Jewish Birthday

When a knight, even a Jewish knight, has been appointed Governor General of a British Dominion, he has every right to expect that he will be made a peer the next time His Majesty makes a batch of peers.

As the 66th birthday of George V rolled round last week, Australians expected that among the "birthday honors" would be a peerage for Sir Isaac Isaacs, new Australian Governor General, only native-born G. G. of a British Dominion (TIME, May 5, Dec. 15, 1930). When the Honors List was published at London, Australians were disappointed. Native Sir Isaac Isaacs got nothing--possibly because of the unconcealed anger of George V, who objected vigorously when the Australian Government refused to accept the Duke of York as Governor General, forced His Majesty to appoint Sir Isaac, a man whom he did not "even know by sight" (TIME, Dec. 15).

Jews in general were not disappointed by George V last week. Mr. Montague Burton, by birth a Polish Jew but today London's biggest merchant tailor, became "Sir Montague." The Jewish assistant Secretary of the General Post Office, Mr. Leon Simon, became ''Sir Leon." Others who received Birthday Honors last week were:

Albert Montefiore Hyamson, Jewish Chief Immigration Officer of Palestine: Order of the British Empire.

Sigfried Hoofien, general manager of the Orient Anglo-Palestine Co. Ltd.: Order of the British Empire.

Plainly and obviously the distribution of these honors was a move by Prime Minister James Ramsay MacDonald to regain the Jewish favor he lost at the time of the Palestine crisis (TIME, Nov. 3). Anxious, too, about Arab goodwill in Palestine, Mr. MacDonald "advised" (i. e. caused) His Majesty to knight Zahda Haddad, Arab Medical Officer at Haifa.

With a second Indian Round Table Conference looming at London, now is obviously the time to honor Indians, and many figured in last week's Honors List.

Only British M. P. to be knighted was sturdy Ben Turner, staunch Labor henchman of the Prime Minister, onetime weaver, now textile union head. In general the Honors List reflected Scot MacDonald's disapproval of the peerage--no new peer was created.*

There are signs that the Labor Party will try to fight the next election on a platform of "Reform the House of Lords!" By "reform" the average Laborite understands a complete emasculation of the powers of the House of Lords, preparatory to its abolition.

Harmless items on last week's List were:

P: A baronetcy for Sir Edward Elgar, composer of what has become a ''sound effect" in the newsreels: Pomp and Circumstance.

P: Creation of Actress Sybil Thorndike, "foremost British tragic actress," a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

P: A baronetcy for Sir Herbert Gibson, rich British resident of Buenos Aires, this being his reward for his aid in puffing & pushing Edward of Wales's British Empire Trade Exposition in Argentina.

*Peerages and baronetcies are hereditary, knighthoods die with the holder. A baronet bears the title "Sir" by right. A knight is "Sir" by courtesy. In ascending order of rank, peers (members of the House of Lords) are barons, viscounts, earls, marquesses, dukes.

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