dated September 24, 1951: Arrangements during King George's Illness

On the 23rd, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Elizabeth, Princess Margaret and the Duke of Edinburgh went to an early morning church service to pray for the ailing British monarch some hours before he was to undergo a major lung operation, in a specially- readied room in Buckingham Palace. Prayers for the surgery to go well and for King George's recovery thereafter were being offered in churches throughout Britain. Among the doctors directing the treatment were Dr. Clement Thomas, an 80-year-old authority on respiratory diseases, and Sir Horace Evans, specialist in kidney and arterial disorders, who were assisting the regular royal physicians, Sir Daniel Davies and Sir John Weir.

All engagements for King George were cancelled for a few weeks. However, with a small change in departure date, the projected tour of Canada by Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh was to be gone through. The two had originally planned to sail for Canada on the 25th; the new schedule enabled them to leave later, and fly to Quebec well in time for the tour to commence on the 2nd of October.

If King George could not return to official duties for some length of time, plans were at hand for a Council of State to be set up according to law. The five members of the Council, according to the terms of the Regency Acts of 1937 and 1943, would be Queen Elizabeth, Princess Elizabeth, Princess Margaret (who had attained majority in August 1951), the Duke of Gloucester (younger brother of the King), and the Princess Royal (younger sister). When King George V had laid ill for some time in 1929, the Council of State had included the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord Chancellor, and the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin.

The President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, sent the following message to King George in London: ``Your Majesty's illness has caused us all deep concern. It is our earnest hope that your recovery will be rapid and complete.''

Lignite Seam Struck in Neiveli

Mr. Hirankumar Ghose, mining engineer deputed by the Government of India to conduct lignite investigation at Neiveli, said in Cuddalore that his team had over come difficulties caused by artesian springs in an area of over one hundred square miles, and struck a seam of lignite for bulk samples to be extracted for analysis.

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