The Week in Parliament T HE Third Reading of the Finance
Bill on Friday of last week produced one sudden squall and a brief but intensive duel between Mr. Lloyd George and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Liberal leader, who, scenting an election and an outside chance of some sort of success, is in tremendous form these days, accused Mr. Churchill of smashing the finance of his whole scheme by his alterations, additions, and concessions. He wanted to know the present position, and the position two years hence, when it appeared there must be a deficit of twenty millions or more. This stung the Chancellor to temporary fury and vigorous retort, He was able to show that he was quite all right this year, glory be to the foir millions surplus transferred to the Suspensory. Fund, And next year. As for the year after, who could tell what the position would be (a reflection which-found an echo in the hearts of all those present) ? Was he, Mr. Churchill, expected to forecast an indefinite number of Budgets extending into the remote future ? If so, it was an unprecedented demand. And why was it necessary to assume that there would never be a revival of trade and a healthy growth of revenue ? Here was the old Churchill, and the House gave him a warm welcome. He proceeded amidst cheers and counter-cheers to accuse Mr. Lloyd George of attempting to darken counsel and baffle the public mind out of chagrin because his pet scheme had been " pinched " by his opponents. But Mr. George only laughed. To do him justice he is in himself a splendid audience, and an equable debater.
After these heroics the House departed, well pleased, to luncheon, and returned to find the Bill through. Incidentally, the most important Finance Bill of the century so far.
This week we have been engaged in " cleaning up " the odds and ends of the session, which comes to an end on Friday. The Foreign Office vote was debated on Monday, and Sir Austen Chamberlain, whose speech was commendably brief, defined our policy with regard to China in a manner which gave the utmost satisfaction to all. Mr. Lloyd George put the case against the British reservations to the Kellogg Pact—it is stronger than at first sight appeared. And the debate then fizzled out, to be succeeded by a discussion on civil aviation. . Major Tryon has stabilized his pensions. His Ilan been a great record of quiet and competent administra- tion, and it is significant that upon no occasion has the Opposition asked for the vote of his Department to be put down.
The " Protection " crisis, which ought never to have been heard of, has proved to be stillborn. Although it would perhaps be unduly optimistic to assert that Protection as such is dead and damned, it is unlikely that the issue will be raised again in this Parliament. Unionist Members who desire to maintain the unity of their party arc not ungrateful to Sir William Joynson- Hicks for his speech last Saturday. Even the most ardent " Safeguarders," when they saw that he was trying to put himself at the head of their movement, realized that the game was up. The general exasperation at first aroused by the latest indiscretion of our irrepressible Home Secretary has been replaced by gratitude that he should have unwittingly given the coup de grace to an agitation which at one moment gave- cause for serious anxiety.
And so home, after many weeks of heat and weariness to the flesh, a good deal of internecine strife, and much useless talk. But withal some solid achievement, and the hope of better things to come.
WATCHMAN.
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