NEWS OF THE WEEK.

THE Trade Union Congress this week has been concerned with the threat of "direct action." As we write on Thursday, the Congress by a E nr,11 majority has rejected a motion condemning political strikes. But up to the present the Congress has done nothing that need cause anxiety. The inciters of " direct action " have shown once more that they love indirect manceuvres, and that in secret diplomacy " they can rival the oldest of Foreign Offices. The proceedings of the Congress are governed to a large extent by tactical considerations. This week Mr. Smillie and his clique are trying to capture the Congress executive from the moderate party, and the moderates are seeking to maintain their hold and to preserve a semblance of unity by agreeing to what they regard as pious resolutions, which impress the public but remain a dead letter. It is perfectly clear that the moderate section is strong even in the Congress, which is very imperfectly representative of the trade unions owing to the haphazard way in which the delegates are chosen. Outside the Congress the moderates are really in a vast majority.

If Mr. Smillie were to succeed in appointing a new Parliamentary Committee obedient to his orders, the outcome would probably be a further and deeper split in the Labour Party. Suppose that Mr. Lloyd George, with his keen eye for changes of opinion, were suddenly to defy Mr. Smillie and appeal to the electors for their support against the overweening ambition of certain Labour leaders. We are quite sure that he would again sweep the country, for the public generally is weary of :.evolutionary talk and resents very bitterly the selfishness shown by some of the miners. Mr. Smillie would then find that, in trying to become Dictator, he had knocked the pit-props from under him. And none would rejoice more heartily over Mr. Smillie's collapse than most trade unionists, who pay more • dearly for their food and clothes and coal because of the extravagant claims of the Miners' Federation.

The Trade Union Congress, representing, it is said, 5,265,426 members of trade unions, met at Glasgow on Monday. The President, Mr. Stuart Bunning, who was a postal official, delivered an address, statesmanlike in tone and admirably phrased, in which he dealt very plainly with the question of " direct action " or a general strike on political issues. Had the Parliamentary Committee encouraged the idea and had the unions voted for such a strike, the Government, driven to bay, must have resisted. That meant revolution. " Direct action " therefore " resolved itself into a desperate gamble with the lives of men, women and children for the stake." Mr. Stuart Bunning blamed Ministers for making reckless promises, with safeguarding phrases that were not noticed and were not meant to be noticed until the desired effect had been produced. Increased output, he said, was necessary. but could only be obtained by co-operation between employers and employed. He warned the trade unions that they must preserve their discipline and observe their agreements. " There is so much to do," he concluded, " that there is no time to waste in hatred. Hate destroys, and it is our function to construct."

On Tuesday Mr. Smillie persuaded the Trade Union Congress to pass what amounted to a vote of censure on the Parliamentary Committee for refusing to call a special Congress last spring to

consider direct action." in regard to conscription and the Russian campaign. Mr. Smillie made it clear to the Congress .that approval of his motion did not imply approval of " direct action." He was thus able to secure the support of the Triple Alliance " of miners, railwaymen, and transport workers—who are known to be sharply divided on the merits of political strikes —as well as of other trades, and to carry his vote of censure by 2,586,000 votes to 1,876,000. The size of the minority was significant. As Mr. Smillie doubtless foresaw, the voting has been widely interpreted as a success for the revolutionary faction which he leads. But such a conclusion is not justified. Mr. Clynes, who opposed the resolution, remarked on the fact that no resolution in favour of a political strike had been submitted by any trade union.

It is characteristic of the confusion in the minds of trade unionists that Mr. Brownlie, the chairman of the executive of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, felt himself constrained on Tuesday to defend a letter, recently published, in which he said that working men in their own interest should strive for greater production. The proposition is, or should be, a truism. The more goods we produce, the more there will be to distribute and the larger will be each man's share. This is and must be true under any form of government. The Bolsheviks have found that it is true through unemployment and starvation, but it should not be necessary for educated and civilized British workmen to take such a disastrous course of instruction in elementary economics. Mr. Brownlie warned the Congress that incessant demands for higher wages and shorter hours could not be justified unless production was greatly increased. He was denounced by one or two ardent speakers, but his statements could not be controverted. As Mr. Havelock Wilson said, Mr. Brownlie was " on solid earth." It would be well if the theorists who soar above the plain facts of everyday life could come down to Mr. Brownlie's level.

The Trade Union Congress on Wednesday adopted Mr. Smillie's resolution in favour of " compelling " the Government to adopt " the scheme of national ownership and joint control recommended by the majority " of the Coal Commission. The vote nominally showed 4,478,000 for, and only 77,000 against, the resolution. The Parliamentary Committee and the Miners' Federation are to meet the Prime Minister and insist " upon his doing what he has said that he will not do. After that, a special Congress is to be held to decide on " the form of action to be taken to compel " the Government to reverse its policy. These are brave words, but no one knows better than Mr. Smillie that card votes at the Trade Union Congress and real votes at a General Election are very different things. So long as the Government have the great majority of the real votes of trade unionists and other citizens, it will not be unduly impressed by Mr. Smillie's paper legions.

The Austrian Peace Treaty was signed at St. Germain on Wednesday. The extinction of the Hapsburg power was formally and fittingly decreed in a room filled with relics of the Stone Age. • No one will shed a tear for the faithless dvnasti

which had worked so much evil to Europe. Unhappily, the fall of the Hapeburgs has not undone all their work. For generations past they had ruled by setting one race against another, and the racial feuds which they deliberately encouraged have survived them. It was an M omen for the peace of South-Eastern Europe that neither the Rumanians nor the Southern Slays attended to sign the Austrian Treaty. Both these nations, so lately freed from alien oppression, resent the obligation, which the Allies would impose under the Treaty, to accord special rights to racial minorities. Though we have the greatest sympathy with Rumania and the Southern Slays, we feel that they will put themselves hopelessly in the wrong by trying to stand aloof on such grounds. If the minorities, whether Jew or Bulgarian, misuse their privileges, the League of Nations will be able to modify the terms now laid down.

Germany, having violated the Peace Treaty by providing in her new constitution that Austrian delegates should join the Imperial Council, made a poor and quibbling reply to the Allies' remonstrance. The German Government declared that the obnoxious clause of the constitution should remain without force, and that Austrian delegates should not be admitted to the Imperial Council until the League of Nations Council sanctioned a change in the position of Austria. It is not clear, however, that such a declaration on the part of the German Government can affect the constitution passed by the German Assembly. The Allies are evidently not satisfied on the point and have renewed their•remonstrance, backed by a threat to occupy more territory east of the Rhine. It is strange that the Germans should still fail to see that their interests lie in honest dealing. The old tactics of prevarication and subterfuge merely revive all the old prejudices against them.

President Wilson has warned Turkey, through the American High Commissioner at Constantinople, that if the Turks massacre any more Armenians he will use his influence at Parii to prevent the Turks from asserting a right to " self-determination." The warning is significant. America did not declare war on Turkey but remained in close touch with Turkish affairs through the American missionaries. It may be presumed, then, that the forebodings of renewed massacres in Armenia are known at Washington to be well founded. The Turkish Government does not seem to exercise much control over its officials in Anatolia, but it is possible that the Turkish generals who are said to be ruling on their own acoount in the interior may really be.-acting in collusion with COnstantineple. An Allied occupation of Armenia offers the only safeguard for the Armenian remnant in these troublous times. Unfortunately, there is as yet no sign of American willingness to undertake a mandate for that most unhappy country.

The unrest in Egypt continues. On Tuesday week astudent threw a bomb at the Prime Minister, Mohammed Said Pasha, in Alexandria. Fortunately the bomb did no harm, though it hit the Prime Minister's car and exploded. The would-be assassin and some of his fellow-conspirators were arrested. The native agitators, disappointed' in their attempt to enlist the sympathies of the Peace Conference, have stirred up strikes of a political character, notably on the tramways in Cairo and Alexandria. Probably Egypt is suffering from the after-effects of the war, which brought great prosperity to some classes of the population and inflicted losses on others. The general rise in prices must have hit the labouring class very hard. Religious and political intriguers, assisted no doubt with money from Turkey and Russia, have profited by the economic unrest. It would be unwise to take the disturbances too seriously, for the bulk of the people are simple-minded peasants who know nothing of politics.

Colonel Lawrence, the young English scholar who rendered brilliant services as our diplomatic agent with the Hedjaz Arab forces, described in Thursday's Times the British Agreements with France and the Arabs. The earliest document, of October, 1915, promised to recognize the " independence of the Arabs " south of Kurdistan, except in Mesopotamia and except where we were not " free to act without detriment to the Interests of France." Next came the Franco-British Ag eement of May, 1916, declaring Aleppo, Damascus and Mosul to be independent Arab," but including these districts in a French sphere of influence where France had the right to supply " such advisers as the Arabs desire." A Franco-British declaration was made in November last favouring native governments in • Syria and Mesopotamia. The Agreements, Colonel Lawrence said, are not inconsistent with one another. But the Agreement of May, 1916, was hastily drafted and needs revision, in regard to which the Arabs, Colonel Lawrence thinks, must be consulted. He emphasizes the fact, to which we have called attention, that the Agreements were " all produced under stress of military urgency to induce the Arabs to fight on our side."

President Wilson has delivered .a series of speeches in the Middle West in defence of the German Peace Treaty. On Monday he said at Omaha that the Treaty must be accepted or rejected as it stood. Last week he told the critics of the Covenant that they should either " put up or shut up "—that is, suggest something better or remain silent. He declared that the German people must bear the consequences of the crimes of their late Government, which they had tolerated though they might.have been deceived as to its real aims. While denouncing secret treaties on principle, he said that the Allies who had made such treaties must keep their word, as in the case of Japan and Shantung. He defended Article X. of the Covenant, by which the Allies guarantee the integrity of each other's territories. He pointed out that America would benefit as well as Great Britain and other Allies, since Japan would be required to guarantee the integrity of the Philippines and thus save America the expense of maintaining. a large fleet in the Far East. So much has been said in America, for months past, against the Treaty that President Wilson's speeches in its favour have the charm of novelty, which is no small advantage to so persuasive an orator.

Admiral von Tirpitz, following the 'example of General Ludendorff, has written his memoirs of the war. The long extracts published by the thenday Times last Sunday were chiefly interesting for the account of Lord Haldane's famous mission to Berlin in 1912. Lord _Haldane has been severely and, we think, unfairly criticized in this connexion, but Admiral von Tirpitz expresses a reluctant admiration for the way in which Lord Haldsum drew out the German Emperor, the Chancellor and the Admiral, gained an insight into their minds and left Berlin without conceding anything. Lord Haldane, according to Admiral von. Tirpitz, tried to persuade the German Government to reduce their shipbuilding programme. The German Chancellor, for his part, wanted a promise of British neutrality in the event of a war, but Lord Haldane " evaded this, setting in the foreground the unconditional loyalty of Great Britain towards the ententes with France and.Russia." Lord Haldane seems to have discussed at length the colonial questions, concerning which agreements were afterwards made on the eve of the war. But, if Admiral von Tirpitz may be believed, he said nothing whatever to compromise any British interest.

Lord •Fisher sent to the Times on Friday week a characteristic letter, and has since been publishing in the Times some of his reminiscences. There is an extraordinary vitality and gusto in his disconnected writing and a great deal of sense, but also, we fear, a great deal of nonsense. In his letter he says : " Never contradict, never explain, never apologize." The last of these three injunctions is one of the worst pieces of advice ever offered to the public by a leader of opinion. " Boasting himself a little," like St. Paul, Lord Fisher points out that he was right as against the whole world when he recommended water tube boilers, turbines and battle cruisers. He was right again when he developed submarines, when he transferred the Fleet from the Mediterranean to the North Sea, on Nelson's principle that your battle-ground should be your drill-ground, and when he laid down the lines of the Grand Fleet. " Every vessel of the line of battle was conceived when I was First Sea Lord."

On Friday week Sir Auckland Geddes received a deputation of toy makers who strongly objected to the removal of the restrictions on foreign imports. They demanded protection for three years. This deputation was only an illustration of how the flood gates would be open to hectoring, weeping and lobbying if the Government declared protection to be their policy. There would be a torrent of vested interest representing itself:--in many oases quite honestly representing itself—as concerned for the security of the nation. Sir Auckland Geddes told the deputation that they had no need to be frightened. The Board of Trade would have emergency powers and, if • necessary, would not hesitate to use them to •check the undue importation of dumped goods. Dumping, it will be remembered, was defined, by the Government as selling an article at lees than the regular price-in the country in which it is produced. Sir Auckland Geddes declared that Germany, so far from being in. a position to overwhelm this country with manufactured articles, was " trembling on the verge of collapse." " Cannot you give us a ray of hope ? " asked one of the deputation. " There is a blaze of hope in front of you," retorted Sir Auckland Geddes. Some of the motor-ear companies have been asking for protection, but they are already protected -by a thirty-three per cent.. tariff.

The August trade returns showed a welcome improvement in our exports which exceeded the July exports in value by over nine millions, whereas our imports decreased in value by four and. ahalf millions. Unfortunately the August imports, valued at £148,800,000, were worth nearly twice as much as the exports, valued at £74,700,000, but it is well to notice that the alarming surplus of imports, which is bought on credit and which depreciates the British sovereign on the American and neutral exchanges, is at any rate being reduced. Moreover, the surplus included a larger amount of the raw materials which our export industries need ; the import of manufactures showed a decline, partly. because the dollar is now worth more in British currency so that the real price of American goods has risen. The latest returns of the coal output are also less unsatisfactory. The total of 4,354,983 tons for the week ending August 30th compared poorly with the total of 4,796,148 tons for the week ending July 12th, but it was at any rate the largest weekly output since that date• when the shorter working day became general. Yet the scarcity and dearness of coal are seriously retarding the revival of trade.

A party of armed Sinn Feiners at Fermoy on Sunday attacked some men of the Shropshire Light Infantry as they were entering the Methodist Church. The Sinn Feiners drove up in motorcars and opened fire with revolvers on the soldiers, who carried their rifles but, in accordance with Service regulations, had no cartridges. One young soldier was shot dead in the doorway and three others were wounded. The assassins then disarmed the soldiers and drove away with their rifles. When motor-cars were sent in pursuit it was found that the road had been blocked by newly-felledtrees and that the telephone wires had been cut. At the inquest on Monday the Fermoy jury returned an open verdict and expressed the belief that the crime was not premeditated murder. The same night a crowd of soldiers gave forcible expression to their opinion of the Fermoy people by wrecking a number of shops. On Tuesday the Roman Catholic priest protested on behalf of the townsfolk, and informed, the military authorities for the first time that Fermoy deplored the crime ofSunday. On Wednesday the Irish Government decreed thesuppression of the Sinn-Finn -societies in County Cork, and put the Crimes Act of 1887 in force in certain districts. The Sinn Fein assassins seem at last to have exhausted the patience of the Government.

The Presidential address of Sir Charles Parsons, the inventor of the turbine, at the British Association at Bournemouth was of unusual significance and interest. When harbours were deepened, he said, there would be ships over a thousand feet long. He described the wonderful development of sound-ranging apparatus during the war. A single good set of observations could be relied upon to give within about fifty yards the position of an invisible German gun. Sound-ranging could he carried out with this comparative accuracy up to a distance of seven thousand yards.

This, however, was -less remarkable than the progress which had been made in detecting submarine sounds. The position of moving submarines was determined by the sound waves Bet up in the water by vibrations. Unfortunately, when the sea was rough, the various sounds made by the dragging of the instrument through the water just astern of the vessel stifled the vibrations. Here biologists came to the rescue. It was pointed out that a whale hears by means of the sound waves transmitted through the peculiar substances of its head, and that the whale's organs of hearing resembled a hydrophone. Hollow celluloid whales and porpoises were accordingly filled with water and were towed at considerable distances behind ships. The insulated leads from the artificial fish to the listener on board were conveyed in the towing cable.

record the position of ships . on delicate instruments.carried in those ships. The uses of this system are obvious. A ship could go full steam ahead in a fog knowing where she was every inch of the way. Sir Charles Parsons conveyed a strong warning to his audience. " Failing new and unexpected discoveries ie science, such as the harnessing of the latent molecular and atomic energy in matter the gre'at position of England cannot be maintabled for an indefinite period. At some time more or. less remote—long before the exhaustion of our coal—the . population will . gradually migrate to those countries where the natural sources of energy (chiefly water-power) are the most abundant." Finally, Sir Charles Parsons hoped that a bore hole might be sunk at least twelve miles deep into the crust of the earth. In Italy much motive power had been obtained from volcanic sources. We could_ probably do the same thing here if we. bored down to the strata where the unextinguished energies of the earth reside.

A correspondent tells us of an interesting sequel to the establishment of the generous Choate Fund at Harvard for granting scholarships to students of British birth. Our correspondent says that Harvard has formed yet another link between Great Britain and the United States by means of a recent gift to the Southwark Public Library. In 1916 the authorities of the Library called the attention of the President of Harvard to the tercentenary commemoration of Shakespeare's birth, and suggested that there ought to be some memorial of John. Harvard's connexion with Southwark. Harvard was born within a short distance of the present Southwark Cathedral. and was brought up there. We believe that there are still people of the name of Harvard living in the neighbourhood. As a result of the appeal to the President of Harvard, 429 volumes and pamphlets were sent to the Southwark Library. These consist mainly of works by Harvard professors and . graduates relating to the English drama, but they also include publications of the Modern Language Association, Modern Philology, Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, and the Harvard Classics. Owing to the dangers of the sea and the-shortage of shipping, the books did not arrive in Southwark till June of this year.

The silly season has not often. provided a subject more suitable to itself than the so-called " mystery house " in Norfolk. In this rectory water and oil oozed down from the ceilings although there was no visible source from which they flowed. If the oil had crept up the walls and dripped from the ceiling the explanation would have been simple, but it dripped from isolated patches. The Rector and his family fled from the smell and deserted the house. Men of science thought that an oil field might have spontaneously revealed itself. A more sceptical investigator set a' trap for a fifteen-year-old servant girl who had -been left in the house. He cut off the water supply and left some vessels standing about filled with salt water. When the phenomena next appeared it was found that the drippings were salt. The maid, according to the reports, thereupon collapsed in salt tears. Her father, it is said, announced that his child was innocent and that the ease would be taken up—more direct action 1—by the Railway Men's Union. There has been nothing like this since the Cock Lane Ghost. Perhaps the Cock Lane Ghost was better, as the impersonator of the ghost of Mrs. Kent was only eleven years old. Besides, Dr. Johnson dignified the whole affair by visiting the blackmailer Parsons (the father of the child) when he was fast in the pillory. Andrew Lang also wrote a charming essay on the whole subject.

We greatly regret to record the death of Lord Beresford which took place suddenly last -Saturday. No sailor was a greater popular favourite. He embodied the legendary jollity of the sea-going life. He was by no means-always wise, but he was a great personality and he was always likeable. Perhaps his best remembeied adventure was whenhe gallantly took the gunboat ' Condor' under the shore guns at the bombardment of Alexandria in 1882, and when he commanded the Naval Brigade in the Nile Expedition under Lord Wolseley and took part in the hand-to-hand fighting which followed the breaking of the British square. As a Member of Parliament he was always listened to with interest on the subjects which were his own, though: the public no doubt derived more amusement. from hI " breezy " passages when he talked at large.