1927-08-18 — Page 3

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THE REIGN OF KING EDWARD VII.

MINISTERS AND THE ROYAL PREROGATIVE.

[BY SIR SIDNEY LEE";

& most interesting series of articles on the reign of the late King Edward VII. by Sir Sidney Lee is appearing in the Lon- don "Daily Telegraph,"

Fery interesting facts are given of the King's attitude to- wards the position and prerogatives of the Crown, and the firm.. y manner in which he meg several challenges to his power by Mfr. c

A. J. Balfour, the then Prime Minister,

Constitutional Powers,

THE HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 18th, 1927.

of a quarto abeet. He modified the old practice requiring from the leader of the House of Commons (a report each night of the proceed- ings, allowing the leader of the House, Mr. Balfour, to devolve the duty on the Home Secretary, and this change was observed through- out the raign. The King did not inaist, as Queen Victoria had done, on the dispatch of the report the same evening.

Dealing With Correspondance, When the King was abroad cor

sonal friends he invariably wrote

"MAN'S LOST

MEMORY.

40 YEARS OF LIFE BLOTTED OUT.

AMAZED BY MOTOR-CARS.

לו

In a little workhouse infirmary only 20 miles from London is a

well-educated well-dressed,

тад

who states that he believes thar

#duck oa

EFFECTIVE NAVAL STRENGTH.

THE REFITTING FACTOR.

EITISH FLEET AND ITS TASK.

In estimating the effective strength | of the British Navy as shown by the Navy List, it is rather apt to he overlooked that a certain propor- tion, and as a rule a by no ineans- inconsiderable proportion, is al

more than about three-quarters of pur potential strength is really Battle-cruiser Squadron nurubers available at any one time. The

the Kaiser, the Tsar, and other to be transmitted in cypher. To At some time since he was 14 heit is very questionable 'whether rulers of friendly States, Ambas has forgotten everything that hap sadors, relatives, and intimate per-pened before he was hit by the letters in his own hand. In the stene. At that time, when memory case of heads of foreign States be failed him, he became Mr. May-four ships, of which one, the Tiger, occasionally sent instructions to field.

is permanently' detached to net as the British "Ambassadors at their respecting, as always, the tradi-ield was travelling in a steamer due for refit, which will not be agnery instructional vessel. At Courts to give them messages,

A few weeks ago, when Mr. May the present time, the Repulse is completed until towards the end of course.

for reft after her recent voyage to Australia, and is to await the com- pletion of her sister-ship. Thus the admiral commanding this force very rarely has more than two ves sels at his disposal, and more often than not his available squadron consists of his solitary flagship,

The King naturally wished to be bled, then his ears. He fell to the in tha full confidence of his

He was Mr. Mayfield so door. Ministers, and to be kept thorough- ly informed of all their plans. Heonger.

Events since he was 14 was willing to make allowance for were forgotten. The forgotten accidental failures of communics

He knew only that he was Master

King Edward VII. fully recognis- ¦

respondence followed him in great/ Queen Victoria is on the throne ways "out of action in consequence and who says he is puzzled by all of belag in dockyard hands for ed and was resolved to stand by In many-important respects King masses. In cases of grave moment

the talk about the "Great War." refit. Thus, for example, the five all essential limitations on the exer- Edward followed closely the he would write full autograph cisc of personal power which are example of his mother, Queen note to Lord Knolly's, who did pot |

Yesterday to him is a day 40) Queen Elizabeths are shown as be inherent in the conception of a con- Victoria had always zealously up accompany him, directing the pre- years ago when bo was playing longing to the Mediterranean Fleet, stitutional monarchy. Yet the ex-held the clear right of the Crown smaller consequence would be desit school, when his schoolmate Robert have never been with the flag at one cise lines of a reply. Matters o!

the rock" near his but in point of fact all these vessels

treme Whig doctrine which regards to follow certain constitutional with by Sir Arthur Davidson of Blake, who lived near him in the time since they were transferred the sovereign as a puppet, all of practice, and King Edward emulat- Sir Frederick

Ponsonby, the

from the Atlantic Fleet. In their whose activities are controlled by ed her desire to uphold the royal taries, after receiving verbal in

King's Assistant Private Secre neighbourhood of Minneapolis,

case, of course, the explanation is Ministers of State deriving autho- prerogatives.

structions.

King Edward desired United States, threw the rock, to-

that they have all undergone, or everything to dealt with wards him and struck his head. are undergoing, extensive recon- rity from an elective parliament, The King's determinatice, how-promptly, and was often impatient was as repugnant to him is to his ever, was by no means as great or at any delay in the dispatch of his He was 14 then, and everything struction so as to modernize them mother. On the other hand, the as persistent as the determination eplies. The telegraph was in con- that has happened since then is a by the light of experience gained

stant use, and the King usually blank. principle of ministerial respon-of his Ministers, especially his Con-wrote in his own hand the message

during the Great War. In cruisers, sibility was too well established inservative Ministers, to uphold the the modern history of the country to all-cembracing power of Parliament. admit on his part of any question-During the course of his reign all ing. The formation and application of the great prerogative but one of policies were, as he recognised, were challenged by the then Prime functions of Ministers and not of Minister, and in each case the the Crown. Experience had made Crown gave way and in practical it plain that the withdrawal of the effect surrendered the prerogative. tional methods of diplomatic inter- from Siam to London, his nose October. The Renown is also due i -sovereign from the arena of political Parliament was dissolved in 1903, controversy was "essential to his and the King's displeasure was by security and to his dignity." But no means minimised by Mr. Bai- human nature rarely allows one who cur's statement that the Home of -occupies a throne to deny himself Commons could insist upon a dis all assertion of authority. Some solation. The Prime Minister also tion, but the omission invariably happenings of his boyhood surged elasticity is inevitable in the squar-held that Ministers were selected or annoyed him. He was extremely back. ing of the theory of a constitutional dismissed without reference to the annoyed when Ministers failed to Buvereign's self-suppression with the Crown Treaties were made and submit to him intended appoint- practical conditions of human con territory was ceded by Act of Parments of high officials in their de Albert Gurney, of Ross, near Min-posals regarding limitation of duct, and King Edward's wide-fung liament Peers were created at the partments before any public an- interest in life, his extensive know request of the Prime Minister, and nouncement. When Mr. George acapolis, that "yesterday" he had idge of men and affairs, rendered in spite of the King's protests Wyndhamn, Secretary for Ireland, gone along the railway to school, quiescence in the sphers of gevern- "Crown" appointments became the made Sir Antony MacDonnell his that he had begun to play, and ment impossible for him.

patronage of the Prime Minister, Under-Secretary

inform his Robert Blake had thrown a stone, There is nothing inconsistent with and however much the King dis-1902) and did not the principal of ministerial respon- liked a parliamentary bill he would Sovereign of the fact, the King ad- In one second he had forgotten the sibility in a sovereign's claiming the never have dreamt of exercising ministered a stern rebuke, and on

the minister's excuse of pressure of name that had served him since right to be consulted in all political the royal veto, matters, and the right to express

By some curious irony it was the work the King commented: "The his opinion on ministerial courses. Conservative party, the traditional excuses of the Ministers are often bayhood, his wife, his children, Queen Victoria bad exerted herself Church and King party, which as gauche as their omissions" even the languages he had learned in these directions pertinaciously, made the "most resounding attacks Even the Prime Minister was not in the forgatten travels of the last and King Edward fell little short of on what was left of the royal pre- above royal reproof. On the 4th his mother in pressing inquiries on rogatives during King Edward's March, 1903, Mr. Balfour, as the few years.

a dinder of his Ministers with regard to all shart reign. The two great pre-principal guest at

When a reporter visited him and maters that fell within his interest.rogatives of the dissolution of Fax- Nonconformist Unionists, made & walked with him in the gardens His criticism and inquiries hardly liament and of the cession of very important speech in which he of the workhouse he found him.& covered so comprehensive a field as territory were challenged by Mr. surveyed the position of the two wellread min, speaking faultless those of his mother, and domestic Balfour in 180-4-5. In the first case great parties in the State, and English with a full American ac- measures rarely moved much per Mr. Balfour argued that the Cabinet condemned forcibly Lord Rose-cent, His face, calm and smiling, acnal interest, but foreign affairs dictated dissolation, and in the berg's endeavour to form a middle is that of a good humoured profee and service appointments be regard-

second that the assent of Parlia party, concluding with a review of ed as his own particular province, meat, was necessary to the cession the Imperial situation. The King From almost the first moment of of territory, In both cases, Mr. was annoyed at zet being inform his reign the King gave proof in Balfour won his point.

ed of the Prime Minister's inten communication with his Ministers Tilwards the end of his reign the tion, and, after reading his speech that within constitutional limits he controversial struggle between the in the newspaper next day, wrote was bent on asserting his authority; Lords and the Commons resulted in to Mr. Balfour as follows: in these and other breaches of gov. ernment. He claimed with tenacity the right to consultation on all ap- pointments in the name of the Crown, and showed a surprisingly wide acquaintance with the names and qualifications of possible can- didates for all manner of offices.

Parliament Opened In Person. Occasionally he pressed suggestions

Ecclesiastical Appointments. Through old age or oriental of his own, and not infrequently

Immediately on his accession a was able to convince his ministers aloofness Queen Victoria bad al-

a high ecclesiastical of the wisdom of his proposal. If lowed the custom of opening Par- vacancy in

Minister announced an appoint-liament to fall into destetude. office, the Bishopric of London, oc- acupied his attention. Dr. Mandell meat in the name of the Crown in Here again the King resumed the absence of previous consultation royal function, and on February Creighton, the brilliant Bishop of with him, be expressed his resent 14th, 1901, opened his first Parli London, had died a week before ment frankly, requiring a full exent, and thenceforward, either in (January 14th), and the filling of plantation or apology. His judgJanuary or February of each year, the vacant Metropolitan See was ment in appointments was usually repeated the ceremony in full state. an urgent matter. The King had shrewd

1

ナノ

(October

31st,

the bringing in public discussion the "The King takes such a deep question of the royal creation of interest in the welfare of his cóun peers, but the King's untimely try and especially in all matters death occurred before the King was connected with its defence, that he called upon to exercise the last of was naturally much surprised, and the great prerogatives at the bid he might even say pained; to have received no information on the ding of a Minister.

subject."

He insisted that a draft of the already, given the choice careful King's Speech as he opening of personal consideration, and on Scope For Personal Influence.

Parliament should be submitted to January 20th, 1901, suggested that He regarded it as part of his him in time for his criticism, and the Bishop of Rochester (Dr. F. S. Functions to smooth the path of he usually made suggestions or cor Talbot) should be appointed. Lord government by the tactful exercise rections, which the Prime Minister Salisbury suggested the Bishop of of his personal infuence. In no case carefully considered oren though Newcastle (Dr. Edgar Jacob), but did he create a deadlock by obstin- he might no talways adopt them. to this the King demurred, and ately preferring his views to those It had been common practice on on February 7th, 1901, wrote to of his ministers, On home ques- the part of the Prime Minister's the Prime Minister: tions, many of which he regarded secretary to communicate to the

of the "parish pump as savouring

Press on the day before the open- he accepted without demur minis.ing of the parliamentary scarier

general lines terial advice, but in foreign affairs the

which the he was often inclined to put for- Sovereign's speech would follow. ward his own views, though he ac- Mr. J. S. Sandara, Mr. Balfour's repted, on constitutional lines, final secretary, now asked for the King's ministerial conclusions. Each year, opinion. But to such preliminary Sir Edward Hamilton, of the inspiration" King Was Treasury, prepared for the King a stoutly opposed: special synopsis of the Budget pro-

am dead against

any "inspiration being sent to the posals, which the King studied with keen attention.

newspapers (he wrote in his own band on February 14th, 1903). It is done in ao country, probably not

America evenin

The King's speech is drawn up by

During the last ten years of Queen Victoria's reign her attitude to her eldest son had greatly mel- lowed. She heard with respect bis views on public affairs, and at times took counsel with him before reach- ing decision on a difficult issue. In

*

I

the

In the event the King's last

his Ministers, but If the Press nominee, Dr. Winnington Ingram, gets hold of it before it is made was appointed.

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THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT

How a great earthquake changed

the lives of two families.

THURSDAY and SATURDAY Orchestra at 5.15 & 9.20. Chinese interpreter at 2.30 & 7.15.

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It is as well that this should be borne in mind amidst all the pro-

armaments. As things now are, the whole of our Fleet is none too big for the duties which it has to fulfil. For quite a considerable was reduced to one ship, the flag- time, the East Indies Squadron ship Engham. One ship to gar- Red Sea to Singapore does not ap rison a force extending "from the The pear a very adequate fcree Admiralty have done all that is mobilizing of warships by refitting. practicable to minimize the im-

Nowadays it may be taken for granted that when a vessel goes. into dockyard hands, it is really a matter of necessity that she should do so. The practice of mak- ing warships self-maintaining has been carried as far as is possible, TRANSMISSION and the work in this direction done by the engineer officers and their stals has never received fitting' His mind now, apart from the tribute. In addition, the employ- question of memory, seems quite ment of repair ships has proved normal, and he has, of course, been of great value in this direction. convinced that many years have byguze days the custom was to elapsed since his boyhood. Americans who met him a fort night ago, calmed him when he saw an aeroplane.

sional man.

Two

He said he did not know what ragtime is and had never heard of jazz. Of his family he said:

Henry

let defects sccumulate until...it

seemed worth while submitting, a list which would ensure an order. to go into dockyard hands. Now defects are dealt with as they mani- fest themselves unless, indeed, they are too big for the resources of the vessel in which they occur. Not- withstanding, the refit list remains Fery considerable. Experience has false Proved that it is very economy to defer taking a vessel in hand when she begins to show symptoms which need treatment. She may continue keep going, bat it will cost very much more to initely threatens to put ber right, when she finally de-

crock." Naval and Military Record

MILES OF REGISTERS."

Father's ваше is Ebenezer Gurney. He was born at Briantville, Mass. He marri. ed Neilie

Farnham, of Desplaines, Illinois. We moved to Wakegan, Illinois. Father then taught music at the Forest Hill Girls Seminary, Lake Forest. Then he went to Stuttgart to study Tusic with Frank Richards, and when he came back we moved to Chicago. He wa in Kimball's Music House there. Then we went on to Min- neapolis, where father got partner, M. Wells Hinsdale, and opened a music shop called Gurney and Hinsdale's Music Shop. I went to the Old Washington School there. Mr.

Somerset House, where all regis- Moore" was principal. That was 1860. That brings me to the tration records are kept, is becom- time when my memory gets dim. ing overcrowded, and in the near

future it will be necessary to con We moved to Bose, six miles outsider where the enormous files of from Minneapolis It was there these eatris are to be stored. that I was hit by the stone. remember no more.

...

SOMERSET HOUSE PROBLEM OF, ACCOMMODATION.

In the latest statement by the Registrar-General, it is shown that the entries of births, marriages and deaths alone are being increased yearly by one million and three- quarters, and that the names in the

ber

I only wish that the Bisber of Winchester (Dr. Randall David- 500) would accept the Bishopric of London, but he has repeatedly told me that he could not under- take it on account of his health, and other reasons. Still it

Lost Languages. might be offered to him, as you On the subject af how he lost one suggest, and failing him to be part of his memory to regain an- offered to the Bishop of Roches-other, he said: ter. Should the latter decline I

Before I colispsed on board indices dating from 1836 now rum- am inclined to believe that "the the Fionic I had, according to There are miles of bookshelves de no fewer than 150,000,000. Bishop of Stepney (Dr. Winning- officers and friends on board, soted to the housing of these and ton Ingram) would be a better

talked as a mining engineer. I selection than the Bishop of New had booked in Siam. I had said must be preserved, for they are in other records all documents that castle.

I had a wife and two grown-up boys. Passengers told me after number thousands every week.

constant use by searchere, who :wards that I spoke several

Last year there languages Now I cannot recall 500,000 searches of the registers of were nearly wife or boys, know nothing of births, marriages, and deaths, to any profession, cannot remember say nothing of the applications to anything of the East, and cannot speak any language but my own meats. There are often queues As to what has happened between waiting for access to certain regis- boyhood and a few weeks ago ters, and the revenue from search my mind is a blank. My, pass fees amounts to over £35,000 a year. port is that of a Briton, in the The public searches, which are name of Albert Mayfield, and I handed this and my letters to the captain, and I understand they are held in conncetion with Foreign Office inquiries The man walked with the re- porter to a car, where he said sim ply: "Wonderful things. I was astonished when I saw them for the first time on landing.!.

at the opening of Parliament When the Deanery of Petar questions affecting the Army she

from the Throne it becomes a borough fell vacant, the modest had kept him thoroughly informed

perfect farce. Bandars belongs value of which the King regretted, of the business that come before her

evidently to new regime. One be suggested a relative of the and sought his counsel. He bad

has heard of the New Woman,' Prime Minister, either his son Ed thus nequired an expert knowledge

but he is the "New Man.'

ward or his brother-in-law Canon of the difficult problems relating to The reports of Cabinet meetings Alderson. But Lord Salisbury re- military reform. While the Duke of which it was the practice of the plied (May 3rd, 1001) *, Cambridge, was Commander-in-Chief Prime Minister to forward in his the Queen had not, during the last own hand to the Sovereign in- part of her reign, insisted-on-the-mediately after each semion were submission to her for her express studied closely by the King, and sanotion of amoller changes in the be frankly rebuked the writer for regulations. But when the King say undue brevity. He frequently came to the throne he insisted that complained of the omission of no such forbearance on the part of material points and inquired the least have approved the appoint his mother "should" be trested as a cause. He desired that as" of old ment of his brother-in-law ton precedent in his own case.

the length should run to four sides vacant Deanery.

I am very grateful to His Majesty for his thoughtfulness, but-my-relation-promoting power- is for the moment exhausted, and requires rest.

The King thought that Lord Balisbury's conscience might at

scrutinise wills and other docu-

undertaken by Government depart- mente, are gratuitous.

Though the Registration Act only came into operation in 1835, regis ters of other kinds were kept long before that date, and it is evidence of the completeness of the records at Somerset House that they in- clude registers kept by the Bociety of Friends dating from 1578.

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