LLOYD GEORGE'S ALLEGED UNPOPULARITY.

Free Lance, Volume XVII, Issue 920, 1 March 1918, Page 18

LLOYD GEORGE 'S ALLEGED UNPOPULARITY.

The Keal Reason,

/~I<ONSIDEBIN.G under what a debt of gratitude that courageous and able statesman, Mr. Lloyd George, has placed the British nation, it has seemed passing strange to us to read of Jate in the cablegrams statements as to the increasing unpopularity of his Ministry. A paragraph in the London "Daily Chronicle" of December 6, 1917, explains, however, what to us was previously a mystery. Lloyd George has fought the profiteers. He has battled successfully with the Clyde engineers. He has.fought down the captious opposition of the Ramsay Macdonalds and other pacific cranks and traitors. He has even been able to get the greedy ■and selfish coal-miners of "Gallant Little Wales" pick up their "downed" tools and keep the Navy supplied with coal. All this success has evidently made him careless, for ■otherwise he would never have allowed one of his Ministers to deal a deadly blow at the liberties of the British women. * * •» * On December 5. in answer,- to a question in the House of Commons, Mr. Forster, a member of the Cabinet,

said that the Government would shortly issue a, regulation limiting the height of ladies' boots! Some irreverent wag, on the back benches no doubt, interjected, "How about lengthening their petticoats?" but the Minister calmly ignored this awkward question. We can well imagine, however, the intense indignation which would be manifested in the length and breadth of the land over the threatened menace to women's liberties. What the Suffragettes were about that they did not the very next day pelt Mr. Lloyd George with ancient eggs and decayed vegetables, or chain themselves to the Downiiig-street railings, we cannot understand. The Pankhurst battalion seems to have lost its punch. But the secret of the Ministry's growing, unpopularity is now laid bare for all to see and understand. We warn Mr. Massey that in this instance at least it would be very unwise for him to follow British precedent. The National Government has already quite enough sins to answer for without adding such an act of tyranny to its black record.

There's jubilation at the various charitable institutions for juveniles in Sydney, for Ben Fuller and brother John have promised the youngsters a day off to see the pantomime performance of "Robinson Crusoe and His Man Friday."