A BACKGROUND TO THE NEWS

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 207, 29 May 1936, Page 9

A BACKGROUND TO THE NEWS

Mediterranean or Cape? It is said that there are two schools of thought regarding Britain’s naval policy in the Mediterranean; one that the Mediterranean must be held at all costs, the other that preparations should be made to divert all eastern traffic via the Cape of Good Hope. Of the 5663 vessels which passed through the Suez Canal in 1934, 3071 were British. It is estimated that at least 12 British ships pass Gibraltar every 24 hours throughout the year. The Suez Canal route to India is of the greatest importance, since with rubber, jute and manganese ore from India and the Malay States, Great Britain has three vital commodities, to say nothing of other tropical products such as rice, tea and coffee. Also, if we exclude coal from the total, the biggest market for Great Britain’s exports lies in India — by far the biggest for textiles. Thus the Suez Canal route via the Mediterranean is strategically important to British trade, not only on account of the volume of shipping, but also because of the nature of the commodities passing through it. The ships carrying these goods could go round the Cape in war, but the journey would be very much longer. The Australian route via Suez is important for troop movements in war, but for cargo ships the Cape route is available. Actually, in peace, more ships go out to Australia via the Cape than via Suez, although all mail steamers go via Suez. The Cape route, though longer, is cheaper. Control of Tin. The International Tin Committee is to consider the world quota for the July-September quarter, the producing countries affected being Bolivia, Malaya, the Netherlands East Indies. Nigeria, Siam and Belgian Congo. The chief difficulty is with Bolivia. The collapse in the price of tin in 1930-31 was met by an agreement to reduce the world supply from about 175.000 tons annually to 105,775 tons, of which 28,813 were allotted to Bolivia, whose production in 1930 was 37,501 tons. A further agreement made in June, 1932, cut the world production to 54,056 tons. In 1933 the Bolivian quota for 1934 was fixed at 18,893 tons. The export in 1933 was 14,958 tons. The quota for 1935 was fixed at 18,596 tons. More than three-fourths of the Bolivian Government's revenue comes from the tin export duty. New Jersey. New Jersey, the southern part of which has been swept by forest tires, has an area of 5224 square miles, and a population of more than 4,000,000. It is bounded by the States of New York and Pennsylvania, and by the Atlantic Ocean. It is mostly low and flat, and has extensive water navigation facilities. Economically, and to a degree politically, New Jersey and New York have common interests, . very many New Jersey people working or transacting business in New York City, transit facilities being afforded by ferries and tunnels under the Hudson River. Petroleum refining, silk, textile and electrical machinery manufacturing, pottery-making, canning, and meat-packing are among the important, industries. New Jersey produces great quantities of iron ore, and zinc. Princeton University, New Jersey, is one of the greatest educational institutions in the United States. Linz. Linz, where the Heimwehr headquarters have been moved to, is 98 miles west of Vienna. Situated on the Danube, it is the capital of Upper Austria. The chief manufactures are carpets and cloth. The population exceeds 100,000. Field-Marshal. King. Edward VIII has accepted ins Field-Marsha'l’s baton. Field-Marshal is the highest title of rank in the Bri tish Army, equivalent to Admiral of the Fleet in the Royal Navy. It was firs! instituted by George 11, who conferred the rank on the Duke of Argyll. Any officer on either the active or retired lists may be promoted to Field-Marshal, but it is laid down that there shall not be more than eight Field-Marshals on the active list at any one time. Colonels of the Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, King’s Royal Rifle Corps, and the Rifle Brigade, are selected from Field-Marshals, who are also eligible for appointment as Governors of the Tower of London and Chelsea Hospital. The pay of a Field-Marshal is dependent on the appointment he actually holds; his half-pay is £l3OO per annum. Actually, the title is conferred on the. most distinguished soldiers of the day. and the holders carry a baton, in addition to their swords, when in full dress. The present Field-Marshals are, in order of seniority, the Duke of Connaught (1902), Sir William Birdwood (1925), Sir Claud Jacob (1926), the Lord Milne (1925), ex-King Alfonso of Spain (1928), the Emperor of Japan (1930), the Earl of Cavan (1932), Sir Philip Chetwode (1933), Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd (1935). Sir Walter Kinnear.

Sir Walter Kinnear, who is to visit Australia to advise the Commonwealth Government on proposals for the establishment of national Insurance in relation to health and old age, is 64 years old. He has been controller of the Insurance Department of the Ministry of Health in Great Britain and deputychairman of the National Health Joint Committee, since 1919. Belgium.

Belgium, where the Government has resigned, is only 11,752 square miles in area (about a fifth of the size of the North Island), but has a population of more than 8,000,000, or 699 people to the square mile. Brussels, the capital, has a population of about 900.000. Belgium is bounded by Holland. Germany. Luxemburg, France and the North Sea. It has a frontier of-S3l miles and a seaboard of 62 miles. Antwerp has become the greatest port of Continental Europe. The independence of Belgium was proclaimed in 1830, and its neutrality and inviolability were guaranteed by Austria. France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Prussia and Russia. It was the violation of this treaty, the "scrap of paper” incident, which was directly responsible for causing Great Britain to declare war on Germany on August 4, 1911. The population of Belgium is divided into two well-defined groups. Iho Flemings and the Walloons. The former, who speak Flemish, are in the majority. Parliament consists of a Senate of 153 members. 93 of whom are elected by the electoral colleges of the provinces. 40 by the provincial councils, and 20 by the Senate: and a House of Representatives of 187 members elected by direct vote of the people. Men and women vote, and voting has been compulsory since 1593. Proportional representation was introduced in 1900.