Passing to more domestic subjects, his Majesty welcomes the laws
passed in Australia and New Zealand under which they assume a larger share in measures of Imperial defence ; observes that the "Political Mission" to Tibet has the concurrence of the Chinese Government, and will, it is hoped, "remove a constant source of difficulty and friction" ; and admits that the "burden imposed on the resources of the country by the necessities of naval and military defence is undoubtedly serious," but "the possibility of diminishing this burden is being carefully considered." Finally, his Majesty recounts a small list of legislative measures, of which one amending the licensing law will be a subject of fierce contention ; and another, a law to remove the necessity for re-election in the case of the acceptance of office by Members of the House of Commons, is unexpected. That, as we have always contended, will be a great Constitutional improvement, but it will not pass without resistance from the Peers, to whose claim to office it acts as a protection.
