RANDOM NOTES

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 224, 20 June 1939, Page 8

RANDOM NOTES

Sidelights On Current Events '(By Kickshaws). Power boards, it seems, are being charged twice the price for local insulators of an inferior type. Our policy of insulation is noted for the shocks it produces. « « * Germany is reported to be annoyed that Britain has instituted a Department of Publicity. The goose that lays the golden eggs, it would seem in German eyes, has produced au impropagauda. it * * It is announced that Britain is developing a phone broadcast system for use when secrecy is required in wartime. Someone must have been boasting about cur own party lines in the country. “Verbsap” writes: —“I noticed this morning a reference to a picture in a recent issue of your journal, relating to the seagull on top of a ball. Well, sir, a seagull can do that which an aeroplane cannot do, i.e., stop on any particular spot it wishes so to do, but, sir, what struck me was the three lower balls. This reminded me of the place where a person suffering from impecuniosity stops quickly enough.” ♦ * * German schoolmasters visiting the Leipzig Fair are stated to have asked permission to take back samples of real wool, as their pupils had never seen the stuff. Generations grow up aud forget that others have never known the things they knew. One day we hope that museums will stock samples of old-fashioned knife-boards on which, with much vim and work, the knives of a generation now passed ■were ground away and polished, Maybe children today, who will be the parents of tomorrow, would be interested to be reminded of the cooking pots of two or three generations ago. Our aluminium pots are things that may be easily handled. Very few people remember those weighty affairs of cast iron which took two hands to lift empty, and all day to clean. The time may come soon when the kerosene lamp will be forgotten. We are well on the way to that, thanks to the electrical age. One wonders, moreover, how' many people know the meaning of “a drive in the victoria.” Even the dogcart has been forgotten, and its meaning will soon be unknown. $ ♦ * On his way back to Britain the King, it is stated, is travelling as Master of the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleet. It is only on such occasions that one realizes the vast number of titles held by the King of England. By the grace of God the King rales over Great Britain, Ireland, the British Dominions beyond the seas; he is Defender of the Faith, and Emperor of India. His Majesty, however, has many other titles. A full list would just about fill this column. Included in the list are such titles as Admiral of the Fleet, and numerous suffixes, including that of “Elder Brother of Trinity House.” The King is also “Ranger of Windsor Great Park.” But for the vicissitudes of history the King might have been, indeed, Emperor of America. The title of King of France, moreover, was wisely dropped by George 111. But for the fact that Salic law made it impossible for Queen Victoria to hold the title of Queen of Hanover, the present King would also have beeu King of Hanover. Incidentally, the title Defender of the Faith was rescinded by the Pope in the days of Henry VIII. Not to be outdone, Henry VIII had it renewed by his own Parliament.

In spite of the formidable list of titles that hedge round a sovereign of England, the position is by no means that of- a figure-head. The King of England may travel back to his realm as Master of the Fishing Fleet, but be still possesses unlimited powers, and there is nothing to prevent them being used. The old saying that the King can do no wrong is actual law. The King could shoot his Prime Minister with his own hand. There is no court of law iu which the action could be treated. The King need not stamp correspondence. On the other extreme, he could sell the British Navy to the highest bidder, and, strictly speaking, there would be no one to stop the transaction going through. Nevertheless, it is a curious fact that the King has not the right possessed by the humblest of his citizens. The King cannot vote. When Walter Bagehot drew up a list of powers held by the sovereign, including many little-known rights, Queen Victoria put the situation iu a nutshell when she remarked: “Oh! The wicked man to write such a story. Mv people would not believe him.’’ $ * *

Few people have ever seen a complete list of the powers of the King of England. Maybe it is interesting, therefore, to give it. Here are some of the things that the King can do without consulting Parliament: (1) He lias the power to disband the army; (2) lie can dismiss the officers from the commander-in-chief downwards; (3) he can dismiss all his naval officers and men; (4) lie can sell all the warships and naval stores; (5) in the event of defeat in war lie could make peace by tile sacrifice of the Duchy of Cornwall. He owns this area, and could present it intact to Hitler if he wished ; (6) he lias the power to make war for the conquest of Brittany; (7) be could make every citizen in Great Britain, male or female, a peer or peeress; (8) he could make every parish iu Great Britain a university; (9) he could dismiss almost every civil servant; (10) he could pardon all offenders. This last means that the King can overrule all his judges. In contrast, the King cannot rent an estate. He can hold nothing as tenant or by service from a subject. There are, naturally, legal loopholes that enable the King to rent a mansion if lie wishes, lint the deed could not lie made out in his name.

We note that our cousins iu America have erected architecture to represent tlic development of communications. A range is covered from tile Indian's smoke signal to wireless telegraphy. We hope that various important features have not been forgotten. They say that if you give Dame Rumour a day’s lead you can never overtake her. Not even radio telegraphy is the slightest use. Indeed, one can discover all manner of things that have never happened, thanks to this remarkable communication system. .Moreover, it is as old as the hills. One wishes, also, that some fitting tribute lie paid not only to Dame Rumour, but to the bush telegraph. This remarkable device enables quite uncivilized tribes to broadcast news at a rate that lias only been equalled by radio telegraphy.' In the old days of wired telephony tlie bush signal is said to have got there first. News of the fall of Omdurman is said to have been broadcast in this way right across Africa long before civilized methods bad succeeded in doing the same tiling. We feel that rumour and bush telegraphy are closely linked, if one could only discover the secret.