GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 



315 



347,680 miles of wire. The number of messages 

 sent in the year ending March 31, 1901, was 

 89,576,961, of which 75,384,867 were despatched 

 in England and Wales, 9,289,019 in Scotland, and 

 4,903,075 in Ireland. 



There were 76,831 miles of telephone-lines be- 

 longing to the Government on March 31, 1901, 

 and 7,700 miles were under construction. The 

 number of conversations during the previous year 

 was 17,950,296. The post-office had contracted 

 for the construction of 34,356 miles more. The 

 National Telephone Company had 1,019 ex- 

 changes, and the number of conversations over 

 its wires was 723,246,368. The net receipts of 

 the post-office from postal traffic in 1901 were 

 13,995,470, and expenses 10,064,903; telegraph 

 receipts were 3,459,353, and expenses 3,812,- 

 569; net deficit, 353,216, not counting 298,888 

 of interest on the purchase price, net postal arid 

 telegraph revenue, 3,557,351. 



The demand for all-British cable communica- 

 tions with colonies and naval stations in all 

 parts of the world, which was based on strategic 

 considerations, led to the Pacific cable which was 

 laid between Canada and Australia in 1902. Brit- 

 ish lines connect Australia, Cape Colony, and 

 Canada with the British Islands, and one has 

 lately been laid between Cape Colony and Aus- 

 tralia. A committee appointed to consider the 

 cable communications of the British Empire con- 

 sidered it desirable that every important colony 

 or naval base should have one cable to England 

 which touches only on British territory or the 

 territory of a friendly neutral, and also desirable 

 that there should be as many alternative routes 

 as possible. An all-British line is not so safe and 

 sure in war as one touching the territory of a 

 friendly neutral, since cables are most vulnerable 

 in territorial waters, and the presumption is that 

 in a war with a naval power a large proportion 

 of the all-British lines would be cut. The free 

 development of commercial lines is therefore of 

 greater strategical importance than state-owned 

 all-British cables that would check such develop- 

 ment. 



The Parliamentary Session. The second 

 session of the first Parliament of Edward VII 

 was opened by the King in person on Jan. 16, 

 1902. In the speech from the throne operations 

 in South Africa were said to have been favorable 

 to British arms, the area of the war largely re- 

 duced, industries resumed in the new colonies, the 

 soldiers cheerful in the endurance of hardships 

 incident to guerrilla warfare and humane to their 

 own detriment, and the colonies loyally offering 

 further contingents, shortly to arrive in South 

 Africa from Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. 

 The Brussels international conference on sugar 

 bounties was expected to lead to their abolition 

 and the consequent relief of the sugar-producing 

 colonies and home manufacturers of sugar. The 

 canal treaty with the United States was designed 

 to facilitate the construction of an interoceanic 

 canal under guarantees that its neutrality will 

 be maintained and that it will be open to the 

 commerce and shipping of all nations. A treaty 

 with Brazil provided for the delimitation of the 

 frontier between British Guiana and Brazil by 

 the King of Italy. A rainfall still deficient in 

 India necessitated the continuance of relief, 

 though on a less extensive scale, in parts of Bom- 

 bay and adjoining native states, and in future 

 famine relief would be improved in method and 

 efficiency as a result of the commission that had 

 investigated the subject. The new Ameer of Af- 

 ghanistan was desirous of maintaining the friend- 

 ly relations of his country with the Indian Em- 



pire. The legislative program embraced proposals 

 for the coordination and improvement of primary 

 and secondary education, tor administering the 

 water-supply of London, for facilitating the sale 

 and purchase of land in Ireland, for improving 

 the law of valuation, for amending the law re- 

 lating to the sale of intoxicating liquors and for 

 the registration of clubs, for amending the patent 

 law, and for reforms in the law of lunacy. 



The proposal to impose a duty on imported 

 grain and flour, which the Chancellor of the Ex- 

 chequer described as too slight to be protective 

 or to affect the price of bread, was carried by a 

 vote of 254 to 135, and Sir William Harcourt's 

 amendment proposing to reject the duty was re- 

 jected by a majority of 296 to 188. A loan of 

 30,000,000 was only opposed by 49 Nationalists 

 and Radicals. The previous loan of 32,000,000 

 was issued at 93^ and the lowest price for the 

 2|-per-cent. consols, which will pay only 2 per 

 cent, after April, 1903, was 91 during the war. 

 Sir Michael Hicks-Beach did not alter his finan- 

 cial calculations after the close of the war except 

 in regard to further borrowings. He added to 

 the estimate 750,000 for the South African con- 

 stabulary, 750,000 for interest on new debt, and 

 250,000 for a grant to the West Indies, making 

 the total expenditure 176,359,000. The deficit 

 of 19,500,000 would be paid out of the loan, 

 and at the end of the year the remainder of the 

 loan could be returned to pay off debt and the 

 sinking-fund, suspended during the war, be re- 

 stored. 



New rules of procedure were introduced early 

 in the session. Some of these were opposed by 

 the whole Liberal party and with all means of 

 resistance in their power by Irish Nationalists 

 and Radicals. The discussion took up a great 

 part of the session. Though the house sat 

 through whole nights and the Government ap- 

 plied the closure freely, slow progress was made. 

 Under the rules that were adopted questions of 

 privilege are referred to a committee; a motion 

 for adjournment, the favorite weapon of a minor- 

 ity bent on hindering the advancement of a Gov- 

 ernment measure, can not be debated until the 

 hours reserved to the Government have passed: 

 the time reserved for questions is limited to the 

 first hour on Friday and the last half-hour of 

 each other sitting, unless the midnight rule has 

 been suspended, when printed answers must suf- 

 fice, but no question need be answered unless 

 notice has been given, and the member who has 

 given notice is alone entitled to ask the repre- 

 sentative of the Government to explain his an- 

 swer and must be satisfied with one explanation; 

 the Government can continue debate after the 

 appointed hour for the close of each afternoon 

 and evening sitting by moving closure, but pri- 

 vate members can not make dilatory motions to 

 adjourn or report progress or that the chairman 

 leave the chair; a minister may move to have 

 any debate resumed after midnight, otherwise the 

 evening sitting terminates one hour after mid- 

 night, on Fridays at six o'clock in the afternoon, 

 but discussions of supply can be continued into 

 the night by the Government without the concur- 

 rence of the house; the speaker has power in 

 case of gross disorder to suspend any sitting for 

 a time to be named by him; the first twenty-five 

 minutes of Government days and the sitting of 

 Friday, from twelve till six o'clock, are the only 

 times allowed for private bills, petitions, and mo- 

 tions, except two evening sittings before and one 

 only after the Easter recess, when notices of 

 motion take precedence, but after W T hitsuntide all 

 the evenings and all the Fridays save two belong 



