Monday, February 16th.—The great Auckland still reposes a touching faith in the Profiteering Act. In his opinion it "has had a stabilising effect on the price of clothing;" by which he means, I suppose, that West-End tailors long ago nailed their high prices to the mast-head.
In commending the Bill for the continuance of D.O.R.A., a remanet from last Session, the Attorney-General was almost apologetic. He laid much stress upon the "modest and attenuated form" which the measure now presented, and the short time it was to remain in force. Serious objection was taken by the Irish Members to the provision that in districts where a proclamation is in force the D.O.R.A. regulations, instead of coming to an end on August 31st, will continue for a year after the end of the War. This they naturally interpreted as a means of continuing the military government of Ireland, a country in which, according to Mr. Devlin, the Government had as much right as the Germans in Belgium. The House, however, seemed to agree with the Irish Attorney-General that in the present state of Ireland it would not be wise to dispense with the regulations, and gave the Bill a second reading by 219 votes to 61.
Then the House turned to the discussion of the levy on capital. The Chancellor of the Exchequer was still inexorably opposed to a general levy, but would like a toll on war-wealth alone, and proposed to set up a Committee to consider whether it was practicable. Mr. Adamson frankly declared that the Labour Party was in favour of a capital levy, but wanted to get at the war-profits first. Mr. Chamberlain objected to widening the scope of the inquiry on the ground that it would take too long, and also that uncertainty would promote extravagance and discourage saving. And, despite Lieut.-Commander Kenworthy's naïve suggestion that we should restore credit by making a bonfire of paper-money—he did not say whose—the House agreed with the Chancellor.
COLONEL AMERY CRUSOE RETURNS FROM A SUCCESSFUL DAY WITH HIS MAN FRIDAY.
Tuesday, February 17th.—The Acting Colonial Secretary bubbled over with delight as he described the success of the operations against the Somaliland dervishes. The principal credit was due to the Royal Air Force, but the native levies had also done their part effectively. The only fly in Colonel Amery's ointment was the escape of that evasive gentleman, the Mullah, to whom he was careful on this occasion not to apply the epithet "Mad." As, however, the Mullah has lost all his forces, all his stock and all his belongings, it is hoped that it will be at any rate some time before he pops up again.
The Coal Mines Bill was wisely entrusted to Mr. Bridgeman. Lord Spencer once delighted the House of Commons by announcing that he was "not an agricultural labourer"; and Mr. Bridgeman similarly put it in a good temper by admitting that he had never himself worked in a mine. But he showed quite a sufficient acquaintance with his subject, and succeeded in dispelling some of the fog that enshrouds the figures of coal-finance. The miners, of course, objected to the Bill on the ground that it was not nationalisation, but were left in a very small minority.
A Private Members' debate on the Housing Problem occupied the evening. There was much friendly criticism of the Minister of Health, for whom Major Lloyd Greame suggested a motto from the Koran:—
"This life is but a bridge;
Let no man build his house upon it."