their first finding, summoned to the Castle | that the Treasury have refused to pay by the Inspector-General, and were inter- for the maintenance of patients in the viewed by him there, he will state the details of the findings. district lunatic asylums in Ireland committed under the orders of the Secretary of State for War and the First Lord of MR. WYNDHAM : The court of the Admiralty; that this refusal has inquiry held in the present case was a been decided upon in defiance of the exDepartmental one and the accused, with press words of a statute passed in the his legal advisers, was present throughout first year of the reign of His present the proceedings. There is no precedent Majesty and of a circular issued from th for publishing a report of the proceedings Irish Lunacy Office, Dublin Castle, in the in the manner suggested, and I see no early part of the year 1902; and that the reason for departing from the customary circular referred was followed by practice on the present occasion. The another contradicting it; and, if so, will officers constituting the Court were not he state who is responsible for this summoned to an interview with the change; and whether he will take steps Inspector-General. The accused was to have the law as stated in the Act, found guilty of six charges of fraudulent- and defined by the first circular, carried ly and deceitfully altering figures in public documents. Valentia Ferry. MR. BOLAND: I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether steps will shortly be taken to carry out the improvements, under the Marine Works (Ireland) Act, at Valentia Ferry, county Kerry; and whether a dredger will be provided to improve the harbours at Kenmare and other ports in the West and South of Ireland. MR. WYNDHAM: No decision has yet been reached in reference to the projected works at Valentia. The question of providing a dredger in connection with Irish harbours, to be placed at the disposal of local authorities on loan or hire, is engaging consideration. Cahirciveen Parish Committee, MR. BOLAND: I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Parish Committee scheme for the parish of Cahirciveen, county Kerry, has yet been put into operation; and, if not, can he state the cause of the delay. MR. WYNDHAM: The scheme, with the modifications proposed in it, will be considered by the Congested Districts Board at its meeting this week. Irish District Lunatic Asylums. MR. CHARLES DEVLIN: I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware out. to MR. WYNDHAM: The earlier of the two circulars was issued in error. The revised circular of May, 1903, was issued by direction of the Irish Government acting upon the advice of the law officers. The latter circular was to the effect that lunatic sailors and soldiers who have committed no crime, but arə sent to asylums by the Admiralty or War Office under special statutory authority, are not to be treated as criminal lunatics and, therefore, not to be maintained at the cost of the Exchequer. They are not so maintained in England, and the Government does not think it can be contended they should be in Ireland. MR. CHARLES DEVLIN: Will the right hon. Gentleman state by whose advice this circular was issued? Land Commission in Longford. MR. WYNDHAM: I referred this Question to the Land Commissioners, but so far have not received their observations. Perhaps the hon. Member will repeat the Question to-morrow. Care of the Insane-Scottish System. Labourers Acts were made for the MR. J. P. FARRELL: I beg to ask the private information of the Board to Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant supplement information already in its of Ireland whether his attention has been possession. For this reason, as I have called to a resolution passed at a confer- already stated, they cannot be laid on ence of representatives of the Irish th: Table. Mr. Bailey's Report was made District Asylum Committees, on 26th at the request of the Lord-Lieutenant, November, in favour of the system of and the same objections did not apply to taking family care of persons of unsound its publication. mind which is practised on the Continent and Scotland; and, if so, whether he intends to propose any legislation with a view to having the system legalised in Ireland as well as England and Scotland. MR. WYNDHAM: The resolution has been received, but I cannot give an undertaking that the Government will introduce legislation dealing with the matter during the present session. 1 MR. SHEEHAN: But why not follow the precedent of last year, having in view the great importance of this question? MR. WYNDHAM: Because I say the information gathered was only fragmentary, and intended to supplement that already in the hands of the Local Government Board. Irish Local Government Auditors- Collum's Estate, County Fermanagh. MR. EDWARD MITCHELL (Fermanagh, N.): I beg to ask the Chief MR. J. P. FARRELL: I beg to ask Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of the Chief Secretary to the Lord-LieuIreland, whether, in view of the fact tenant of Ireland if he will state what that the tenants on the estate of is the standard of qualification for Collum, a lunatic in county Fermanagh, proposed to purchase their holdings under the Land Act of 1903, and were referred by the Lord Chancellor to the receiver, Mr. M'Clintock, of Dublin, and that the receiver at once proceeded to serve ejectments on the tenants, he will state if this has been done by the authority of the Lord Chancellor. MR. WYNDHAM: I am informed that no proposals to purchase have been sent to the receiver by the tenants on this estate. Labourers (Ireland) Acts. MR. SHEEHAN (Cork County, Mid.): I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether, in view of the fact that in connection with the Land Bill of last year, the Report of Land Commissioner Mr. W. F. Bailey on the working of previous Land Purchase Acts was issued as a Parliamentary Paper, he will, in view of the promised labour legislation, place upon the Table of the House the Reports of the Local Government Board Inspectors on the operations of the existing Labourers Acts. MR. WYNDHAM: The reports of the Board's Inspectors in respect to the appointment as Local Government MR. WYNDHAM : Auditors, before entering upon their duties, must satisfy the Civil Service Commissioners in respect to their qualifications, which are determined by an examination in prescribed subjects. I am sending to the hon. Member a Return containing the information mentioned in the second part of the Question. Strabane Gas Works Loan. MR. HEMPHILL (Tyrone,N.): I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether his attention has been called to the inconvenience caused by the delay of the Treasury in giving a decision as to granting a loan of £15,000 to the Strabane Urban District Council for the construction of works in the town of Strabane, gas which loan has been duly sanctioned by the Board of Works in Ireland so far back as the month of August last year, and brought under the notice of the Treasury; and whether he will take steps to have the recommendations of the Board of Works carried into effect, so as to enable the urban district council to proceed with the construction of the gas works. MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN: This loan was submitted by the Board of Works for Treasury sanction on the 9th November last. The Treasury hesitated to sanction it because the figures given on behalf of the urban district council appeared to make it doubtful whether the proposal was financially a sound one from the council's point of view. It has therefore been thought necessary to refer the matter back to the council, through the Board of Works, in order that they may clearly understand the financial effect, and may then decide, after further consideration, whether they wish to proceed with the loan. Longford Postal Arrangements. MR. J. P. FARRELL: I beg to ask the Postmaster-General whether, in order to facilitate the earlier delivery of letters and parcels in Longford, he will direct that the auxiliary postmen for that purpose be placed upon the permanent staff of town letter carriers. MR. VICTOR CAVENDISH (for Lord STANLEY): My right hon. friend will have inquiry made on the subject. SELECTION (UNOPPOSED BILL COM- Mr. HALSEY reported from the Committee of Selection that they had selected the following eight Members to be the Panel to serve on Unopposed Bill Committees under Standing Order No. 109: Mr. Brynmor Jones, Mr. Carvill, Mr. H. D. Greene, Mr. Heywood Johnstone, Mr. Mellor, Mr. Paulton, Mr. Parker Smith, and Mr. Worsley-Taylor. Report to lie upon the Table. SELECTION (STANDING COMMITTEES) (CHAIRMEN'S PANEL). Mr. HALSEY reported from the Committee that they had selected the following six Members to be the Chairmen's Panel and to serve as Chairmen of the two Standing Committees to be appointed Report to lie upon the Table. NEW BILL. METROPOLITAN IMPROVEMENTS (FUNDS) BILL. "To authorise the appropriation of the surplus Funds derived from Battersea Park towards the opening of the Mall into Charing Cross, and other Metropolitan improvements," presented by Mr. Victor Cavendish; supported by Lord Balcarres; to be read a second time upon Monday next, and to be printed. [Bill 55.] KING'S SPEECH (MOTION FOR AN [EIGHTH DAY.] debate on Amendment [8th February] to Order read, for resuming adjourned Main Question [2nd February], "That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty, as followeth : "Most Gracious Sovereign,— loyal subjects, the Commons of the United "We, Your Majesty's most dutiful and Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, in Parliament assembled, beg leave to offer our humble thanks to Your Majesty for the gracious Speech which Your Majesty has addressed to both Houses of Parliament."-(Mr. Hardy.) Which Amendment was— "At the end of the Question, to add the words But it is our duty, however, humbly deliberation on the financial service of the year to represent to Your Majesty that our effective is impaired by conflicting declarations from Your Majesty's Ministers. We respectfully submit to Your Majesty the judgment of this House that the removal of protective duties has for more than half a century actively conduced to the vast extension of the trade and commerce of the realm and to the welfare of its population; and this House believes that, while the needs of social improvement are still manifold and urgent, any return to protective food of the people, would be deeply injurious to duties, more particularly when imposed on the our national strength, contentment, and wellbeing." (Mr. John Morley.) Question again proposed, "That those words be there added." Since 1824 there had been a tax on wool in the United States, which she had always had to import from Australia, South SIR GILBERT PARKER (Gravesend) America, or elsewhere. Could any one said that when the debate was interrupted suggest that the wages of workmen in last night he was referring to the question the United States were low because the of wages which had been raised by an hon. manufacturer sold his goods cheap abroad Member opposite, who had urged that so as to sell dear at home? Take the case the position of England in Europe was of tweeds. Why the United States, where assured so far as its wealth and pros- twenty-five years ago there was no good perity was concerned, as was evidenced American tweed, and only American by our standards of wages, living, and shoddy was worn, now produced, in spite comfort. Now he would be the last to of the heavy tax on wool, tweed clothes say that those standards were not high as good and as cheap and as well made as in this country. No doubt they were any we produced in this country, and higher than in any other countries- they were worn by 75 per cent. except new countries which had ex- of the population of the States, while the ceptional advantages, such as the United workman engaged in making them got States and our own Colonies. But there twice as much wages as the workman in was one statement of the hon. Member this country. That seemed absurd on he must deal with. It was that the the face of it, but it sufficed to point out wages of certain skilled workmen, which the moral he wished to be drawn from his in 1860 were 28s. 3d., had risen to 37s. 9d. remarks. The American workman, to by 1890. That, no doubt, was a remark- begin with, was working in an area where able increase, but he wished to point out he was absolutely secure, and the manuthat the increase in Germany of the same facturer commanded his home market. period was appreciably greater, starting No doubt the United States had great from a lower standard. Was it strange resources in her own borders which we that the standard should have been did not possess. We had to go abroad lower in this country? These were the to purchase food, a portion of which we days when Cobden had given this might still be able to produce if the country a new and great policy, we were policy of free trade had rot pressed so in an extraordinary position in the heavily on the agriculture of the country. matter of our manufactures, and not in a The United States had never exported serious position in the matter of our so heavily as we had, neither had she agriculture. Cobden then looked for imported as heavily. Her imports were ward to the time when England would £171,000,000, whilst the imports of permanently command the manufactures England were £528,000,000, and her of the world, for he held that the repeal exports were £304,000,000 against our of the Corn Laws would not only give a £347,C00,000. But it was not reasonable great impulse to our manufactures, but to suggest that because the United States would inflict so severe a shock on our did not export so much she was rivals by giving us augmented oppor- necessarily poorer. The fact that her tunities of competition all over the imports and exports were SO well world, that England would permanently balanced showed that she was commandmaintain her position against Germany, ing her home trade. Was AmericanFrance, and the United States. Those made furniture sold cheaper in England who held the opinion that free trade than in America? was not an unmixed blessing at all times and places had been again and again challenged because it had been said that the protectionist in America sold cheap abroad in order that he might sell dear at home. But he would like to point to the fact that America manufactured goods from raw material which she did not produce, and sold them just as cheap at home as abroad. MR. FLAVIN (Kerry, N.): Certainly. SIR GILBERT PARKER: I beg your pardon. MR. FLAVIN: I beg yours. Were SIR GILBERT PARKER: American shoes dearer in England than in America? MR. FLAVIN: Certainly. drawn along, and if the capital which should draw it went lame, labour alone SIR GILBERT PARKER said he had would not draw the cart. It was the studied the question. MR. FLAVIN: And so have I. command of their home markets that ensured employment and increased wages for the working classes in the United States, and which at the same time SIR GILBERT PARKER: And my secured the manufacturers in their conclusion is that they are not. MR. FLAVIN: I have worn the boots and paid for them, so I know they are. position. How did we stand in the matter of our home trade? Were we satisfied that we had the absolute command of it? When he read the table of our imports and exports he could not say that the SIR GILBERT PARKER said he had prospect was, by any means, a cheery one, done the same. The point he wished to He would give a few trades in which there make was that the margin of difference had been a rise in imports and a fall in was not sufficient to justify the assertion exports. During the last nine years the that protectionist countries sold cheap figures for the increase of imports and abroad in order to sell dear at home. the decrease of exports respectively were, What was the policy of Mr. Carnegie in the boot and shoe trade, £2,159,000 and his fellow manufacturers? Did and £920,000; in woollens, £18,000,000 they dump simply in order to get rid and £38,000,000; in furniture, £5,500,000 of their surplus stock-did they desire and £600,000; in earthenware, £2,400,000 merely to make England a Cheap-jack and £15,000,000; in glass, £11,700 and market? No, the policy of Mr. Car- £1,300,000, and in silk, £38,000,000 and negie and the other manufacturers was £8,000,000. That was a serious state of first to secure the home market and to affairs, and it was certainly not what use it as a leverage by which to capture Cobden had anticipated. Cobden looked fureign markets. They kept their works forward to seeing the manufacturers of going for nine months in the year in England commanding the trade, not only order to supply the home market, and of this country, but of all others. We, then, instead of incurring a loss by clos- however, did not expect that, as we knew ing for the remaining three months, and perfectly well that the discovery of keeping their men and factories idle, they the great mineral resources of the United kept them running by selling the goods States and the Colonies had altered the produced at cost price abroad. They did course of trade with those countries. not sell goods cheap simply to capture the The right hon. Gentleman the Member English market. They had another pur- for West Birmingham was not the first pose in view. It was not the trades unions to raise this question of the decline of who alone secured high wages for the work- British exports and the increase of British ing men in the United States; it was the imports. Lord Rosebery raised it on the fact that the manufacturers had a settled basis that if we went on-the signs were policy, by the quantity of production, to so alarming-we were bound steadily to keep their workmen employed all the year decrease in power as a manufacturing round. By the policy they adopted of sell- nation. If was true that merchanting ing here at cost, they were able to reduce was increasing every day in this country, the expenses of their establishments and but manufacturing was proportionately to avoid the loss which would be entailed decreasing. Moreover, our carrying trade, by the temporary shutting down of the whilst it had increased, was slowly being works. It was not done for philanthropic competed with by Germany, and if the motives, but it was done in order to secure United States made up its mind to enter regular employment for the men all the the theatre of shipping, we should proyear round, and the effect on the domestic and on national life, as well as on the bably have a bad time in the future. He manufacturers themselves, altogether disputed the theory, suggested was very great and good. It produced confidence by the Cobden Club, that the fact that and security. Let them remember that the amount of American shipping was if the cart of progress was to be insignificant as compared with British |