* * * On Friday, February 24th, the House gave
a second reading to Mr. Somerville's Empire Settlement Bill. This proposed a permanent Board of Administrators and the creation of training centres for a three-months intensive course especially to judge the fitness of towns- men for country work. Anew feature, not contemplated in the Act of would " bring the United Kingdom into the Empire," by training the men for agriculture at home. Mr. Amery gave the Bill a sympathetic but not enthusiastic• reception, -throwing doubts upon the machinery proposed and recounting what success the Act of 1922 had had. On Monday the Labour Party brought up the Washington Hours Convention and com- plained of this country's failure to ratify it. Mr. Betterton and Sir Arthur Steel-Maitland explained that the Govern; ment would- rather see the Convention amended. This country did not need its help so much as others, and the interference with existing industrial agreements would be scarcely tolerable. Great Britain had ratified more of the Conventions that' her representatives' signed than had other nations.
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