Parliament was prorogued on Saturday, and London is plunged into the depths of dull season, which promises to be the dullest within living memory. The first session of the new Parliament has been ax barren as the last session of the old. That is not denied by the most devoted adherent of the Government. and that the session of 1900 was dreadfully barren at least one Cabinet Minister—the Chancellor of the Exchequer—frankly admitted. But the Government can at least point to the record of divisions to show that it mer joness that was responsible for the to be a Liberal though an Imperi poor results. There were more divisions last year than even in the year of the Home Rule Bill. Of course' discussions on the war, and on the financial_ measures necessitated by the war, account for a large expenditure of the time of the Commons; but it is to the obstruction of the Trish members that the Government point as the best excuse for the meagreness of their legislative achievements.
The Irish M.P.'s.
One consequence has been a renewed the reduction of the Ini Undoubtedly Ireland is ver-represented in proportion to its population and its wealth but it is very doubtful whether a reduction of the number of Nationalist M.P.'s will PS seriously curtail their powers of obstrue-Tt will, of course, be a new grievance with them. "Their numbers were fixed by the Act of Union; and it cannot be denied that for some generations after that Act was passed Treland was far more grossly under-represented than it is now over: represented. In. 1801 the population of England and Wales was less than nine millions, and that of Ireland nearly seven mullions, yet the proportions of Trish to English 'MLP.'s was very neatly the same as it is to-day, when England and Wales have about eight times the population of Ireland. That of course is nob a sound argument against the adoption of a fair system of representation There is little doubt thatthe p Bill before their term of office expires, and will reduce the number only fair, and it will ben Party; Dut it will not prevent Trish obstruction. Some other remedy will have to be found for that.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.