_Monday, July 12th._--Viscount Curzon's complaint about "crawling"
taxi-cabs was ostensibly based upon the obstruction thus caused to more
rapidly moving traffic. But I fancy that it was really due to an
inherent belief that the motor-car is a noble creature, only happy when
exceeding the speed-limit and dashing through police-controls, and that
to compel the poor thing to crawl is "agin natur'" and ought to be dealt
with by the R.S.P.C.A.
As usual much of Question-time was devoted to Russian affairs. Colonel
Wedgwood wanted to know whether the Cabinet had approved a message from
Mr. Churchill to the late Admiral Kolchak, advising him how to commend
his Administration to the Prime Minister, who was described in the
telegram as "all-powerful, a convinced democrat and particularly devoted
to advanced views on the land question." Mr. Law, while provisionally
promising a Blue-book on Siberia, declined to pick out a single message
from a whole bunch.
The news that the Soviet Government had accepted the British conditions
with regard to the resumption of trade and had thereupon been requested
to conclude an armistice with Poland did not seem particularly welcome
to any section of the House. Those whom Mr. Stanton in stentorian
whispers daily describes as the "Bolshies" evidently feared that the
request had been accompanied by a threat, while others were horrified at
the idea of recognising the present _régime_ in Russia, and drew from
Mr. Law a hasty disclaimer. The House as a whole would, I think, have
liked to learn how you can do business with a person whom you do not
recognise?
The Chancellor of the Exchequer refused to accept Mr. George Terrell's
proposal to reduce the Excess Profits Tax from sixty per cent. to forty,
but, in reply to Sir G. Younger--who "has such a way wid him"--promised
that next year he would make the reduction. He admitted that it was in
many ways an unsatisfactory tax, but the Government could not afford to
part with it unless a substitute was provided. Somebody suggested
"Economy," and Sir F. Banbury proved to his own satisfaction that the
present estimates could be reduced by a hundred-and-fifty millions. But
unexpected support for the Government came from Mr. Asquith, who as the
original sponsor of the tax felt it his duty to support it.
[Illustration: SIR FREDERICK BANBURY SHOWS HOW IT'S DONE. "To produce a
saving of one hundred-and-fifty millions you merely have to hold the hat
firmly in the left hand--thus."]
There was a perfect E.P.D.mic of criticism, but it was brilliantly
countered by Mr. Baldwin, who declared that the Chancellor, far from
leading the country down the rapids, "was the one man who had seized a
rock in mid-stream and was hanging on to it with hands and feet." The
Amendment was rejected by 289 to 117, and the clause as a whole was
passed by 202 to 16.
[Illustration: THE LIMPET OF THE EXCHEQUER. Mr. Baldwin portrays his
chief "hanging to a rock with hands and feet."]
_Tuesday, July 13th._--Lord O'Hagan was one of the Peers who helped
to outvote the Government a few days ago on a motion excusing them
of extravagance. Yet that did not prevent him to-day from saying that
the War Office should be more generous in their financial treatment
of the Territorial Force, and particularly of the Cadet Corps.
Naturally Lord Peel did not refrain from calling attention to this
inconsistency--common to most of the financial critics of the
Administration--but nevertheless he made a reply indicating that the
grants for the Territorial Force were being revised, presumably in an
upward direction, since Lord O'Hagan expressed himself grateful.
The Commons, like the Lords, are all for economy collectively, if not
individually. General cheers greeted Mr. Bonar Law's announcement that
all war-subsidies--save that on wheat--were to be brought to an end as
soon as possible, but then there were similar cheers for those Members
who urged the substitution of ex-service men for the less highly-paid
women in various Public Departments.
The House enjoyed the unusual experience of hearing from
Lieut.-Commander Kenworthy an apology--and a very handsome one too--for
something that he had said in debate about Colonel Croft. It was
accompanied by a tribute to his military efficiency which made that
gallant warrior blush. It only now remains for the Leader of the
National Party to reciprocate by rescuing from the Naval archives some
equally complimentary reference to the services of Lieut.-Commander
Kenworthy.
A new sport has been invented by Colonel Guinness. It consists in
sending two telegrams simultaneously to Paris, one _viâ_ London and the
other _viâ_ New York, and seeing which gets there first. At present New
York wins by twenty minutes. Mr. Illingworth excused himself from giving
an immediate explanation on the ground that he had not had time to check
the facts. No doubt he hopes that in the interim other Members will
follow Colonel Guinness's example and, by joining in the new pastime,
bring grist to the Post-Office mill.
_Wednesday, July 14th._--Lord Milner must have thought he was back in
the era of "Chinese Slavery" when he found himself assailed on all sides
because the Chief Native Commissioner in Kenya Colony (late British East
Africa) had issued a circular instructing the chiefs to influence their
followers in the direction of honest toil. Lord Islington described this
as "perilously near forced labour;" His Grace of Canterbury facetiously
suggested that the chiefs' idea of influence would be the sjambok; and
Lord Emmott talked of "Prussianism."
Taught by past experience Lord Milner did not make light of the
accusations, but set himself to show how little real substance they
contained. The Chief Native Commissioner was "not a Prussian"; on the
contrary the local white population thought him too great an upholder of
native privileges. But he was very keen on getting the black man to
work, and had therefore issued this circular, which was open to
misinterpretation. An explanatory document would be issued shortly.
Echoes of the Dyer debate are still reverberating through the Commons,
and Mr. Montagu was put through a searching cross-examination regarding
his relations with Mr. Gandhi. Apparently that gentleman has a very
simple plan of campaign. He agitates more and more dangerously until he
is threatened with prosecution. Then he says "Sorry!" and Mr. Montagu
begs him off. After a brief interval of quiescence he starts again. Just
now he is once more nearing the imaginary line that separates proper
from impropa-Gandhism.
[Illustration: B.C. 1920. _Sir Alfred Mond._ "What a topping idea!
They'll never get a more suitable design from the Office of Works--not
if they wait 3840 Years."]
The House was delighted to see Mr. Devlin and Mr. MacVeagh back in their
places. A little honest Irish obstruction would be a refreshing change
after the feeble imitations of the Kenworthies and Wedgwoods. But the
Speaker could not accept the proposition that a speech delivered three
weeks ago, in which an Irish official was alleged to have prophesied
some dreadful things which as a matter of fact had not happened, could
be regarded as "a definite matter of urgent public importance."
It is unfortunate that the Prime Minister was unable to get back from
Spa in order to assist in the final suppression of his famous
land-duties. Most of the speeches delivered were made up of excerpts
from his old orations of ten years ago--that almost prehistoric era
known as the Limehouse Period--and it would have been an object-lesson
in political gymnastics to see him explaining himself away.
The land-taxers made a gallant effort to frighten their opponents away
by chanting the "Land Song" in the Lobby, but it is supposed that the
Government supporters had copied Ulysses' method with the Sirens, for
enough of them remained faithful to defeat the land-taxers by 190 to 68.
[Illustration: _Mr. Neal._ "Your fares will cost you more."]
_Thursday, July 15th._--Mr. Neal's announcement that the proposed
increase in rail way fares had been postponed until August 5th, in order
not to spoil the Bank Holiday, was far from satisfying the House. Mr.
Clynes pointed out that large numbers of the working-classes now took
their long holidays in August. Mr. Palmer was of opinion that the
working-classes could pay well enough; it was the middle-class that
would suffer most; and Mr. R. McNeill, following up this assertion,
suggested (without success) that for the sake of poverty-stricken M.P.'s
the House should adjourn before the fateful date.
Sir H. Greenwood gave particulars of the Sinn Fein raid on the Dublin
Post-Office, but declined to give an opinion as to whether there had
been any collusion with the staff inside. Judging by the promptitude and
efficiency of the raiders' procedure it seems highly improbable that
postal officials had anything to do with it.
* * * * *
"Each day the barometer seems to drop a little lower, the rain
seems to drop a little more persistent and wet."--_Provincial
Paper_.
It is this persistent wetness that is so annoying. Nobody would mind a
little dry rain.
* * * * *
[Illustration: _Farmer._ "I wonder what some of these London folks
'ud say to this?"
_Farm-hand._ "Zay? They'd zay as we must be makin' our fortunes out
o' mushrooms."]
* * * * *