IMPERIAL POLITICS.

Evening Star, Issue 13038, 5 February 1907, Page 6

IMPERIAL POLITICS.

Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. THE FUTUREOF THE LORDS. ME BALFOUR~CRITICISED. LONDON, February, 4. The Earl of Crewe (Lord PresidJEßir of the Council), speaking at' Stoke, foreshadowed the Government's scheme for reform of the House of Lords in order to redress the balance now operating unfairly in one direction. Ho contended that the only solution of the education question was a Government Bill, not necessarily verbally the same as the previous one, but on the sanW lines. Mr Balfour, though he retained his opinions on many subjects, including women's suffrage and Roman Catholic education in Ireland, had never done anything to promote the matters when he was able to do so. From that point of view Mr Balfour's recent statement that he retained his opinions on the question of Tariff Reform was encouraging to Freetraders.

[When moving the discharge of the Education Ball from the Order Paper, the Prime Munster placed the reform of the House of Lords in tho forefront, concluding a platn-spoken speech with the words : lhe resources of the British Constitution are not wholly exhausted.—(Loud and prolonged Ministerial cheers.) The resources of the House of Commons are not exhausted—(Ministerial cheers)—and 1 say with conviction that a way must be found, and a way will be found—(loud Ministerial cheers)—by which the will of the people, expressed through their elected representatives in this House, will be made to prevail.—(Led prolonged Miniswhether the Government could afford to embark o n another prolonged politico-reli-gious discussion. The country is sick of the question, and the leaders of Noneonlonmty recogmse the hopelessness of seeking to save the remnants of religious instruction in the schools. Tho only solution is the secular one. Mr Birrell, in the course of his last speech in the House or Commons, said: "The future will be what it will be. It is not for me to say what it hoJds within its grasp. That will be revealed as time goes on. One tiring only I can say: that, so far as lam concerned, or any present or future colleague of mine is concerned who may find himself at the Board of p:docataon, we will administer the law fearlessly, without predilection, and with a perlectly bloodless indifference to anything except to see that the due course of tho law is observed and that the cause of education is maintained at its prqper and due level. ... I can therefore only say for myself that I look forward with much apprehension and with a deep sense of personal responsibility to what lies before us in this matter and I profoundly regret, both in the cause of education and still more in the cause of religion, that this Bill, which did more than any future Bill can by any possibility hope to do—preserve under certain conditions the rights of denominational schools aod the rights of parents who demand a religious education for their children—has been rejected and wilfully thrown on one side." This seems to dispose of any idea of a new Bill on the old lines.] ADMIRALTY CHANGES. LONDON, February 4. (Received February 5, at a4O a-m.) Sir Evan MacGregor, Permanent Secretary of the Admiralty, is retiring. He will be succeeded by Mr Charles Inigo Thomas, C.8., Assistant Secretary.