The debate on the Civil Service Estimates furnished Mr. HOPKINS with an
opportunity of delivering an appeal, doubtless cogent but mainly inaudible,
for the restoration of the exchange value of the pound sterling. Mr. A.M.
SAMUEL, on the other hand, was more audible than orthodox. At least it
rather shocked me to be told that we were getting too much for the pound
before the War. Mr. BALDWIN, for the Government, made a speech so full of
sound commonsense that Sir FREDERICK BANBURY hoped he would send a special
copy of it to San Remo for the edification of the PRIME MINISTER.
The rest of the evening was mainly taken up with the case of the Irish
hunger-strikers. Mr. BONAR LAW was at first very stiff in his attitude,
pointing out quite reasonably that if the Government found it necessary to
intern people suspected of crime it was absurd to let them out again
because they threatened to commit suicide. Several Members, English as well
as Irish, thought that there was a case for differentiating between
convicted prisoners and those who were merely under suspicion, and on the
adjournment the Irish Attorney-General a little relieved the prevailing
gloom by a hint that some modification of the prison-rules might be made on
these lines.
_Wednesday, April 14th._--The MINISTER OF HEALTH announced with some pride
that under the Housing Acts passed last year no fewer than 1,346 dwellings
had actually been completed, and twelve thousand more were in various
stages of construction. But he showed no enthusiasm for the suggestion that
be should extend the benefits of the Acts to others besides the "working
classes," and flatly declined to attempt a definition of that ambiguous
term. It is believed, however, that recent experience has convinced him
that builders in general and bricklayers in particular cannot properly be
so described.
Mr. RENDALL'S attempt to get the House to pledge itself in advance to the
full policy of Lord BUCKMASTER'S Divorce Bill was defeated. The main
opposition came from Mr. RONALD MCNEILL, who sits for Canterbury and spoke
with cathedral solemnity. Mr. MUNRO supported the Resolution, on the ground
that Englishwomen ought not to be refused the advantages enjoyed by their
Scotch sisters. Marriage in Scotland appears to resemble Glasgow--there are
great facilities for getting away from it. But Lady ASTOR, hailing from a
land where they are even greater, displayed no desire to jump to
conclusions, and asked for an interval of five or ten years to make up her
mind.
[Illustration: AN EX-ADMIRALTY CRICHTON.