On Monday Sir Herbert Samuel made two first-class speeches on
the police and on prisons and one first-class joke. He was being attacked for refusing to allow the police to hold open meetings and was reminded that even members of the Cabinet had been given the right to air their grievances. He rejoiced that the police were a disciplined force but that no one had asserted the Cabinet to he a disciplined force ! The rest of his speeches was an attractive account of the efforts made to combine efficiency with economy in the police and punishment with humanity in prisons. Dr. Salter and Mr. Lansbury took occasion to attack Lord Trenchant as the emblem of the militarization of the police forces. but Sir Herbert Samuel retorted that so far from boom iing himself into hiS office, Lord Trenchard had only' yielded to great pressure from the Home Office. The last -and rather melancholy review of- the coal industry' was given on Tuesday by Mr. Isaac Foot. The best thing that could be said is that there is a prospect of an agree- ment between colliery owners and miners as to conditions of work after next July, so that industrial troubles will not be added to economic troubles.
CUSTOS.
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