1934-08-18 — Page 9

SUPPLEMENT

THE

HONGKONG TELEGRAPH.

SATURDAY

AUGUST 18;

1984

PAGIE

THE

BACHELOR PRINCESS NEW YOUNG RULER OF BELGIUM

BY MILTON BRONNER. Princess Juliana of Holland

girl whom no princeling wants, or girl who wants no princoling?

That's the cross-word puzzle which bas intrigued royal match- makers of Europe for the past six. yoare. About two months ago, after a visit to London with her. royal kinfolk and friends; the loft the gossipers more in the dark than ever. And the recent death of her father, Prince Consort Henry, Duke of Mecklenburg, hat brought up the question anaw,

Julians 1s as much the bachelor girl of Europe as the Prince of Wales is the royal bachelor; neither has followed, the role of their respective houses and marri ed, carly. The

Princess Queen-

mother succeeded to the throne when she was 10 and married when she was 21. Juliana at 26 Is still. heart-whole and fancy-free. PUZZLE TO HER PEOPLE.

The Dutch don't like it. They would prefer to see her wedded, settled down and raising a family, so that the throne would fall into the hands of those in the direct Bne. of the House of Orange,

Also the Dutch don't understand It. Not only is she the heirean to the throne of a tidy little country with immensely rich colonics, but she is rich in her own right, does not give one a pain to look at, is brilliantly educated, charming, In -private conversation and full of Cun. Any prince; they say, nught to be glad to grab her. Only- there is the doubt as to whether she wants to be grabbed. In the past few years a whole procession of protestant German and Swedish eligibles has passed in review and not once did Juliana bat an eye, Indicating: "I'l have that one." FAMILY EXPERIENCE

It may be that what occurred in her own family life has soured her on the job of choosing a Prince

Consort. When her mother, Queen Wilhelmina, married the late Prince Henry, a German, the Dutch were. none too pleased. Germany was too powerful and too dangerous a neighbour.Prince Henry had to efface himself just us the husband of Queen Victoria of England, Prince Albert, another

到

Fun-loving, talented Princess Juliusim⋅ (upper right) some day will succeed her royal mother. Quaen Wilhelmina (left) as rufer of the Netherlands. And all Europe is wandering whether she will choose a Prince Consort to share the royal palace (below) in Amsterdam.

cidentally, she perfected herself in languages, history and economics, After she graduated, she lived at home in her mother's palace. Then her grandmother, the late Queen Emma, put in a word for her and she was given a palace of her own in which to set up her own establishment. It is called a

where every move is discussed. London is so big that a whisper doesn't carry far,

In London she can do what any girl doce-puff a cigarette, sip o cocktail, go to dances and parties and lead the kind of life a rich, wall-born young woman normally likea to live. Of that there can bo

WORKING TO MASTER

ROYAL TASKS

DY MORRIS GILBERT:

Sharp at 8.65 o'clock any week-day morning, a sombre limousine turns swiftly into the Place des Palais in Brussels, slows down, enters the main palace gates, and rolls under au arch into the central courtyard,

The limousine it is, of course, a Minerva, Belgium's most famous make-is bringing Leopold III. fourth King of the Belgians, to work. He is at his office desk at 9 o'clock.

There is no footman on the royal car. Leopold, like his father a lover of motors, would prefer to drive himself, but does not do ao when going to his office. With him in the limousine Is the equerry who happens to be on duty.

If Leopold is holding audiences, which happons practically. daily, he will be wearing the uniform of commander-in-chief of the Belgian army. Otherwise he will be in mufti, which he pre- fers.

There is no formality about Leopold's arrival. A soldier or two on guard in the woolly-looking grconish khaki of the Belgian troops, présents arms. A big Belgian og flutters to the top of the polo on the central mansarded

cupola on the palace, and comes down again to half-staff, since the court is in mourning.

WORKER LIKE PREDECESSORS.

It isn't strange that Leopold worka hard. He doesn't forget that the first Leopold was invited to come to Brussels and take the throne as "King of the Belgians,” not "King of Belgium.", Also that the people require him to swear to uphold the, constitution. Also that ho rules by the will of the people and not through any 80- called "divine, right." He doesn't aven have a crown, and there is no coronation ceremony for a Bel- glan monarch:

All of Belgium's kings have been workers. The Arst one had to or

Gernran, had to do for year, palaco by courtesy. As a matter no doubt, because last year after ganize his country which had just

ni

Prince Henry had the name near-royalty

game. without tho He was the hyphen in the family. The husband of Princess Juliana would have to play a similar role. Juliana will be Queen some day if she lives, but if she gets married her husband will be only Consort, a sort of royal aleo-ran.

In the meantime, she is not pin ing away, not Princess Juliana. She went to a Dutch university, mingled with her fellow students, and had a lot of innocent fun. In-

|

of fact, it is just a nice patrician tractive old-world squares in' The residence in one of the most at

Hague..

HOLIDAYS ABROAD.

Every year now for some time past ale has been coming over to England. Not beau-catching. Just for a real holiday. There is less restriction in London than in The Hague. The latter is a neat little city, but it's a whispering gallery

her regular London visit, sho wrote to one of her frienda:

"For twelve days I have lived In a continual whirl. Life has been gloriously free and riotously

Again; like the Prince of Wales, she is making the most of it. Both of them know that when they mount throne their lives will not be particularly free or gay. They will be bound and fettered by the things that a ruler must and must not do.

The Mersey Tunnel Project:

Abovor A favourite posed portrait of King Leopold III and Queen "Astrid. At left Like his father a “soldier king♬ Leopold is shown as a captain in the First Regiment of the Belgian army,

these rights haven't atrophied. "I'm not quite sure," the other It is unthinkable that a king of answered. England should refuse, the "Royal Consent to a bill. It is also un- thinkable that a king of England

The notebook anopped back into the king's pocket. The audience was quickly over, Leopold, like

should dissolve parliament without his father, is a miser where time "the advice of his ministers.” la concerned. This is not quite so much the case.

STIRRING SPEECH.

in Belgium. In Belgium, while the king has no veto power as has

Ministers hardly had to wait a the American president, he has the day to sample the new king's next thing to it-ho can refuse to mettle and his independence. On sign a measure. He has exception-his hurried return from Switzer al powers in appointments, royal land to the coffin of his father, ho decrocs, and with special regard was approached by officials who to army matters. He has also wished to advise him as to what the right to Institute legislation. he should say in his speech from Also, ha la the executive author the throne: "This is not the time ity; and appoints his own minis to consider it." Leopold respond- ters from the majority party of ed. "My father is not yet buried the chamber.

| SALARY LIMITED.

After the funeral of Albert Leopold shut himself up for a fow hours to work on his speech,

wrenched itself free from Holland In the Revolution of 1830. Hé had the powerful support of hia little nieco Victoria when she be camo Queen of England a few years lator. Leopold II was the great Belgian empire-builder. He developed the Congo as a vast and which the king was doing too. limitlessly rich domain, and prac- They might have interfered with tically forced it down the throat one another. So King Albert of parliament as a' colony' which handed over the colonies to Prince the stolid burghors of Brussels Leopold as his special department. and Antwerp weren't at all sure He made long trips out to them they wanted. Grudgingly accept several times. He was In the Con- ad in those days, the Congo is now go for eight months in 1926." A vital source of Belgian wealthAs far as could be humanly forecharges. In fact, it's a losing pleted speech, and said, "I wish

acen this was a sensible arrange proposition and the Belgian royal you would read it.", ment. But a fault in an outcrop house has been paying its way out of rock in the cliffside of Marche- les-Dames Bent Albert plunging to

and is still capable of enormous

Biggest Under-Water "Tube" In The World development,

Trish

Sea

BIRKENHEAR

"

ENGLAND POINTS WITH PRIDE to bar new Marsey Tunnel Upper left. One of the gigantia air ventilatore for the tunnel. Upper rights The Liverpool entrance to the tubs. Lower left: A majo showing how the new under-river pasangsway will speed up vehicular traffic southward out of Liver- pool Lower right: An Interior view of the trop-lined tunnel. England had a thrill on July 18:j River.

Mich. and Now York City's waters when the grontost under-water Under-river tubes for railway are literally honey-combed with tunnel in the world was opened and vehicular traffic are not new.tunnels.. between Liverpool and Birkenhead. There are two at Detroit linking. Completed at a depression-defying America and Canada, 000 under cost of 8,000,000, the 2:18-mile the St. Clair River, connecting Sar- tube burrows, boneath the Mersey nia, Ontario, with Port Huron,

FERRIES TOO SLOW.

The reasons for building a veh!", cular passagaway under the Mer

AUTHORITY ON CONGO,

It happens to say that the Con-his death, and abruptly altered the go and Belgium's other colonies plans of the Belgian dynasty. are specialties of King Leopold

STUDIES INTERNAL AFFAIRS. III. Other parts of his royal job are less familiar to him, and he is working overtime "swatting up" these subjects. But nobody can stick him on the Congo.

"When Albert was alive and the crown prince had reached his majority," Professor Herman Tier- linck, the present king's former tutor and close confidante, told me, "something had to be found for him to do." The interview

WAS

taking place in a big office in the palaco just across the hall from Leopold's.

"It didn't seem sensible to have the prince busy at the things

Incidentally, he isn't any, too Presently he summoned two min well paid. At current rates, his latex merely those who were

or royal "civil list

salary immediately affected and could amounts to about £80,000 a year, give him the technical advice he out of which he has high fixed wanted. He showed them a com-

of its own privato fortune. for Thoy did so, and ventured to

offer, suggestions for some changes: in it.

many years.

Leopold receives certain minis- ters each morning. These bring.

"Please tell me," Leopold said,

"Leopold could reasonably have to him the special problems that if there is anything in the speech. bave risen If he wants expert which I may not, constitutionally expected 20 years more to prepare advice on something, ho sends for say." for his job," Professor Tierlinck

The ministers shook their hoads. continued. "His father was in ex- the expert. He, like his father, is cellent health and might well have Impatient-though courteously ao There was nothing. lived long. So, these days, the over insufficient knowledge. now king is learning now things, Years ago the present king got "That is what I wanted to learn, with special regard to internal the memorandum habit. He car- gentlemen," said Leopold." "I bid affairs, economics, finance, and rica a notebook in his left hand you good day." foreign relations."

suit pocket. A visitor, the other day, came to tell him about un- employment in a neighbouring country.

The speech turned out to be an It Impressed hearers by its sin effort of surprisingly fine quality

cerity, its simplicity, its depth. It

A King of the Belgians is a "constitutional monarch." He has the rights of any other such mon- arch; for instance, to disacive.par "How much is the unemploy was far more than a state paper. liament, thus calling for a now ment; by the latest figures? Leo. It was a human document, and it election. He signs every low. pold demanded, reaching for his stirred Belglum from the North

Sea to the Ardannos. But in Belgium, unlike England, notebook..

sey River were very much like first, a bridge was thought of. bed, was through sandstone. It built of cast iron and is the largest those that made necessary the But a bridge over the Mersey, like was began with pneumatic hammers stretch of such a highway great Holland Tunnel between a bridge, over the Hudson, would but this being too slow, explosives existence, containing 40,000 squ Manhattan and New Jersey. Just be a nuisance to big ocean going were used. The work was started yards. as in America a vast number of steamers, So In 1925 a joint com- motor vehicles once were compelled mittee from Liverpool and Birken to travel by slow-moving ferry head got authorization from Par- boats between the metropolis and liament to build a tunnel.. the group of cities on the Now Jeracy alde, so there was a similar tide of car traffic carried between Liverpool and Birkenhead, also by there often slov up or totally hold up by fog, and

Lighting is supplied by stations at each end six ventiating plants, Liverpool and thred in Enormous fans not only par bad air, but pump 2,500,000 cubic feet. ho Holland Tunnel ventilation was care and then adopt needs..

from both sides of the river VENTILATION.. after Princess simultaneously Mary inaugurated it in December, 1025. So well was the plan carried through that on April 8, 1928, the The British plan was quite heading from Liverpool mat that different from the New York one. from Birkenhead almost exactly The Holland scheme has two under the middle of the river. tunnels, one for trame from Now As the tunnel progressed, it York, the other for traffle to New was lined with segmental rings of York. Each tunnel has room for cast iron, each ring being built up two lines of cars abreast. The from 24 segments, wolghing about Liverpool is not only one of the Morsey has only one tunnel which 1,800 pounds each. Each ring was World's great ports, but also a great can take four lince of trafe put in place before the next one manufacturing centre. In such a abreast, two each way, each traffic was started. Broken rock was small country, with distances so lane being over 8 1-2 feet wide. placed around the exterior and con- comparatively short, an Increasing The interior diameter of the tunnelcrete was pumped Inso amount of goods, is carried by is 44 feet. The interior, given up motor lorries. A quicker method to traffic is 30 foot wide. than ferries was imperative. At The tunnelling under the

other weather conditions.

that the tunnel

fresh