The Progress of the World. 



441 



Home Rule Balloons. 



commercial suzerainty, it may be another beginning 

 of American influence on the African continent. 

 Happily, there is no Monroe doctrine to prevent the 

 United States exercising some measure of jurisdiction 

 in the Eastern hemisphere. American interveniion 

 may yet have to be invoked to vindicate the claims 

 of humanity in Tripoli which the paralysed accom- 

 plices of Italy in the Foreign Offices of Europe dare 

 not defend. 



After a short lull the volleys of 

 political oratory have begun again. 

 Mr. Redmond has been speaking 

 on the subject of Home Rule 

 with a statesmanlike outlook, a conciliatory spirit 

 and a true Ini[)Lrial loyalty that does him and 

 his cause all credit. The Daily News professes 

 to give the Government measure in advance outline. 

 Its "disclosures," if such they be, have thus been 

 summarised by a Unionist M.P. : — 



With one cxceplion — unimportant except to the English 

 taxpayer — it ditTers hardly at all from the (Jovcrnment of 

 Irelanil Bill of 18^3. The Iiish Parliament is to consist 

 of two Houses (the Upper one partly nominated), with joint 

 sittings in case of disagreement. Seventy members tiom 

 Ireland are to sit and vote at Westminster and give a hearty 

 support lo future Coalition Governments. Irish Customs and 

 P^xcise are to he collected and regulated by "foreign" officials 

 in Dublin. There is lo be a carefully compiled list of what 

 the subordinate Parliament may or may not legislate on. 

 There is to be an Imperial Constabulary maint lined in Ireland 

 but paid for by Kngland. With all this the Parliament of 

 1893 was familiar. All this the electorate of 1895, ''Y * 

 majority of 150, swept into the limbo of things forgotten. 



In 1912 a tribute of three millions ;s to be paid for Irish old 

 age pensions and national insurance. The Imperial Exchequer 

 will guarantee a further issue of one hundred millions to com- 

 plete land purchase, and there « ill be a grant of a lump sum 

 to liquidate any further liability claimed for Ireland by .Mr. 

 Kettle, Professor of Irish Finance. In 1893 Ireland was to 

 pay her way and contribute three-quarters of a million 10 Im- 

 perial finance. In 1912, in order that the British taxpayer may 

 not repeat his error of seventeen years ago, an indi:ccment lo 

 vote the Home Uule ticket will be offered him in the shape of 

 the few financial adjustments mentioned. 



The most noted speech of the recess was that by 

 Mr. Lloyd George at the Whitefield's Tabernacle, in 

 which he treated at length the charges made against 

 the Insurance liill, and declared dramatically that 

 that measure would be passed before Christmas, and 

 "by it I will stand, or by it I will fall." 



The autumn session began by the 

 Re-opcning Government appropriating prac- 

 Parllament. tically the whole of the time to 



certain specified measures, of 

 which the Insurance Hill is the chief. The contciils 

 of this measure are so vast and voluminous that nothing 

 short of at least a [)amphlet is necessary for its elucida- 

 tion. The Government has adopted, in dealing with 

 this measure, certain methods which, while eminently 



practical and even desirable in the present instance, 

 may be made the precedent of much that is neither 

 under other administrations. The interests concerned 

 in the measure have been dealt with by the Chancellor 

 of theExchequeroutsidethe House of Commons. Their 

 difficulties have been met, or at least considered, and 

 in many cases the opposition that was feared has 

 been avoided. Notably was this the case with the 

 great Friendly Societies, who in conference with 

 Mr. Lloyd George were, by timely compromise, trans- 

 formed frotn active opponents to unanimous supporters 

 of the measure. The Bill having been discussed out 

 of doors, with the principal interests that could make 

 their voices heard, the Govertiment feels that the only 

 course open before it is to force the Bill through the 

 House by means of the closure. But supposing it 

 were a Tariff Reform Bill, introduced by a Conservative 

 Government, and discussed by its chief promoter 

 with all the interests outside the House with which it 

 was concerned — and they would be legion — and then 

 were to be forced through Parliament by a compact 

 majority and a pitiless closure — what would Liberals 

 have to say then, with the precedent of the Insurance 

 Bill before them ? 



After the storm of strikes, the 



The waters of industry are still heaving 



Industrial Council, and tossing, and frequent mutter- 



ings are heard threatening yet 

 more tempestuous times. On the 13th ult. the 

 President of the Board of Trade announced that he 

 had established an Industrial Council representative 

 of employers and workmen, " for the purpose of 

 considering and inquiring into matters referred to 

 them affecting trade disputes, and especially of taking 

 suitable action in regard to any dispute referred to 

 them affecting the principal trades of the country, or 

 likely to cau.se disagreements involving the ancillary 

 trades, or which the parties to a dispute are them- 

 selves unable to settle." Thirteen employers' 

 representatives and thirteen workmen's repre- 

 sentatives have been appointed, with Sir George 

 Askwith as Chairtnan. Though fears have been 

 expressed on the part of some of the men that this 

 might lead to the institution of a Board with com- 

 pulsory powers, the project has been generally wel- 

 comed. 



The Report of the Royal Com- 

 The Report mission on the Railways came out 



of the L T • • 



Railway Commission. O" 'he 20th. It IS unanimous in 



its findings. On the vexed tjuestion 

 of "recognition" of the Trade Union, it admits that the 

 Companies cannot permit any intervention between 



