Cooling Off

When the chamber of the House of Commons was rebuilt after the blitz, it was said to have the world's finest air-conditioning system. But soon M.P.s were complaining about the stuffiness and the drafts. M.P.s in tweeds and woolen underwear objected that Britons are used to, and dress for, indoor temperatures of less than the 70DEG that satisfies most Americans. On the other hand, when the doors are opened wide, a chilly blast from adjoining rooms leaves the front benches shivering. Prime Minister Winston Churchill once got so cold that he flounced out of the House and came back in his overcoat.

Last week, after a one-man campaign waged by M.P. Sydney Francis Markham (author of a treatise on weather called Climate and the Energy of Nations), temperatures in the House were reduced to 66DEG. To avoid chilly drafts, engineers will henceforth release extra-warm air into the empty lobbies whenever the chamber's doors are flung open at voting time. Beamed Climatologist Markham: "We are . . . approximating our aim--warm feet and cool heads."

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