THE NEW DUKE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 3, 5 January 1937, Page 5

THE NEW DUKE.

EX-KING'S INCOME. WILL HE ACCEPT A GRANT? . i REVENUE FROM ' ESTATES. ! (By Air Mail.) LONDON, December 18. It will probalny be some time before Parliament decides what to do about providing an income for the Duke of Windsor. Some M.P.'s are against making a grant at all to him. Others, arguing the same thing from another point of view, think that in the interests of his own prestige and reputation the ex-King would be best advised not to accept any money from his country. Much will depend on what private means the Duke possesses. On this point nothing is yet known, for Kings do not publish a balance-sheet of their Privy Purses. Nor are their wills made public. George V. who managed his finances with great care, is generally believed to have left a large fortune. He probably bequeathed most of this to his younger sons, because the Prince of Wales would naturally be more amply provided for as soon as he ascended the Throne. On the other hand, Edward viii. enjoyed a considerable revenue from his estates during his 25 years as Prince of Wales, and he probably saved a good deal. Many people believe that the most dignified way to deal with the present situation would be for the new King to make a private allowance to his brother, if this turns out to be necessary. It is not forgotten that during his short reipn Edward VIII pave the Duke of York an additional £25,000 out of his own purse. Non-Flying Pilot. King George \ I. is the only monarch in the world who is a qualified air pilot. But hp. is much less air-minded than his older brother. He his "winprs" as part of his regular training a* a R.A.F. officer. Since then, however, he has selidom flown, even as a passenger.

King Edward, on the other hand.] j never learned to fly, but regarded flyingl from a business-like point of view as a! time-saving moCe of travel. The aeroplane" which lie used so much was his own private property. As neither he !nor his successor is likely to need it now, the machinc will probably be sold. Parliamentary Risks. Any careless M.P. might have laid h : mself open this week to a £500 fine j—and lost his seat into the bargain. These are the penalties the law may I exact from a member who speaks or i votes in Parliament without having taken the oath of allegiance to the new ■ King. Thanks to urgent warnings from i the Whips, no member of the Commons 1 fell into the trap. But the Lords (who, as hereditary members of Parliament, ought to have known the rules better) seem to have \ piled up thousands of pounds worth of fines through sheer forget fulness. After passing King Edward's Abdication Act • —and before taking oath to Kinjr CJeorjrc —they spoke and voted on a couple of minor bills. Though the Peers will, of course, escape their fines, they arc likely | to put Parliament to a pood deal of I trouble. An Indemnity Bill may have i to be brought in to absolve them from 1 the penalties of their "crime," and the two bills they passed during the gap I between two Kings will probably have j to be dealt with all over again. At the moment leial experts are discussing just | what must be done to put matters right.!