In the House of Commons on Tuesday Mr. Balfour made
his statement as to Government business. In the programme which must be carried out before Parliament rose he included the Budget Bill, the Loan Bill, the Agricultural Rating Bill, which he feared was a controversial measure, and the Education Bill, which he thought ought not to be regarded as controversial. Mr. Balfour went on to say that he proposed to send the Sale of Liquor to Children Bill and the Beer Bill to Grand Committees. He would take no responsibility for these Bills, but he expressed a hope that the first of them, at any rate, might be so modified in Committee as to become non-controversial. Sir Henry Campbell-Banner. man, who made the remarks usual on such occasions, warned the Government that the Rating Bill and the Education Bill would take up a great deal of time, and showed that the Opposition mean to offer serious battle on both of them. After a certain amount of wrangling, Mr. Balfour passed the Closure by a majority of 34 (144 to 110), and the formal Resolution was then agreed to by a majority of 33. A great deal has, of course, been made of this drop in the majority of the Government, and it certainly is not a pleasant or satisfactory circumstance, but too much import- ance must not be attached to it. The country does not mean to swap horses while crossing a stream.
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