On Wednesday a very important and representative depu- tation from
the Trade-Unions waited on Mr. Asquith and sub- mitted to him, item by item, a wide and far-reaching Labour programme. Mr. Woods, 34.P., demanded that the principle of a living wage should be adopted by the Government. In ,every case "6d. an hour or 24s. a week should be the minimum pay for men in the employ of the State." Miss A. B. Harland -demanded an extension of the Factory Acts in order to put 'down sweating. Mr. Harford, on behalf of the railway ser- vants, demanded Employers' Liability and no "contracting- -oat." Mr. Inskip advocated a more stringent application of t1.e Truck Acts. Mr. Barns asked for the complete popularise- ti et of our electoral machinery, and payment of expenses .of Members, and "One man, one vote." He was, however, too -good a party man to ask for "One vote, one value," or to essmember that Ireland, with the same population as London, his own city, has forty more Members. As long as Mr. Burns consciously ignores the over-representation of Ireland lee has no right to be considered a true democrat. Mr. Wilson demanded that working men should be allowed to serve on juries and should be paid, and that special juries should be abolished. Mr. Cunan advocated the amendment of the law of conspiracy. Mr. Burrows asked for move factory inspectors, and Mr. Hollings requested the Government to prohibit the landing of pauper aliens. Mr. Asquith's reply was, on the whole, a manly one. Though to a certain extent he adopted the plan of comforting and evading always adopted towards deputations, he frankly told the Trade-Unionists that if they had come to him with the wilder of the Congress resolutions, he should have been obliged to express himself clearly thereon. As it was, he told the deputation that he thought some alteration of the law would be wise in regard to all the points mentioned by them, except alien immigration,—a fairly safe proposition.
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