A GRANT TO THE PRINCE OF WALES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3488, 18 January 1921, Page 52

A GRANT TO THE PRINCE OF WALES.

By Coi.EMAX Puil.lll's. TO THE EPTTOII. Sii:.- -As aii o.d soldier 1 shell d lie glad ii Lie Ue u< rued .'soldiers’ Association of -New Z, a mn.t would consider me question ot a public money grant to the Prince of U ales, who appears to be going through exactly the same trouble that his grandfather, King Edward, so long suffered (shortness oi income), save that with the reduced value of money he naturally feels it more keenly. The simp e lact is that we give nothing to the King s private income, or to hts family's support, although the Crown is of vast value to us as head of the Empire, our present national strength as a nation. The U.S.A. is a weak state because it has no head. So is Germany now, and China. Every republic is weak, in fact, for this one want—a permanent head. President Wilson became ill. and there was a whole nation in a dreadfull mess. It had no head. Ihe British Empire and Japan are really the only two strong nations left complete from main truck to keel. Most of the European nations will take back their kings eventually. A match or a pin without a head is useless. My suggestion, therfore, is that it will pay Canada, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand handsomely to strengthen the Crown a little by each subscribing a money grant of, say, £IO.OOO a year to the Prince of Wales, who, out of it, can help his brothers and sister a little (his fellow heirs to the Crown), or use the money in a hundred ways for relieving distress or helping the Empire’s needs, which he is continually called upon to do. I notice that he has just had to subscribe £IOO for some deserving object. It is not exactly right for the Crown to be beholden to any private individual, as was King Edward in his time. I ask the R.S.A. men to consider this, as the idea of the trade unions is “One Big Union’’ to replace the Crown. But, as a student of history, I would point out to New Zealand trade unions that they will be the chief sufferers from the One -Big Union Idea, for whenever supreme power is taken by any one class of the community it is that class that actually suffers. When our own King Charles resolved to rule without Parliament he very quickly was sent to the scaffold. When the French aristocrats did the same they were sent to the guillotine. When the working class takes charge they are shot bv the thousand, as now in Russia. The British Constitution, is therefore a mixed safety Government of the three classes, and it has taken some 2600 years (since Aristotle wrote his famous “Politics and Economics,” a work trade union leaders should not fail to read) for us all to find out wherein real national safety lies. That is why I now suggest what I do to support the Crown. It is hardly fair for U 3 dominions to throw upon the English working class the entire upkeep of the heir-to-the-throne’s private establishment. True, we help the navy a little, and joined in the late war against Germany, as we didn’t want the Kaiser to rule over us. But another war is looming in the Pacific, and to get our meat, wool, cheese, and butter Home we shall want the protection of the whole British Navy, so that it will pay us handsomely to help support the head

of the navy —viz., the King and his heirs. We are not in the same position as the U.S.A., with a presidential election every four years, and the shocking waste of publio money that that entails. Let us, therefore, not he ungrateful or ungenerous for the benefits we atually enjoy under our admirably balanced Constitution, the real strength of the Empire. But under the “One Big Union” rule, the Empire would at once fall to pieces and Australia and New Zealand pass to Japan. So bad has sole Labour rule become in I Australia that many men there consider now I that it would be better if Japan had the country, and not England. I would, however. point out to them that when democratic rule became supreme in Rome, and the Goth was let in, the Roman Empire at once fell to pieces, so that if vve want to go on as we happilv have our bounden duty is to strengthen the Crown and keep the foe out. The One Big Union idea is bound to wreck the Empire and is being engineered by a small minority in our midst who shoo’d be severely punished. I \ bo’ieve the number of the actual Bolshevik Ruling Party in Russia is under half a million out of 140.000.000 Russians; but, of course the people follow their leaders. Thev always do that. This is where I think the R.S.A. men should take a hand j by keeping matters as they are and insisting upon a law being Passed prohibiting l the formation of One Big Union in New | Zealand, either among emp’oyers or employees. No section of the community has the slightest right or Justification to unset our balanced form of Government, which has been fought out and perfected on a hundred bloody battlefields in England during tho past 1000 years. The battle of Tewkesbury was the bravest and bloodiest battle ever fought upon this earth, and that was in defence of our Constitution. T might further point out that directly the Prince realises that a portion of his | income comes from the dominions (from which it really sliou’d cornel it, will be up to him to look after the interests of the dominions, and he will soon repay us for anything we give him. As we receive' the privileges of a united Empire we must surely take unon ns its reasonable responsibilities. Re id'-s. T confess to a w-rm liking for the Prince personally, and T wish to let him rea’Le that he belongs to tho whole Empire, not to anv single part.