ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT.
Monday, June 28th.—Less than thirty years ago the prophets of ill foresaw ruin for the British shipping trade if the dock labourers got their "tanner." The "tanner" has now become a florin, and this afternoon the Peers passed without a dissentient voice the Second Reading of a Bill to enable Port and Harbour authorities to pay it.
They were much more critical over the Increase of Rent Bill, and at the instance of Lord Midleton defeated by a two to one majority the Government's proposal to deprive landlords of the power to evict strikers in order to provide accommodation for men willing to work. But the Government got a little of their own back on the clause authorising an increase of rent on business premises by forty per cent. Lord Salisbury wanted seventy-five per cent. and haughtily refused Lord Astor's sporting offer of fifty, but on a division he was beaten by 25 to 23.
In the Commons Sir Frederick Hall complained that slate and slack were still being supplied to London consumers under the guise and at the price of coal. What was the Government going to do about it? Mr. Bridgeman replied that control having been removed the Government could do nothing, and consumers must find their own remedy—a reply which drove Sir Frederick into such paroxysms of indignation that the Speaker was obliged to intervene.
Mr. Kiley's gloomy vaticinations as to the disastrous effect of the Plumage Bill on British commerce met with no encouragement from Sir Robert Horne. In his opinion, I gather, our foreign trade is quite safe, and the Bill will not knock a feather out of it.
To Viscount Curzon's inquiry whether the Allies were going to proceed with the trial of the ex-Kaiser the Prime Minister at first replied that he had "nothing to add." On being twitted with his election-pledge he added a good deal. When he gave that pledge, it seems, he did not contemplate the possibility that Holland would refuse to surrender her guest, and he had no intention of using force to compel her. William Hohenzollern, he considered, was not worth any more bloodshed. In that case the Government would save a good deal of Parliamentary time if they were definitely to write him off with their other bad debts.
Among other methods of brightening village life the Ministry of Agriculture has lately circulated "rules for the mutual insurance of pigs and cows." The intellectual development of our domestic animals evidently proceeds apace. We have all heard of the learned pig, but that the cow also should be deemed capable of conducting actuarial calculations does, I confess, surprise me.
"Who was chief mourner?"
"I," said the Wren,
"I, Wedgwood Benn,
I was chief mourner."
Having heard the latest feat of the Sinn Feiners in kidnapping a British General, the House evidently considered that it had better hurry up with the Government of Ireland Bill. Clauses 51 to 69 were run through in double-quick time. Only on Clause 70, providing for the repeal of the Home Rule Act of 1914, did any prolonged debate arise. Captain Wedgwood Benn pleasantly described this as the only clause in the Bill that was not nonsense, and therefore moved its omission. He was answered by the Prime Minister, who declared that no Irishman would now be content with the Act of 1914, and defended the present Bill on the curious ground that it gave Ireland as much self-government as Scotland had ever asked for. Sir Edward Carson's plea that it was a case of "this Bill or an Irish Republic" was probably more convincing. In a series of divisions the "Wee Frees" never mustered more than seventeen votes. The author of the Act of 1914, Mr. Asquith, was not present at the obsequies.
Tuesday, June 29th.—The establishment of a "National home" for the Jewish race in Palestine aroused the apprehensions of Lord Sydenham and other Peers, who feared that the Moslem inhabitants would be exploited by the Zionists, and would endeavour to re-establish Turkish rule. Lord Curzon did his best to remove these impressions. Authority in Palestine would be exercised by Great Britain as the Mandatory Power, and the Zionists would not be masters in their "national home," but only a sort of "paying guests." The confidence felt in Sir Herbert Samuel's absolute impartiality as between Jews and Arabs was such that a high authority had prophesied that within six months the High Commissioner would be equally unpopular with both races.
In the Commons Mr. Baldwin explained that the Inland Revenue Authorities were taking all possible steps to collect income-tax in Ireland despite the obstacles placed in their way by the local authorities. Whereupon Sir Maurice Dockrell, in his richest brogue, summarised the Irish situation as follows: "Is not the difficulty that they do not know which horse to back?"
A Bill "to continue temporarily the office of Food Controller" was read a first time. The House would, I think, be sorry to part with Mr. McCurdy, whose replies to Questions are often much to the point. He was asked this afternoon, for example, to give the salaries of three of his officials, and this was his crisp reply: "The Director of Vegetable Supplies serves the Ministry without remuneration; the post of Deputy-Director of Vegetable Supplies does not exist, and that of Director of Fish Supplies has lapsed."
Mr. Bonar Law shattered two elaborately-constructed mare's-nests when he announced that the appointment of a British Ambassador to Berlin was made in pursuance of an agreement arrived at in Boulogne on the initiative of the French Government, and that Lord D'Abernon's name was suggested by the Foreign Secretary. I am not betraying any confidence when I add that it will be no part of Lord D'Abernon's new duties to establish a Liquor Control Board on the Spree.
The Overseas Trade (Credits and Insurance) Bill was skilfully piloted through its Second Reading by Mr. Bridgeman. The House was much pleased to hear that only nine officials would be required to administer the twenty-six millions involved, and that their salaries would not exceed seven thousand pounds a year—although two of them were messengers.
But this temporary zeal for economy quickly evaporated when the Pre-War Pensions Bill made its appearance. Member after Member got up to urge the extension of the Bill to this or that deserving class, until Sir L. Worthington-Evans pointed out that, if their demands were acceded to, the Bill, instead of costing some two millions a year, would involve three or four times that amount.
Wednesday, June 30th.—The Lords discussed, in whispers suitable to the occasion, the Official Secrets Bill. As originally drawn it provided that any person retaining without lawful authority any official document should be guilty of a misdemeanour. But, thanks to the vigilance of Lords Burnham and Riddell, this clause, under which every editor in Fleet Street might have found himself in Holloway, was appreciably softened. Even so, the pursuit of "stunts" and "scoops" will be a decidedly hazardous occupation.
The Press Lords were again on the alert when the Rents Bill came on, and objected to a clause giving the Lord Chancellor power to order proceedings under the measure to be held in private. This time the Lord Chancellor was less pliant, and plainly suggested that the newspapers were actuated in this matter by regard for their circulations. Does he really suppose that the disputes of landlords and tenants will supply such popular "copy" as to crowd out the confessions of Cabinet Ministers?
HALF MEASURES.
Sir Robert Horne, President of the Board of Trade, and Sir Eric Geddes, Minister of Transport (speaking together). "That's a rummy get-up. But perhaps he couldn't afford anything better."
Constant cross-examination on the Amritsar affair, involving the necessity of framing polite replies to thinly-veiled suggestions that Montagu rhymes with O'Dwyer, is making the Secretary of State for India a little restive. The tone in which he expressed his hope that the promised debate would not be much longer delayed distinctly suggested that his critics would then be "for it."
Two days ago the Minister of Transport expounded in a White Paper his elaborate plan for redistributing and co-ordinating the activities of the railway companies—the North Eastern excepted—and directing them all from an office in Whitehall. By the Ministry of Mines Bill it is proposed to treat the mines in much the same way. Sir Eric Geddes' scheme has yet to run the gauntlet of Parliamentary criticism. Sir Robert Horne's had its baptism of fire this afternoon, and a pretty hot fire it was. Miners like Mr. Brace cursed it because it did not go all the way to Nationalisation; coal-owners like Sir Clifford Cory, because it went too far in that direction. The voice of the mere consumer, who only wants coal cheap and plentiful, was hardly heard. The second reading was carried, but by a majority substantially less than the normal.
Thursday, July 1st.—Unfortunately the House of Lords does not contain a representative of Sinn Fein and therefore had no opportunity of learning the opinion of the dominant party in Ireland regarding Lord Monteagle's Dominion of Ireland Bill. Other Irish opinion, as expressed by Lords Dunraven and Killanin, was that it would probably cause the seething pot to boil over. Lord Ashbourne made sundry observations in Erse, one of which was understood to be that "Ireland could afford to wait." The Peers generally agreed with him, and, after hearing from the Lord Chancellor that of all the Irish proposals he had studied this contained the most elements of danger, threw out the Bill without a division.
"A sinecure, whose holder is in receipt of a salary of five thousand pounds per annum," was Mr. Bonar Law's description of his office as Lord Privy Seal. The House rewarded the modesty of its hard-working Leader with laughter and cheers. None of his predecessors has excelled him in courtesy and assiduity; as regards audibility there is room for improvement. Mr. Law rarely plays to the Gallery; but he might more often speak in its direction.
"There—that's what comes o' arguing along o' you; I've laid four bricks over me three 'undred!"
"The funniest game in the world is chicket."—Provincial Paper.
We should like to hear more of this humorous pastime.
A daily paper describes the contest at Henley for the "Silver Giblets." It is rumoured that the Goose that laid the Golden Eggs has become a bimetallist.