Lord Brabourne (better known as Mr. Knatclibull-Hugessen) is avenging himself
for his Peerage by doing all the Tory work he can in the House of Lords. On Thursday he carried an amend- ment to the Employers' Liability Bill, the intention of which is to prevent employers from being held liable for the acts of sub- agents, as distinguished from directly delegated agents. There is no shadow of principle in the amendment, and its only effect -will be to damage the Bill. We trust the Commons will disagree with it, and restore the clause as it stood. Lord Beaconsfield -also carried an amendment limiting the operation of the Bill to two years, unless renewed by Parliament. This tendency to provide for the expiration of Acts at the eild of a given time is -one which overloads still more our already overloaded Parlia- ment. If an Act does not work well, the Government is bound to amend it. But to enforce the reconsideration of complex and -difficult measures within two years' time,—whether they work well or not,—is folly, for a Parliament so overworked as ours. -
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