Royal Jaw

"The tooth decayed into the jawbone and set up inflammation of the middle ear. . . . The King suffered intense pain with heroic stoicism. . . ."

So said last week one of the six doctors recently called in consultation upon the decayed tooth of King Alexander of Jugoslavia (TIME, Sept. 3).

The royal jaw is now convalescent, having been operated upon by Dr. George E. Reeves, sole U. S. dentist in Jugoslavia.

Last week His Majesty was reported to be rapidly resuming normal mastication; but his garrulous dental consultant (not Dr. Reeves) said: "Not even King Alexander's most devoted and sympathetic subjects can realize the full extent of the suffering he has had to undergo."

Delegates representing His Majesty's least devoted and most unsympathetic subjects, in Dalmatia and Croatia, met at Zagreb, last week, declared themselves to be an independent Parliament, and announced that Croatia-Dalmatia will hereafter conduct its internal affairs without regard to the Royal Government at Belgrade, while allowing the Crown to represent Croatia-Dalmatia in foreign affairs.

Briefly, the Delegates postulated for Croatia-Dalmatia what amounts to "dominion status."

Of course the Royal Government will continue to deny Croatia-Dalmatia any such status de jure, but every year these two irrepressibly self-reliant provinces approach nearer to a de facto "dominion status." At present Croats and Dalmatians haughtily refuse to elect representatives of themselves in the Royal Parliament at Belgrade.