluded its widespread use - officially London to Bristol only - but it is known to have turned up in Wolverhampton and Newton Abbo. The former was possibly working a football excursion. But in the main it stayed where it was permitted. The big boiler gave some trouble, especially the wide firebox of which ‘Western’ men had no experience. The length of the tubes - ideas about combustion chambers still lying in the future - were a problem too. Naturally all the heat was generated at the rear in the normal way and the front end of the boiler tended to be ‘stone cold’, doing little or nothing to provide steam.

‘The Great Bear’ - named after a group of five bright stars not seen over Thailand. Churchward’s bold experiment to gain knowledge of really big boilers. A limited success only; not a 4-6-0, of course!

Elsewhere orthodoxy reigned. Cylinders and motion were standard with that of the ‘Stars’ (other than ‘North Star’ with its scissors gear). There were minor changes in the coupled wheelbase and of course there was the trailing truck which had the axleboxes ‘inside’, and therefore nearer the firebox and grate and thus more likely to get too hot. This was a serious blunder never righted.

The cab was absurdly tiny for so big an engine, but typical of ‘GJC’, such a kindly man yet for some reason oblivious of the comfort of the crews. The 8-wheeled tender was unique and ‘lived’ long enough for me to see it in the mid ’30s, still in use.

It has to be admitted that the ‘Bear’ was no great success; it settled down to working some somewhat second-rate trains on its permitted route, including a night-time fast freight train from Bristol to London. But it was the Western’s publicity emblem for as long as it lasted, and few if any publicity pamphlets or posters appeared without it!

So humdrum a life could not go on and towards the end of the 1914 war it was plain that the boiler was wearing out. There was a new design of boiler in the offing, the Standard No 7. Some attempt was made to adapt this for the ‘Bear’, but not very seriously and with no success. In 1924 the ‘Bear’ was taken to Swindon and dismantled. There are two opinions of ‘GJC’s’ feelings on this which I have seen quoted on the same page of the same book! One is that he was much upset and the other that he had long lost interest and was quite indifferent. Whom do you believe? But it wasn’t the end.

The useable parts of the ‘Bear’ were salvaged - parts of the frames, the valve gear and other mechanical parts, and the whole was re-constituted as a member of the new ‘Castle’ Class, an enlargement of the ‘Stars’. At this stage it was no longer the ‘Great Bear’ but had another ‘political’ name, ‘Viscount Churchill’, but retained its old number ‘111’ to the end.

Another very senior Great Western officer not known to have any special interest in the ‘Bear’ until it was too late was General Manager Sir Felix Pole. This railway was compartmentalized in the extreme, the left hand seldom knowing what the right was doing. He expressed astonishment and concern at the action of the civil engineer, proscribing so tightly the permitted routes on which the ‘Bear’ might run. A little more interest at the right time might have done a power of good!

When Gresley of the Great Northern built his first ‘Pacific’ for the East Coast main line, another ‘dry’ comment came from Churchward - ‘What did that young man want to build a ‘Pacific’ for when we could have sold him ours?’

by Anchalee Kaewmanee

This is a multi-faceted and very complex personality. Gemini is analytical and objective. Paradoxically, Pisces is sympathetic, impressionable and very emotional. The Gemini-Pisces natives will see themselves as cool and somewhat distant, even sophisticated. But there are times when they can feel absolutely overwhelmed with compassion. In this case, the intellectual and rational powers of Sun sign Gemini can be swamped by the overpowering emotional make-up of the Pisces. In some ways these two signs are in conflict. Both signs have an inherent duality of nature which when out of sync can cancel the productive and positive sides of both signs. Highly evolved natives in this group manage to make these conflicting powers work to their advantage. That is what these individuals must strive for.

Unusually sensitive and emotionally vulnerable, particularly in youth, this Sun/Moon combination will receive some hard knocks after which they will learn to conceal and sometimes even repress their true feelings. A tendency to rationalise problems and a cloak of detachment and sophistication can camouflage some of that sensitivity. Unfortunately natives of this sign run the risk of eventually losing touch with their feelings altogether, and then may have a hard time finding satisfaction. If they can learn to respect their inner nature, confront their feelings more directly and honestly, rather than burying them in an intellectual quagmire, they will be a lot happier. They must learn to balance their emotions with a tad more discipline. Blowing hot and cold will only leave them in a permanent state of confusion.

Some people born into this combination often turn to drugs or alcohol to numb or deflect their hypersensitivity. They would be wise to find creative hobbies such as art or music or writing. These endeavours provide the means to vent their feelings and channel them in ways that give expression and maintain stability.

Because individuals of this combo are so impressionable, they often take on the moods, impressions and ill-feelings of those around them. They must beware that others, particularly more forceful individuals, do not gain influence or control over their affairs. It is vital that they examine their closest relationships and make sure that the people around them are healthy, supportive and sympathetic to their needs. Rather than be swayed by a tide of emotional undercurrents and impressions, the Gemini-Pisces must learn to control his or her environment. It is better for these natives if they can master their own destinies.

They may have to learn to say no to the people around them who would manipulate them for selfish reasons. Intuition is their best guide in life. So they usually know what is best for themselves. Therefore they must strive to maintain independence and learn to use that sixth sense they were blessed with. Religion is often an excellent source of solace and hope for many Gemini-Pisceans.

People born into this combination are endowed with talents which can be creatively expressed. That Piscean Moon gives the communicative Gemini Sun a strong urge to create. There are also strong business and marketing talents in this sign, and that intuition is useful in determining what people want. With their high esteem for the power of reason and the importance of education, these natives often truly excel as teachers and scholars. But in all of their activities, they will be known for their dedication and conscientiousness and their high code of ethics.

The opposite sex is captivated by the charming disposition and subtle, incisive wit of the Gemini-Pisces native. All natives of this sign have a romantic nature, but they better exercise caution and discrimination when choosing a mate or lover. Easily hurt and very sensitive in romance, it would be wise to search for a mate who is as perceptive, kind and generous as they themselves are. Otherwise they will find they are doing all the giving, and their partner is only taking.

by Duncan Steam

Part two: escalation and conflict

On July 10, France informed the Thai foreign minister, Prince Deva wongse, that the French gunboat’s Inconstant and Comete would also cross the bar and proceed to Bangkok.

Prince Devawongse, on behalf of the government of Thailand, issued a protest at this intended violation of Thai sover eignty and asked that negotiations take place between the two sides before these warships were dispatched.

Although the French government agreed, their naval commander in Saigon nonetheless issued the orders for the warships to proceed to Bangkok.

The French gunboats, with a French merchant ship, the Jean Baptiste Say, as a pilot sailed towards the entrance of the Chao Phraya River on July 15.

The Thai artillery installed in the newly constructed Phra Chula chomklao Fort as well as the Phissuasamut Fort opened fire on the advancing French.

Thai gunboats also joined the assault. The Jean Baptiste Say and the Thai gunboat Makutraj Kumar were heavily damaged, but the Inconstant and the Comete managed to force their way through and anchored opposite the French Legation in Bangkok. Three French sailors were killed in the action. The Thais lost 25 dead.

On July 20, France issued an ultimatum, with a 48-hour deadline, demanding that Thailand formally recognise the rights of Annam and Cambodia over the left bank of the Mekong River and the islands in the Mekong River; withdraw Thai troops from the left bank within one month; pay compensation for damages inflicted on French troops and warships; punish Thai offenders and pay com pensation to the families of French subjects adversely affected by Thai actions; pay an indemnity of two million francs to French subjects for various claims and deposit the sum of three million francs as a guarantee that Thailand would abide by these demands.

Thailand was forced to accept the French ultimatum but asked that the rights of Annam and Cambodia over the left bank of the Mekong be limited to the 18th Parallel. The Thais also sought the joint use of the islands in the Mekong. The French rejected the Thai proposals and withdrew all their consular officers from Bangkok and blockaded the Gulf of Thailand.

The incident caused relations between the two colonialist powers France and Britain to grow tense, although the British were unwilling to risk a war over the independence of Thailand, despite the tacit support of Germany. Instead, the British advised the Thai government to accede to French demands in order to avoid an all-out conflict.

The Thais acceded to the French demands and on August 3 the French lifted their blockade of Bangkok.

Thailand subsequently signed a treaty with France on October 3, 1893 by which the Thais renounced their claim to territory on the left bank of the Mekong River as well as the islands in the river; agreed not to construct any fortifications or military establishment within a 40-kilometre radius of the right bank of the Mekong River and gave the French government the right to establish consulates wherever it deemed appropriate (such as in Khorat and Nan).

The French also demanded the right to occupy Chantaboun (Chantaburi) until Thailand complied with all the terms of the treaty.

by Duncan Steam

I’m still following the path leading to the G-string. As I have mentioned, ladies experienced many health problems associated with wearing the corset. It was not so much the design as it was women’s desire to be thinner than they really were. The same old story, just another way of dealing with it.

Teenager’s started wearing the corset at a young age, while they were still developing and growing. The corset tightly squeezed the inner organs together. This often caused problems in childbirth. Others included digestive problems. Their stomach did not digest food the way it should and women died because of complications during childbirth. This was a tendency with those women who attempted to get their waists as small as they could. I can always remember my grandmother boasting of her 18-inch waist.

Many of the objections to fashionable dress were in fact directly related to abuses caused by undergarments. Remember that the fashionable woman of the 1880s wore too much underwear; it restricted her and weighed her down. It could be too hot in the summer and not warm enough in the winter. (Even the cage crinoline that mercifully reduced the number of petticoats and allowed air to blow around a woman’s legs.)

One of the first reform undergarments to be promoted in America was the “emancipation union under flannel” patented in 1868. This union suit combined a knit flannel waist (shirt) and drawers in one. Susan Taylor Converse of Woburn, Massachusetts, designed an improved version in 1875 and named it the Emancipation Suit. A gathered section across the bodice freed the breasts from compression and buttons at the waist and hips helped suspend several layers of skirts.

The New England Women’s Club, one of the earliest organizations to advocate undergarment reform, endorsed the Emancipation Suit. In 1873 their dress-reform committee, headed by Abba Goold Woolson, sponsored a series of lectures on the hazards of fashionable dress by four eminent female physicians. These lectures were later published in 1874 under the title, “Dress Reform”.

We have a man to thank for continuing to improve our ‘undies’. German-born Dr. Gustav Jaeger was one of the best reformers of underwear. He published a book on rational dress in 1880 titled “Die Normalkleidung” (Rational Clothing). Jaeger’s knit union suits were particularly popular with reformers in England after they were featured at the International Health Exhibition in 1884. This Kensington exhibition included a section on hygienic dress and featured noted architect and theatrical designer Edward Godwin as a speaker on dress reform.

Several individuals devoted to reform devised whole systems of underclothing that included no corset at all. One of these was another man, Dr. J. H. Kellogg. In the 1890’s he developed a dress system that included designs for gowns and undergarments. For the latter, women could choose from the following selections to best suit their needs for warmth and comfort: the union suit, jersey tights (worn over the union suit for extra warmth), a combination suit (instead of chemise and drawers), the Dr. Lindsay divided skirt (knitted for warmth), the improved divided skirt (without visible divide), skirt waists (to be sewn or buttoned to skirts), the improved Freedom waist (with two rows of buttons for attaching the dress skirt and petticoat or drawers, or umbrella drawers (a yoked skirt, divided skirt, and ruffled drawers with yoke). His dress system attempted to minimize the weight on the hips and shoulders previously emphasized in fashion. Corsets and tight bodices were discarded. These undergarments could be worn without being readily noticed and were a great improvement over the more fashionable, but distorting undergarment.

Annie Jenness Miller, a frequent lecturer, author, and publisher on the subject of physical culture and correct dress, also devised a dress system to replace the fashionable chemise and drawers, corset, corset cover, and petticoats. As illustrated in her journal, Dress, the Jenness Miller Magazine, this system was similar to Kellogg’s and included leglettes and chemilettes to replace petticoats, and a model bodice to replace the corset. The Miller system also included a bosom support for stout women; it could be classed as the first brassiere.

It wasn’t too long before fashion would go from one extreme to the other, as between 1909 and 1915 the Empire high-waisted dresses became dominant.

These gowns were often constructed of layers of soft and sometimes-transparent silk fabrics, many manufactured by the Liberty Co. in London. Other couture designers whose gowns reflect the reform style include Jacques Doucet and Lucille, Vionnet and Chanel.

by Apichart Panyadee

Glass

Despite the fact that there is only a relatively small amount of glass that fetches high prices - prices comparable with works of art in other fields - there is quite a substantial amount of glass on the market that could deceive collectors. Some of it is undoubtedly made or altered to deceive buyers and enhance prices. But much more of it is the result of honest reproduction. While it is only sensible to assess all antique glassware with careful knowledge, a blanket of suspicion should not be cast over old glass in general.

On the left, a Roman head flask, 1st - 4th century in style, possibly a European copy of the last 20 years. On the right, an imitation Roman jug rolled in sand. These are in current production.

Whether a piece of glassware could be deceptive depends to a considerable extent on the seller. The maker of an entirely legitimate reproduction cannot be accused of deception, but the subsequent seller, by ignorance or design, may miss-describe a piece and so render it spurious. It would be unjust to refer to the factories making reproductions of 18th century English glass in the 1930’s as fakers, but it would be kind indeed to describe as anything less than fraudulent people who know their provenance, yet try to sell them as authentic articles.

Knowledge is the key, and we must review the kinds of glassware that have been reproduced or faked in order to get some indications of how to tell detect them. Book learning however, can never be the sole guide. The metal varies in appearance and feel, and it is only by handling and looking as well as reading that a fairly reliable sense of the genuine can be built up.

Museums provide many examples to look at and learn from. Collector’s societies offer opportunities to look, handle, discuss and acquire knowledge. A great deal can also be learned from good dealers who, incidentally, by supplying a proper descriptive receipt bind themselves to their honest opinion and will make amends if they should be proved wrong.

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