Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-26

"NHE IOIOWlng Is Drle1 summary
of the most important news of
the world for the seven days
4 ended January IS:
THE BRITISH COMMONWEALTH
OF NATIONS.-The Duke of Leeds has
sold (for f250,000) his Yorkshire estate
Of $4,000 acres, has disposed Of other
considerable estates and his London
mansion. and, in order to live econom-
ically, has retired to Italy. Lord Bar
nard has sold (for goo, O0o) his estate
of 1000 acres in Shropshire. The Duke
of Richmond has sold of his pictures
and books Auctioneers, people of that
ilk, acquire the beautifully kept estates,
the ancient mansions, the treasures of
art and literature accumulated through
generations. Their lordships cannot
pay the taxes. THE old order passeth."
With the accession of Lords Ponson-
by and Marley, newly created peers, the
strength of the Labor party in the
House Of Lords, including the lord
chancellor, is 16.
Mr.. Henderson, the foreign secretary,
informed the House of Commons on
January % that the government had
protested to the Russian government
against "the renewal of Communist
propaganda in England" which took
the form of an article in the new Com
| munist paper, Daily Worker, accusing
the British Labor government Of anti
Soviet intrigues, colonial brutalities
and preparation for another imperialist
war" II pointed out to the Soviet AM
bassador," said Mr.. Henderson, that
the message from the Third Internal
tional in the Daily Worker was calcu-
lated to imperil relations between the
two countries. At present it Is not pro-
posed to take further action In this
matter"
The ninth imperial conference will
meet in London before long, and the
Communist questions will confront it.
Imperial" Is no longer the correct
designation. The coming conference
will be the first conference of repre-
sentatives of the British commonwealth
of nations, which comprises the Brit
| ish Empire (Great Britain with her
| dependencies) and the dominions. The
| dominionS are of equal status with each
other and with Great Britain in rela-
| ton to the British crown. It is to be
observed that the relations of India,
the most populous Of her dependencies,
to Great Britain are, both politically
and economically, anomalous.
| The area of the commonwealth is
about 100000 square miles, as against
| 52,500,000 for the entire planet: its
population about $4,000, 900, as against
1880, 100000 for the entire planet. The
Oldest of the "whelps of the lion" is
Newfoundland, which dates from 1888.
OF the population of the common
wealth only about sc, SOC, 900 are classed
as whites, though, of course, there is a
very large element of Caucasian blood
in the population of India. BY reason
of the 100000 Mohammedans In
India, King George is the greatest OF
Mohammedan potentateS.
Can the anomalous constitution OF
the commonwealth be made to WORK?
The world will watch with intense In
terest the manner of dealing of the
imperial conference" with the stupen-
dous economic and political problems
confronting it. Perhaps the most deli
cate Of the questions is that CONCERNING
the future status of the judicial COM
mittee Of the privy council, of old the
supreme court Of justice" of the EN-.
pire.
The dominions include SO per cent
of the area of the British common.
wealth of nations, but contain only {
per cent Of its population. Four-fifth:
OF its population is In India.