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Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2013, 23 February 1907, Page 1

BRITISH AND FOREIGN NEWS. SPECTATOR SUMMARY. (Week ending December 22, 190 G.) THE LOSS OE THE EDUCATION DILL.

Tho chief political event of tho week is the failure- to reach a compromise on the Education Bill, tho Houso of Lords on Wednesday, on tho motion of Lord Lansdowno, insisting on its amendments. It appears to bo universally admitted that the rejection of the Bill was duo to Mr. Balfour. There does not seem to have boon any very strong objection to a compromise on tho part of tho Peers themselves; but just sis they wore willing to bo guided by Mr. Balfour’s advice to accept tbo Trade Disputes Bill,, so they proved willing to tako bis advice to reject the Education Bill, or, to bo more exact, to refuse to be satisfied with tiio very considerable amendments and concessions which tho Government were prepared to make on their original measure. Wo desire to bo absolutely fair to Mr. Balfour, who, we regret to record, is at tho moment laid up with a severe attack of influenza ; but we do not think that we are doing him an injustice when we say that tho advice which he tendered to' tbo Peers, and which they unhappily accepted, was given as leader of the Opposition, and with a view to embarass the Government and place them in a difficulty, rather than as the friend of tho Church of England, or of religious education in its widestt and best sense, or, again, as a Conservative statesman anxious that the House of Lords should continue to retain its position in the Constitution, and deserve the confidence of tho country as a whole. In ordinary times and in ordinary circumstances the principle that it is the business of the leader ot the Opposition to support nothing, to oppose everything, and to embarass and turn out the Government may work well enough. There are moments, however, when higher considerations should prevail, and in our opinion this was oijo of them. THE CONSTITUTIONAL QUESTION. One result of Mr. Balfour’s action is undoubtedly to place tho House oi Lords at a considerable disadvantage in the Constitutional controversy which must now arise between them and the House of Commons. The fact which wo have just noticed, that Mr. Balfour was able to pull tbo strings which work the House of Lords by making them first swallow without protest so dangerous a measure as the Trade Disputes Bill, and then virtually reject the Education Bill, lias mado it almost impossible to argue that the House of Lords is an independent revising Chamber which conscientiously considers all measures sent up to it, and, rightly or wrongly, takes action upon what it believes to bo their merits. Tbo country does not object to the House of Lords having a will of its own. What it does object to is its merely expressing the will of the leader of the Oppossition in the Commons, especially wlion that leader less than a year ago was shown to have completely forfeited the confidence of the electors. Mr. Balfour, from the Parliamentary point of view, has no doubt very greatly embarassed '*tlie Government, but lie lias forced the Peers to fight a difficult and dangerous battle at a most serious disadvantage. Wo have already pointed out on several occasions how temporary and superficial is oven the party gain achieved by Mr. Balfour. Though lie appears for the moment to have placed tho Government in a tight place,' lie lias in reality continued to provide them with the cement which alone keeps tlicir party aogother. THE CHINESE ARMY. Tho Times of Wednesday contained an interesting telegram from its Pekin correspondent on tho progress made with the reform of tho Chinese army. A further step has been taken in tlio nationalisation o_f that army, the Viceroy, Y’uaii-Shih'-Kai having surrendered much of his direct control, and retained only the 2nd and 4th divisions, while the other divisions are taken over by the new Ministry of War, The force is therefore in process of becoming a national army, instead of a number of provincial commands. Tho correspondent points out that tho only danger in tho new arrangements is that it may be allowed to fall into arrears in the historic Chinese fashion, one of tho secrets of Yuan-Shili-Ivai’s success having been his prompt payments. Other reforms are promised, such as an army audit and a central clothing department; expenditure on manoeuvres is being cut down, and a' number of officers are being sent to France. Moveover — wliat is most significant of all—the Chinese authorities have apparently considered and acted iipon the criticisms of foreign experts on the last manoeuvres. No' greater breach with Chinese traditions could he imagined. COMEDY' IN MOROCCO.

The situation in Morocco is still inspired with the spirit of comic opera. Raisuli is afraid of the Sultan’s troops, who are afraid of Raisuli ; while the European powers are praying that nothing may compel them to an intervention, which every Moor believes to be their dearest wish. Such is the summary of The Times correspondent, and it seems to represent the facts. The Sultan’s troops and the Sultan’s Minister of War aro approaching Tangier, and the local officials', who have hitherto walked in awe of Raisuli, are recovering their spirits and preparing a reception- Meanwhile the Diplomatic Body has formally demanded the removal of Raisuli, since it is clear that his views on order are not those of the civilised world,_ and the re-establisliing of the authority of the Basha in Tangier. The request, which is unanimous, shows that the policy of Europe is to rehabilitate the Sheroefian authorities, and to work, if possible, through existing institutions’. If the Sultan is too weak to do what he obviously wishes done, then European assistance is at hand.

SOUTH AFRICAN CONSTITUTION. On Monday Mr Churchill asked the House of Commons tq approve the grant of constitutions conferring responsible government upon the people of tho Transvaal and Orange River Colonies. In defending the grant to the latter colony, he declared that the old Free State had been the model small republic of the world, that since the war its people bad shown themselves eminently lawabiding, and that it was only fair that they should have the same treatment as the Transvaal. To refuse a constitution on tho ground that a Dutch majority was certain was an insult to our new subjects and a violation of the spirit of the terms of peace. The constitution would be on the same lines as that of the Transvaal, with payment of members, a nominated Second Chamber, the same' reserves as to certain types of legislation, and a Land Board to watch over tho interests of British settlers for five years. Ho hoped that the new Orange -River Colony Parliament would meet next autumn. He also announced, that the .Imperial Government had 'remitted the so-called war contribution, and that its guarantee of tlie thirty-five million Transvaal loan must be regarded as a full quittance from all claims against it. After speeches by Mr Lyttelton and Sir Charles Dilko, the resolution was agreed to without a division.

THE REVOLT OF THE STOKERS. On Monday afternoon Mr Robertson, the Secretary to the Admiralty, read to the house the Admiralty minute on the disturbances in the Naval Barracks at Plymouth. The sentence of five years ‘-passed on Stoker Moody has been reduced to tiuee years’ penal servitude, and llat of eighteen, months’ imprisonment on Stoker Day to twelve months The reas ms given by the Admiralty for t-he revision of Stoker Moody's sentence are that the officers in charge of the barracks were, by their want of judgment and consideration, largely responsible for the outbreak on 4th November, and by their failure to take precautionary measures rendered the more serious outbreak of oth November possible. This decision of the Admiralty carries with it logical consequences from which they have not shrunk. Commodore Stopford lias been relieved of liis appointment as senior officer of the barracks; Commodore DruryLow 6, the second-in-command, lias been superseded; and Commander Mitchell, tlie commander for gunnery duties, is also relieved of bis command. Lieutenant Collard has already been reprimanded by CourtMartial, and the Admiralty “note 11

this fact. Tho severity of the punishment now meted out to his superiors, who wore not tried by Court-Martial, lias boon commented on as a guarantee of the rigorous impartiality of naval discipline. But it may also he contended that tho ultimate responsibility for tho disorders rests in a measure with tho originators of a policy which has involved a development of the barracks system in such a way as to render tho maintenance of discipline more than ordinarily difficult. THE COLD RESERVE.

Sir Felix Schuster read an interesting paper on Wednesday evening boforo tho Institute of Bankers on “Our Gold Reserves.” He defined “reserves” as meaning in this sense “such a reserve of gold as would ensure ability to meet without disturbance to our trade all demands that might suddenly ariso for payment in gold of tho obligations expressed in legal tender.” The Bank Charter Act of 1814 was primarily intended to ensure the convertibility of (he bank-note, at that time almost the sole instrument of credit, and it did not contemplate tho rise of joint stock hanking, and the creation of a now circulating medium. He advocated tho extension of the Bank of England’s gold reserve, the creation of a great central second reserve, to which all hanks should contribute, and the monthly publication of the average figure of weekly accounts. A small permanent committee should also he formed of representatives of the hankers to act with the Bank of England, and without this committee’s sanction the second reserve should never he used. Finally he advocated allowing the Bank of England to increase its note issue,' after the bank-rate had reached a certain level, to ail extent equivalent to a given proportion of tho special reserve. This would ensure an elasticity now wanting in our system. ITALIAN POLITICS.

On -Tuesday Signor Tittoni, the Italian Foreign Minister, delivered his long-expected speech on foreign affairs. Dealing first with Die Triple Alliance, he declared that it was the basis of Italian policy, and denied the reports of friction with Germany. Then he passed to the relations between Germany and Britain, two powers to which Italy was hound, in the one case by formal alliance, in the other by ancient friendship. It was tho supremo interest of both Italy and Austria-Hungary to prevent any conflict between these two nations, and responsible statesmen, British and German alike, were anxious for a rcapproacliment. 'the press was the only danger, and the same remark applied to tho possibility of friction between Italy and Aus-tria-Hungary. Turning to France, lie urged that loyalty to the Triple Alliance did not prevent Italy from maintaining a close friendship with her western neighbour, which the An-glo-French entente made all the easier. He concluded with an eloquent and graceful panegyric upon King Edward—“ The Sovereign who uses the immense prestige he enjoys in the eyes of his own people and of the whole world to devote himself to the noble mission of peace.” THE PANAMA CANAL. The message of President Roosevelt in regard to the Isthmain Canal gives a full and illustrated account of his trip to Panama, which he purposely undertook ill the most rainy season ill order that he might see the canal zone at its worst. The result of his careful personal inspection has been to convince him that Congress was right in deciding against the highlevel or sea-level canal schemes, and that the Panama route is much superior to the Nicaragua and Darien routes. He found the present health •of the dwellers on the isthmus excellent, commends the sanitary arrangements at Panama and Colon, and describes how oven during the rainy season excavation was proceeding rapidly. In view of the violent attacks made upon the Panama Canal Commission, the President’s tribute is remarkable. He has been unable to find a singlo unreputablo person “who had so much as heard any serious charge affecting the honesty of the Commission or of any responsible officer under it.” Setting aside honest criticism, there had hoe.it an unprecedented amount of reckless slander. Ho did not feel called on to deal with foreign calumniators, but he felt tho heartiest contempt for and indignation against the American slanderers who sought, in wantonness and malice, to hamper and frustrate a great national undertaking. The President concludes by declaring himself satisfied that the enterprise will be ultimately successful,