Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-01-08
BY COMPTON PRICE.
LONDON, December %, 1!

~ AN you imagine his majesty
George v, King of Great
of India and head of the
Britain and Ireland, emperor
mightiest empire the world has ever
seen, having his old shoes patched in
order to save the cost of new ones?
Would you believe that the ruler of
the British nation hasn't ordered a
new suit since the armistice because
of the feeling that he just couldn't
afford new clothes? And that his
august consort, Queen Mary. has been
driven to keeping her dress bills
down by having her pre-war gowns
altered and in some cases even dyed
to avoid investing in new ones at the
rates that court dressmakers charge
at present?
Can you picture King George and
his queen getting together and cut
ting down their accustomed break
fast, luncheon and dinner menus to
the barest possible minimum con-
sistent with health in order to re-
duce their housekeeping bills? And
reluctantly deciding to sell off such
OF their residences as are their pri-
vate property and not that of the
nation with the double purpose of
saving the cost Of their upkeep and
having the proceeds to help them in
the now difficult task of making both
ends meet? Can you conceive OF
the royal pair feeling compelled.
on the ground of expense. to forego
special trains, which they invaria-
bly, used in their flush" days-in-
stead of having the royal saloon
hitched onto ordinary ones-and
even pruning drastically the bills of
fare drawn up by the railway chefs
for their delectation during their
journeys?
THE probability is that you will
be able to imagine none of these
things. that you will, in fact. regard
the idea of the British sovereign and
his wife being obliged to economize
to this extent as sheerly preposterous.
And you will not. at the outset, be
the more inclined to take stock in
such royal scrapingS and savings
through having read recently in ca
bles from this country that King
George, in common with his subjects.
has been hit so hard by the well
known high cost of living that he
has been obliged to ask parliament to
permit him to realize capital to the
extent of 100000 in order to make
UP for the big deficits which his &C
counts showed in the years of 1913
and 1920 and the still bigger one
which they promise to reveal for the
present year.
But the hard, cold fact is that the
king and queen are economizing IN
the ways that have been mentioned
among others, and this not as an ex-
ample to their subjects. although the
latter and also certain ministers of
the crown badly need such an ex-
ample, but because they jolly well
have to!
In moving in the house of commons
the second reading of bill giving
authority to the duchy of Lancaster
to realize capital to the extent OF
f100. 900. the leader of the house, the
Rt Hon. Austen Chamberlain. aston
fshed the members Of that assembly
and likewise the general public In
these islands by stating that so in
adequate to his needs at present is
the kings civil list of, at the normal
rate of exchange, s2,35o,ooo that the
king was to the bad in 1919 to the
tune of s122.5oo (f24.5oo) and in 1920
to that of s225,0 (f45.ooo).
"And this year." he added. despite
the most stringent economy by his
majesty, the deficit will probably be
greater"
stringent economy" on the part of
King George probably meant to most
readers In the United States. as it
did to most of them in this country.
cutting down the upkeep Of the royal
palaces and other establishments as
much as possible and pruning the cost
of royal ceremonials and state func-
tions to tho last degree compatible
with the dignity of the throne. 1t
probably didn't, however. mean actual