No opportunity of harassing the Government in the midst of its difficulties is lost by the Opposition. Not content with debating the Transvaal ordinance on an amendment to the address, they put up Dr. Macnamara on Monday to move the adjournment of the House as a protest against the regulations under that ordinance being enforced before Parliament. was afforded an opportunity of considering them in detail. In effect the debate was a repetition of the earlier one on the same subject, and was chiefly remarkable for a vigorous defence of the Government made by Mr. Lyttelton, the new Colonial Secretary. He poured out the vials of his wrath on those who describe the system of "indenturism" under the ordinance as "slavery," and especially upon Sir Henry Fowler, whose ences to conscience when coupled with such misrepresentations he described as " positively nauseous "—a phrase which has led to a somewhat embittered correspondence in the "Times." The result of the division was, however, a rather larger majority for the Government than that which they received after the previous debate. Probably as much dislike is felt among Conservatives as among Liberals to the introduction of Chinese labour to the Rand; but after all it is felt that this is a matter for the Transvaal itself to determine. Its legis-nature has decided in favour of the ordinance; and there is no reason to doubt that a popularly elected parliament there would have adopted the same course. Since the Kafirs cannot be induced to become miners in sufficient numbers, and since the Indian Government will not allow its people to emigrate under the restrictions proposed, while white labour costs too much, the Chinese are the last resource. And it may be doubted whether even the Radical working man would really desire to see full rights of citizenship conferred upon the yellow emigrant.
Tottering.
Although Ministers have succeeded in securing nearly half their normal majority both on the fiscal and Chinese labour questions, in some other divisions it has fallen perilously low. On Wednesdey during the dinner-hour, when the House was discussing the vote for the maintenance of Osborne House, the King's Coronation gift to his people, it became apparent that the Opposition had a majority present in the House, and Unionist after Unionist had to be put up to talk against time until more Conservatives should have returned from their dinners. That of course is an accident which might occur once to almost any Government; but when things proved to be very nearly as bad on the following evening, the Government escaping defeat on one division by a majority of only fourteen, one could hardly arrive at any other conclusion than that a rot had set in and that a good many Unionists did not care whether their leaders were defeated or not. The whips are now making a strong effort to pull the party together; but there isa very general belief that the Government will not outlive the coming Budget. It is now apparent that Mr. Austen Chamberlain will have a heavy deficit to meet. The shiily-shellying of Ministers on the fiscal question has incensed the thoroughgoing Protectionists without conciliating the Free Fooders. The House is in no mood to settle down to the discussion of humdrum questions. The action of the Government in regard to the Chinese Inbour question, however necessary, has not rendered easy the passage of the coming Alien Immigration Bill, and as there is a fairly strong "temperance" section in the Conservative party the Bill which is to be introduced on behalf of the publicans, will not receive the undivided support of the Unionists. Altogether Mr. Balfour could bardly be blamed if he should deliberately ride for a fall.
The Navy Estimates.
'The task of the Chancellor of the Exchequer is rendered more dificult by the fact that the navy estimates, of which the customary abstract has' just been published, show an increnso of nearly two and a-half millions. The total amount is nearly £37,000,000, which is more than double the amount spent on the navy in the last year of the last Liberal Government ten years ago. Everyone agrees that our navy must be made efficient regardless of cost, and that if we must reduce our expenditure for defence we had better spend less on the army but unfortunately no one hopes that the coming army estimates will show a decrease. The Opposition will not, however, be able to make much capital out of this increase, since it has been mainly caused by the purchase of the two! Chilean battleships—an act which has met with general approval. It is true that Ministers have not found it easy to reconcile the reasons which they gave a few months ago for declining to purchase these vessels with their recent decision to purchase them; but when second thoughts are best, Ministers may be excused for changing their minds.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.