Colonial Secretary, has obtained £200 damages from the proprietors of the "Morning Leader" for having libelled Wim in a series of articles which they published just before the General Election, dealing with the Chamberlain companies wid Government contracts, Of course the articles were intended to injure Me. Joseph Chamberlain and the Government; but it appears that the Colonial See otary, on taking counsel's opinion, found he had no ground for action, and it is not denied that it was only after this opinion had been that his brother decided ceedings.
The result can: dan unqualitied victory Arthur Chamberlain. If he had proved his whole case to the sitisfuetion of the jury he would have obtained far heavier dawages—net_a mere two hun dred pounds, which will leave him cousiderably out of pocket when the unrecoverable costs of his suit have been yaid. Mr. Arthur Chamberlin was for seven hours in the witness-box, mostly under cross-examination by Mr. Rufus Tunes, and he fad to admit to facts which were not altoge ther creditable to Kynvehs, of which he is Chairman, was admitted, for instance, that thi Agents-General of the Australian States were asked to give letters of introduction Kynochs in which " special point was made of the fact that its chairman was a brother of the Colonial Secretary. It was done without the chairman's Knowledge, bur it was done. It was admitted, too, that the Colonial Secretary was inaceur: though certainly not wilfully inaccurate, when he declared in the House of Commons that he held no shares in any company which was directly or indirectly interestest in Goverament evntracts. "If anybody doubted that Kynochs was unduly favoured in the matter of Government contra ts the evidence in the case will have removed thi doubt. Tt was et Mr. Chamberlain's fault." Ie was through no action and by +0 desire of his thatthe firm was favoured, But it is still impossible to avoid the feeling that the knowledge that the Chamberlaing were largely interested in the company must have Leen at leas one of the causes which led to that favour being shown. That Lord Salisbury felt strongly abut the matter, may be readily inferred from the fact that when he reconstructed his Ministry both Mr. Macartney and Mr. Powell Williams, who were responsible for contracts to the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.