In the House of Commons on Thursday, February 9th, Mr.
Locker-Lampson, answering for the Fozeign Office a question on the Rhineland, made the important state- ment that if the Governments concerned could come to an agreement to evacuate the Occupied Territory before the period laid down at the Treaty of Versailles, " it would be very welcome to His Majesty's Goverrunent." This announcement is in absolute accord with the opinion we expressed on the subject last week. The debate on the Address has been the main occupation of the House. On Thursday the Labour Party moved their amendment on unemployment. On Friday, Mr. Thomas spoke with deep feeling on the distress in the South Wales coal field, which is a matter of growing concern to us all. The Minister of Labour and the President of the Board of Trade spoke for the Government. The Prime Minister, on Monday, had a better success than his lieutenants, though they faced their difficulties bravely. The House realized Mr. Baldwin's part in bringing about a year of comparative peace in industry, which is the best hope for the country. There are encouraging signs, but we see no immediate prospect of any active advance towards increasing the fluidity of labour at home or migration from the centre of the Empire to its distant parts.
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