On Monday the Commons read a second time the Coal
Mines Bill, to which we have referred above. The tangle of negotiations carried on outside Parliament and the lack of determination or power either to govern from within the walls of Parliament or to leave the industry alone reduced the House to the undignified necessity of accepting a ready-made Bill in a hurry. On Tuesday the Bill was read a third time in the Commons and the first time in the Lords. Before it was discussed in the Commons the First Lord of the Admiralty read a Report from the Commander-in-Chief on the China Station upon the loss of H.M. Submarine 'Poseidon.' It was a story of cool heroism on the part of men imprisoned under water, and in particular of the Senior Petty Officer in charge of the men in the fore part. As told by the Admiral, it cannot be read without a powerful thrill of excitement, and still less can it be read without a deep, respectful pride in the spirit to be found in His Majesty's ships. On Wednesday the Lords passed the Coal Mines Bill at the Lord Chancellor's request that they would "save the situation" in which the country is landed. The Commons gave a second reading with no enthusiasm to the new Unemployment Insurance Bill intended to remove anomalies.
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