NAVAL SALUTE TO BE FIRED

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 100, 22 January 1936, Page 17

NAVAL SALUTE TO BE FIRED

Seventy One-minute Guns MILITARY AUTHORITIES TO TAKE PART ALSO

! A naval salute, honouring the memory of his late Majesty, King George V, to he followed by a military J salute, will be fired at Wellington to--1 *‘.v. , The sloop Wellington, which is now in port, and is berthed at Clyde Quay Wharf, will move a short distance out into the harbour at some time during . the morning, which last night had not 1 been definitely fixed. When she takes up her position in the harbour the Wellington will fire a salute of 70 oneminute guns. She will then return to her berth. At the conclusion of the Wellington’s salute the military authorities will fire their salute, probably also of 70 guns, from (he Point Jerningham battery. | It is almost certain that minute guns will be fired by the warships when the funeral takes place, one gun for each year of age of the dead monarch. In addition a Royal salute of 21 guns will probably be fired on the accession of the new King. This salute will probably take place some 48 hours after the death of the late King. Almost certainly officers and naval ratings will go into service mourning. This will include the wearing of black crepe arm-bands and the cessation of official entertaining of every sort. Flags, of course, will be flown at half-mast. These matters are, however, arranged at Whitehall and wirelessed to all naval stations as soom-as possible. Instructions will probably not bo put into effect until to-day or perhaps

later. Pending instructions from England no official arrangements have yet been made by the military authorities. It is, however, a. foregone conclusion that all troops will go into mourning. Usually this consists .of a prescribed blackcrepe arm-band worn above the elbow. Military entertainment will be cancelled. Only necessary drills or parades wore hold on the death of King Edward. AU military flags will, of course, bo flown at half-mast. For a sovereign’s death it is also customary I to fly a black pennant above the I flag.

ILM.S. WELLINGTON No Civic Entertainment The functions arranged by the City Council for the entertainment of the ship’s company of H.M.S. Wellington last night and on Thursday night have been cancelled at the request of the Mayor, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop.

KING’S LAST ACT Council of State Set Up MEETING AT BEDSIDE London, January 20. It was officially announced before the King's death that his Majesty had appointed as Councillors of State the Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York, the Duke of Gloucester, and the Duke of Kent. A Privy Council comprising the Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Ilailsham (Lord Chancellor), Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, Lord Dawson of Penn (Physi-cian-in-Ordinary to the King), Sir Clive Wigram (Private Secretary to the King), Sir John Simon (Secretary of State for Home Affairs), Sir George Clerk (British Ambassador at Paris), and Sir Maurice Hankey (Clerk of the Privy Council), was held. The Privy Councillors assembled in the sitting-room adjoining the King's bedroom, the doors being left wide open to enable the meeting to be held in the presence of his Majesty in accordance with constitutional practice. The King was propped up on pillows, Lord Dawson being present as a Privy Councillor to assume the responsibility of seeing that the King was comfortable and not subjected to undue strain After (lie usual formalities Lord Dawsoq presented to the King a State paper constituting a Council of State. His Majesty signed it. Subsequently the Privy Councillors and Sir Maurice Hankey lunched with the Queen.

Sir Maurice Hankey told Press representatives that his Majesty affixed his usual signature, after which the Councillors withdrew to allow him to rest. MAKING HISTORY Council Confined To Royal Family London, January 20. The “Sun-Herald” news agency says that his Majesty made constitutional history embracing the whole Empire this afternoon when, supported by pillows on which he was tenderly raised by doctors and nurses, lie watched through the communicating doors the brief meeting of the Privy Council and signed the document “George R” constituting a Connell of State.

It will be recalled that during his Majesty's illness in 1928 the Council appointed included the Prime Minister, the Lord Chancellor and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The “Sun-Herald” agency is informed that (here is no precedent for a Regency Council composed exclusively of members of the Royal Family. It is understood that this is regarded as a corollary arising out of recent constitutional changes in the British Commonwealth as a result of Mr. Balfour’s 1926 declaration and the Statute of Westminster. The formation of the Council and its personnel rests solely with his Majesty, who delegated to his family Sovereign powers to perform certain Julies on his behalf, constitutional provision for which is contained in the fact that as members of the Crown they possess a link with the Dominions similar to himself.

It: is pointed out that his Majesty is King of each Dominion precisely ns he is King of England, an equality of status having been established be tween Britain and I lie Dominions. The Council could not include Ministers ol the Mother Country unless Ministers

of each Dominion were also appointed. This was obviously impracticable. King and the Dominions. His Majesty, evidently acting on the advice of the highest constitutional all thorities, limited the Council to his own family, realising, as does tlie whole nation, that bis sons, through their experience and .sympathetic understanding of tlie problems of tli.j British peoples, would adequately discharge ail their responsibilities. Al) communications from tiie King to tlie Dominions have lately been carried out in ac eordance with the new constitutional practice under. which tlie Crown is linked direct witli tlie GovernorsGcneral, omitting the High Commissioners, while tlie Dominions Office is the only channel of communication as between Governments. It is understood that the Prime Ministers of tlie Dominions conferied witli the British authorities during the Jubilee celebrations to clarify the procedure and meet such an eventuality as lhe present one, and it is believed that the position was then clearly de fined, though it is stated that, the pro ceedings were not documented. The “Daily Telegraph,” in an edi torial dealing with tlie Council of State, concludes: “Great Britain frankly accepts tlie position, but it is just a little astonishing that tlie extreme elasticity of the old regime should immediately lie followed by such meticulous Dominion anxiety for the strictest letter of the constitutional inferences to be drawn from Hie Statute of Westminster.”