A BACKGROUND TO THE NEWS

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 256, 25 July 1936, Page 7

A BACKGROUND TO THE NEWS

Britain and Sea Power Sir Samuel Hoare, First Lord of the Admiralty, has said that the wellestablished doctrine that Britain depended for existence primarily on seapower remains unaffected by the advance of air-power. “It is the first duty of any Government,” says ViceAdmiral J. E. T. Harper, “to ensure, both in peace and war, a sufficient and regular supply of all the necessities of life, in the form of food and essential raw materials, because, without these, the people cannot live. Secondly, the nation must be adequately defended against aggression, whether this may take the form of an invasion of the country itself, or an attack on the sources <sf its supply of food and raw materials. So far as Great Britain is concerned, it is necessary, first, to ensure the safety of some 85,000 miles of ocean trade routes —the vital arteries which join the limbs and the heart of our Empire—along which about 50,000 tons of food, 100,000' tons of raw materials and 54,000 tons of oil fuel are brought daily to the country. . . . The sea is our 'life. . . . If our Empire is to be maintained, and if the supply of food for the people of these islands is to be assured, it is necessary to preserve our sea-power. In its widest sense, however, seapower depends not only on the Royal Navy, but also on the Merchant Navy and the Fishing Fleets.”

Disorder in Commons.

A paragraph in yesterday’s “25 Years Ago” in “The Dominion” referred to the scenes of disorder in the House of Commons when Mr. Asquith attempted to speak on the Parliament Bill amendments. The main question was whether the Government would carry out Its “threat” to create sufficient peers to ensure the Parliament Bill passing the House of Lords. Conservatives thought Mr. Asquith -was bluffing, and the House of Lords was advised “not to surrender.” The “threat” had been made in a letter to the Leaders of the Opposition by Mr. Asquith on July 20, 1911. On Monday, July 22, when Sir. Asquith advanced to the table in the House of Commons to make a statement on the position he was greeted by shouts of “Traitor! Traitor 1” from Lord Hugh Cecil. The cry was taken up by other Conservatives. For some minutes Mr. Asquith stood at the table watching them in silence. He resumed his seat-when the Speaker rose to appeal for order. Immediately he came back to the table the storm burst forth afresh. Not a word from him could be heard above the din. The Speaker appealed to the Opposition generally, and to one or two members Ln particular, but without effect. Mr. Asquith still stood by the table. A stage had now been reached when all hope of securing any semblance of order had to be abandoned. After a few disjointed sentences, broken up by interjections and jeers, Mr. Asquith finally resumed his seat. Mr.A. J. Balfour rose to reply to the speech which had not been delivered. He obtained an orderly hearing and was obviously; embarrassed thereby. Sir Edward; Grey ’ told the Opposition what he thought of them, and moved the ad-; jonrnment. Mr. F. E. Smith (after-' ward Lord Birkenhead) rose and the uproar burst forth afresh and the Speaker ruled that a situation of grave disorder having arisen the House stood 1 adjourned.

Gordon Highlanders. The Repulse has been sent to Gibraltar with Gordon Highlanders. The Gordon Highlanders were raised in 1788, when Colonel Robert Abercrombey gathered a body of young Highlanders together. In 1790 they proceeded to India, where they remained until 1804. Soon they became the 75th Regiment of the Line, and, later, the Ist Battalion of the Gordon Highlanders. In 1794 the Duke of Gordon raised’ a regiment of Highlanders from among his tenants in Aberdeenshire. In his honour they were called the Gordon Highlanders, and became, later, the 2nd Battalion of that regiment The Gordons were in Holland in 1799, and distinguished themselves in Egypt in 1801. They fought under Sir John Moore at Corunna, and under Wellington at Vittoria and the Pyreenes. They fought also at Quatire Bras and Waterloo. Tn the latter battle the Gordons seized the stirrups of the Scots Greys, and, shouting “Scotland for ever!” ran with the cavalry toward the foe. The Gordons fought in the Indian Mutiny, marched with Lord Roberts from Kabul to Kandahar, led the way across the Egyptian trenches at Tel-el-Kebir, were among the defenders at Ladysmith in. the South African War, and in the retreat from Mons during the Great War. The regimental depot is at Aberdeen. Food Value of Cereals.

It has been suggested that the consumption of wheat, instead of cereals with an inferior nutritive value, should be encouraged by international action. Scientific investigators give first place among the cereals to wheat as a food. They say, also, that oats are rich in fat, While rice is po,or in it Indian corn is another excellent cereal with a food value somewhat akin to oats. Barley has considerable nutritive value, though it is inferior to wheat. Loaves made half and half of wheat and bar-ley-meal are an excellent article of diet There is no appreciable nourishment in barley-water, which is, nevertheless, an excellent drink. For a proper diet, rice must be supplemented by other substances, richer in protein. It is best cooked by steaming. Scientific conclusions also are that a proper supply of wheat flour is an essential for the healthy life of any modern nation.

Trial by Jury. Consideration to certain aspects of trial by jury was given in the House of Representatives last Thursday. A jury is an assembly of men authorised to inquire int>o or to determine fads and bound by an oath to the faithful discharge of its duty. The word i< from the Latin juro, to swear. In quiry into facts on behalf of the Crown by means of juries was frequent in England long before the trial by jury was commonly used in courts of justice. There are records of its use as far back as William the Conqueror, but it was not until the reign of Henry 11 that trial by jury became fully established and was reduced to a regular system. Introduced originally as a matter of favour and indulgence, it "■raduallv superseded the barbarous cust'oms of battle, ordeal, and wager of law. until at length it became belli in civil and criminal cases the ordin- , ary mode of determining facts for jltds cial purposes.