In the discussion on the Navy Estimates Rear-Admiral Sir Reginald Hall, resisting a proposal to hand over the coastguards to the Board of Trade, surprised the House with the apparently reactionary statement that "we do not want to run the Navy in water-tight compartments."
Commander Bellairs, enforcing the point that administration must depend upon policy, recalled the fact that in his time "the Mediterranean outlook" had given way to "the North Sea outlook," and expressed the confident belief that we should next have "the Pacific outlook." Well, let us hope we may. At any rate the House agreed with the First Lord that the best way to ensure it was to keep the Navy strong and efficient, for by half-past eight it had passed all the Votes submitted to it.
Wednesday, June 2nd.—Derby Day and an adjournment of the House of Commons! Mr. Balfour might well rub his eyes and wonder if there had been a revival of the Saturnian days when Lord Elcho used annually to mount his favourite hobby and witch the House with noble horsemanship. But on this occasion the adjournment lasted only half-an-hour, and had nothing to do with Epsom. Chivalry, not sport, was its motive. The House merely wished to do honour to its Leader by assisting at the presentation of its wedding gift to Miss Bonar Law (now Lady Sykes).
At Question-time Lord Curzon sought information regarding the British Naval Mission recently captured at Baku, and inquired whether the Government intended to continue negotiating with people who were keeping our men in prison. Sir James Craig could not say anything on the question of policy, but to some extent relieved the anxiety of the House by stating that the last news of the prisoners was that they were seen playing football.
THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND.
"No arrests have been made."
The complications of the Peace Settlement continue to increase. Thus President Wilson has consented to delimit the boundaries of Armenia, although the United States shows no desire to undertake the mandate for its administration. No doubt it is with the kindly intention of helping those dilatory Americans to make up their minds that Turkey has asked for an extension of time before signing the Treaty.
The placid progress of the Government of Ireland Bill through Committee was broken this afternoon when Captain Colin Coote proposed to hand over the control of the armed forces of the Crown in Ireland to the new Parliaments. His argument was in brief that these bodies must be given serious responsibilities which would compel them to unite. He wanted, as he said, to "infuse blood into their veins" at whatever risk—Coote que coûte.
The idea of providing a probably Sinn Fein Parliament in Dublin with submarines and aeroplanes did not appeal to the First Lord of the Admiralty, who was hotly rebuked for his lack of imagination by Captain Elliot. The fact that two young Coalitionists should have advocated such revolutionary ideas inspired another of Sir Edward Carson's gloomy variations on the theme that any form of Home Rule must lead ultimately to separation.