The appointments of Mr. Birrell to the Irish Chief Secretary-
ship and of Mr. Reginald McKenna to the Board of Education were officially announced on Thursday. In the case of Mr. Birrell, the announcement merely confirmed an open secret, and calls for little comment. It is certainly a signal proof of the confidence he has inspired in his party that he should be selected to undertake the charge, in succession, of the two most important measures in the Liberal programme. Mr. McKenna, who entered Parliament in 1895, soon made his mark among the younger Liberals by his mastery of financial problems. As honorary secretary of the Free-Trade Union he rendered excellent service in the campaign against Protection, and his Parliamentary reputation has steadily grown during his tenure of office as Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury.
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