ONLY A PREAMBLE.

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 304, 8 December 1936, Page 5

ONLY A PREAMBLE.

. Statute Of Westminster In Court Of Law. Press Association—Copyright - London, December 6. - Discussing the problems that will .arise in the event of abdication, the Daily Mail points out that Mr . Arthur Berriedale Keith,. discussyajg.. the king’s constitutional positions in the book “The King and the Imperial Crown," expresses the opinion ..that abdication would probably be legally ineffective unless confirmed by an Act of Parliament and by legislation Including the debarring of the issue of a post-abdication marriage. Some legal experts think neither the British nor the Dominion Gpvernments need to be consulted regarding abdication unless the King desires to surrourid the abdication with conditions with the preamble to the.. Statute of Westminister, which demands that the Dominions concur on questions affecting the Throne, jurists declared the preamble could not be quoted in a court of law, being only a series of assertions not legally binding. ' , Another question is whether abdication can become a clear-cut issue for the electorate, which is impossible under the present laws unless a referendum is introduced, which would require special legislation. Mr Monckton returned last night to Fort Belvedere, where the King has remained continuously since 2.30 p.m. on Friday.

Suez Canal Company Reduces Charges. Press Association —Copyright. (Received 11 a.m. To-day). Paris, December 7. The Suez Canal Company will reduce its dues from April, 1937, to six shillings per ton for cargo, three shillings per ton for ship’s ballast, and 6s a head for passengers.