The first part of Wednesday's debate was occupied with an
amendment on the housing of the working classes, moved by Dr. Macnamara,—a debate to which interest was added by the fact that at the moment the King, who has always exhibited a very real and genuine interest in the housing question, was inspecting the new County Council workmen's dwellings at Millbank. Dr. Macnamara, besides increasing municipal activity, desires to stiffen the rehousing obligations imposed on railway and other companies. Mr. Long in his speech announced that he would shortly introduce a Bill ex- tending the time for the repayment of loans for housing purposes to eighty years, and in other ways making the path of the local authorities easier. Sir:William Har- court capped this speech by the remark that insanitary houses ought to be treated as public nuisances. The amendment was in the end negatived by a majority of 39 votes,-205 to 166. At the evening sitting there was a rather futile discussion as to Persia and China, but it was redeemed to some extent by a speech from Sir Edward Grey, who took, as he always does, a cool and statesmanlike view of the problem of our relations with Russia. " He hoped that while there was time the Government would consider carefully what was our essential minimum of interest in that part of the world, and would secure that minimum by directly communicating with the Russian Government, and not by bringing pressure to bear on the Persian Government." That is sound sense.
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