THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

Timaru Herald, Volume XIC, Issue 13422, 21 October 1907, Page 3

THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

A FINE BECORD. * The "Daily Chronicle" claims that the Liberal Government's second session wasan exceedingly fruitful one. Few Parli'av mentary Sessions in. the past twenty yearshave yielded so rich a harvest. In spite of the Lords there is to the credit of the Government aii exeelleit record of accon> plished work. •

The first place must be assigned to the Army Bill, which represents ;a reorganisa-

tion of the 'military forces of the Crown more drastic and thorough than anything attempted since the days of Mr C'ardwell. Other measures which etand to the credit of the Government 'are the Small Holdings Bill, the Patents Bill, Scottish. Land Bill, Womfen's Qualification Bill, Evicted Tenants Bill,. Vaccination Bill, Criminal Appeal Bill, Companies Bill, and Deceased Wife's Sisters Bill.

Apart from its legislative output, the Government has been bold and successful in the sphere of finance and in administration. Some of its executive acts have been truly magnificent. No other epithet can be properly applied to its healing and pacifying work in South Africa. In bestowing Constitutions on Colonies which were so recently the theatre of a devastating .war the Government —as the organ of the King's prerogative—was- able to act without any risk of being hampered or ■thwarted by the House of Lords. The result .has been magnificent. . Future historians, in describing the work of the Government during its second cession, will undoubtedly rank as its noblest achievement the Constitutions conferring rights of sejf-government on the inhabitants of the Transvaal and Orange River Colonies. This was Empire-build-ing in highest sense of the word. It was worthy of the finest traditions pf British statesmanship. Not only has it pacified South Africa, but it has also helped to restore to this countiy its title to the moral leadership of the world". The session will be memorable for the •settlement of the difficult and embarassing question of Chinese labour. A system that has once been established, however vicious, is ,not easily overthrown. But the Government's tenacity was equal to the occasion, and now, in Mr Churchill's phrase, "real ships, bearing live Chinamen" are tailing eastwards from South Africa.

A high place among tlie administrative acts of the Government must be assigned ,to the new. regulations which ■ have democratised the secondary. schools .and training colleges,' .Mr McKenna has, by. a stroke of the lien, freed training colleges from tests and emancipated .the teacher from clerical control. '

;In ; finance the':, Government have achieved great things. .Mr iAsquith is paying off 'dtbt at a rate never before reached, by any, Chancellor of\the Exchequer. . Leaving but of account new capital expenditure, he has reduced the National Debt by £30,000,000 in two years. Mr Aequith has also conferred a great boon on the middle classes by reducing the income-tax to 9d in "the £ on earned, as distinguinhed. from unearned, incomes. His second Budget- will; be notable,'too,, for the definite step "taken for the establishment of a fund for old age pesnions. ■ } We s have, then, the following catalogue of £he Government's . in the spheres of finance and administration in the session : " , Autonomy for.the TransvaaL Autonomy for Orange Biver .Colony. Doom of Chinese labour pystem. Income-tax reduced 3d in the £. Debt reduced (1907-8) £16,882,000. Training colleges freed from- tests. Secondary schools democratised.