''Perpetual Tribute"

Among the unscalable peaks of the staggering, snow-locked Himalayas is a dreary region glamorously called "The Roof of the World."

On the roof squats and reigns that absolute autocrat responsible not even to his gods. His Majesty Tribhubana Bir Bikram, proud and by no means petty Mahara-jadhiraya of the valorous, stubbornly independent Kingdom of Nepal.

Along in 1928 the good news finally trickled down from the World's Roof that His Majesty had freed Nepal's slaves back in 1926.

Again last week the gutters of the Himalayas ran news. Sometime ago-- goodness knew when--and for some reason or other--goodness knew what--an army of 60,000 sturdy soldiers marched from Nepal and were last week ominously approaching Lhasa, famed "Forbidden City," capital of that remote pope the Grand Dalai Lama of Tibet.

Possibly the trouble is that His Holiness has not scrupulously paid the 10,000 rupees annual tribute he must pay the Mahara-jadhiraya of Nepal according to a still-valid "perpetual unity" signed in 1856. Whatever the trouble, the Grand Dalai Lama despatched couriers weeks ago who reached the terminus of a Chinese telegraph last week and sent frantic appeals for troops to the Chinese Nationalist Government in Nanking, promising to pay them well if they will travel and march about 2,500 miles to the defense of Lhasa.

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