Sir Robert Perks, in announcing his intention not to seek
re-election for the Louth division, gives his reasons for his decision. He declares himself profoundly dissatisfied with the educational and financial policy of the Government. As regards the former, an Education Bill was offered the Non- conformists which they did not ask for and did not want. " If the Liberal Government will not stand by their Noncon- formist supporters, they cannot expect the Nonconformists to stand by them." Sir Robert Perks goes on to note as a further and final reason for his decision his dislike of some of the financial proposals of the Government, which rendered it impossible for him to vote for the Finance Bill. As he puts it- " Still less do I approve the policy foreshadowed in recent speeches made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the President of the Board of Trade. The experiments in Socialism advocated in those speeches will, I am convinced, prove disastrous to the trade and credit of the country, and must seriously affect industrial progress and employment. My constituents will, I feel sure, not expect me to vote for measures which are condemned by the greatest financial and commercial authorities in the country, and which personally I believe to be wrong."
Nothing could be franker or more trenchant than this declaration. Our only regret is that a politician who holds such sound views should be retiring, though only temporarily, from the arena.
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