THE KING.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4513, 14 November 1901, Page 4

THE KING.

It, is scarcely necessary to say that the country is much surprised by the news the San Francisco mail has just brought out fc about the health of the King, and that while not inclined to believe the pessimistic storj*, it hopes that there is not a word of truth in it. It is not as if jthcro was no cable service. Had there been any gossip of the serious and widespread character to which allusion has been made, one or other of the agencies for supplying the Australasian press with the news would have noticed it. A conspiracy of silence in face of such a fact is unthinkable. Moreover, it is impossible that all the journalists whose business it is to watch for facts should have missed this one, leaving it to an American to forward at his leisure by mail. There wore allusions in the cable messages to some health trouble of the King’s, certainly. But they were pitched in a very different key to that which dominates this belated American de. livcrance. Tho terms were not such as to suggest anything like the convulsion of society which he insists upon. Since they reached us, however, the King and Queen have met their son and his Duchess on their return from their Royal tour, and the King has stated that there was nothing particularly wrong with him. There are certain particulars about insurances and the raising of rates on policies on tho King’s life. In that, however, there is not necessarily any corroboration. The practice of insuring tho life of tho Sovereign is not uncommon. There arc many persons, purveyors of various things, holders of office, pensioners on the Civil List, whose emoluments cease with the life of the Sovereign, tho successor making in most of these things his own arrangements. Tho least rumour of tho King’s health would na. turally induce many of these persons to protect themselves by taking out policies on tho King’s life. If such applications are numerous, tho immediate consequence would be a rise of rates, which would bo a proof, not that the King is seriously ill, but that a number of interested people have been thrown into a panic by a few astute managers of life assurance offices. If tho appli. cations amount to very large sums nothing more would necessarily bo proved. This American authority places the amount actually insured at over two and a half millions. But the more fact that tho statement Has come by cable is strong presumptive evidence that the mail steamer left Liverpool carrying exaggerations so gross as to have parned the contempt of tho usually leVel-hcaded collectors of cable news. By the way, it is a revelation to most people that this sort of insurance play is possible. The idea that anybody can insure the King’s life, and thus encourage himself to wish for tho King’s death, is what our American cousins call a perfect “hair.raiser.” Wo are further assured that tho King’s friends admit he suffers from “smoker’s throat and gout.” But, as that is the class of statement which tho King himself has denied, wo feel justified in placing it in tho category of things which require corroboration and will never be confirmed.