SPECTATOR SUMMARY. (Week ending Saturday, 9th October, 1909.)

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 129, 27 November 1909, Page 12

SPECTATOR SUMMARY. (Week ending Saturday, 9th October, 1909.)

THF. KING'S ATTITUDE. The talk about intervention by theKing and the rumours of his Majesty's determination to prevent the Lords rejecting the Budget are, of course, ridiculous. The King is much too wise, and has too strict a regard for his Constitutional position, to do anything so foolish. At the same time, it would be idle to pretend that tho King is not as deeply interested in what is going on as any of his subjects ; while not doing anything which can be called taking sides in the quarrel, he is naturally most anxious to avoid a bitter and heated political crisis. It is difficult to find an exact analogy in private life for the King's position and the King's policy in regard to disputes between the two leading parties in the State, but they may perhaps be likened to those of a man of business who is very anxious to stop a lawsuit breaking out between two business firms in both of which he is interested, and both of' which he wants to see remain strong and well managed. For the moment he is in special relations with one of the firms, but that does not prevent him wishing that the rival firm should not make serious mistakes or commit itself too far. But though tho King may be counted upon to do his best to keep Earfcy passion and party action, within ounds, we may also feel certain that he is not going to injure his position or his reputation Tor strict impartiality by undue interference or by plunging into a quarrel without the assurance that he can do good. We should guess that at present his Majesty's activities ar© confined to discovering exactly how matters stand, and what are the ultimate pointe of difference which are, or for the time at any rate seem, absolutely in-j capable, of reconciliation. Very possibly it will be found that no concessions satisfactory to both sides are discoverable ; but even if this is so the King will have done no harm. Of one thing we may be sure. He has the support of the moderate people on both sides in playing, as far as circumstances permit, the part of peacemaker. LIBERAL DEFECTIONS. An interesting item of the week is the news of another Liberal revolt. Mr. Ridsdale, one of the Liberal members for Brighton, has announced that he will not offer himself for re-election. In his opinion, the principles of the Finance Bill are unsound, and if carried into law will react disastrously upon the country. The Red Flag, with its motto "To Tax and Squander," is to his mind no meet substitute for the old banner of "Retrenchment and Reform." We congratulate Mr. Ridsdale on his courage and consistency ; but what are we to say of a party which light-heart-edly drops such men as Mr. Ridsdale., Mr. Cox, and Mr. F. W. Chance? A party which thinks such men are not worth, having is not a party which will long retain the confidence of Englishmen. SPAIN'S AFRICAN WAR. The rejoicing in Spain over the success of the army in the Riff and the bloodless occupation of Zeluan and Mount Gurugu was quickly turned to sorrow by the news of a reverse on Friday week. The troops of General Orozco moved out of Zeluan to reconnoitre in. the direction of Suk El-Jamis, and were attacked when returning. The Moors are said to have suffered heavily, as they charged furiously against artillery and rifle fire ; but the Spanish losses were severe. General Vicario, two captains, one lieutenant, and twenty-eight men were killed ; one major, fifteen officers, and two hundred, and thirty-three men were wounded, and nine men are missing. The special correspondent of The Times states in Monday's paper that the flag on the summit of Mount Gurugu has been lowered, and the guard withdrawn. "The hoisting of the flag," he says, "excellent though it may have been thought, was useless to friend or foe." A blockhouse has been built on a lower level of the mountain. We suggested last week that the power of the Riffs was not broken by the Spanish successes, and it is now clear that easy advances by the Spaniards here ana there mean little. The Riffs could not long prevent so large an army from entering their country j but ndw they have begun a guerilla war with all its familiar features, sometimes allowing columns to pass unchallenged, sometimes attacking them when they sea a good opportunity. MOSLEM REPRESENTATION. The claims — claims, in our opinion, essentially just and reasonable — of Indian Mohammedans to a larger proportion of the electoral power to be conferred on Indian peoples are set forth iv a representation submitted to Lord Morley by the London Branch of the All-India Moslem League. The representation has been drawn up in response to requests from all parts of India. The petitioners resdectfully claim fulfilment of the pledges of tho Secretary for India, "not only in district and municipal representation, but also in the higher sphere where laws are made and financial measures are considered vitally affecting the welfare of all sections of the people, and where comment and criticism play an important part in the shaping uf executive policy." After criticising unfavourably the scheme proposed by Mr. Ali Imam, the representation suggests an alternative scheme. It is held that Lord Morley's pledges cannot be redeemed if less t}ian nine seats in the Viceregal Legislature are allotted to Moslems. The representation adds :—: — "The committee submit that even this allotment of /line seats exclusively to the Mohammedans would leave the Hindu community in overwhelming majority in the Legislative Council of India, and that on no ground of equity and fair play could such apportionment be impugned. We can assert with the utmost confidence that anything short of this will cause the most profound disappointment and sorrow to the community we represent."

In the course of an article iv a Maw Chester newspaper, Mr. Edward Noble, the author of "The Grain-carriers," reviews the toll of the sea for the past twenty years, and discusses the causes which were probably responsible for the loss of many of Britain's ships. Taking the period of 1886 to 1906, during which tramp vessels, both steam and sail, multiplied enormously, he says that 1114 ships were listed as "missing," and he estimates the number of ofiicevs and seamen who perished at 15,892. In one year as many as 101 ships mysteriously disappeared, but in othe>- years as few as 26 vessels failed to put in an appearance at their destinations. Mr. Noble condemns the practice of sending old ships to sea. laden with heavy cargoes, and declares that very many vessels are undermanned. The surveys, he asserts, are ineffective and absurd, and he complains of the action of the authorities in permitting deck cargoes. "Not one tithe of the vessels which pass through our dock gates are surveyed in any sense at all," he says, "and a little more than a year ago we wiped out by a stroke of the pen the legislation ' for which Plimsoll fought, and in the place of it set up the law oJE Mr. LloydGeprge., f i