Proceedings in Parliament have been tle more lively by the return to their places of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition who treated the House last night to a smart little duel over the two Scottisn Bi Which have just been reintroduced in the Commons in exactly the form in which they were rejected by the Louis last year. The Prime Minister announced that they were to be pushed through with all speed by means of the guillotine," snd sent up to the Lords cuely that there should be no excuse for their pleading that they had not sufficient time to consider them. Mr. Balfour accused the Government of being actuated by the desire simply to "fill up the cap," to goad the Lords into throwing out measures which they jemselves had no real desire to pass, The two recent Tory victories in Devon and Herefordshire have just been followed by what is virtually a third in Woresster City. It is true that this has long been a Tory constituency, but for the past two years it kas been without a member, having bee temporarily franchised for bribery. And now Unionist has been returned with the biggest majority on record. These three Government reverses, of course, are ample cane from the point of view of party warfare for declaring that His Majesty's Ministers have lost the confidence of the country; and of course Mr. Balfour drove the point home. They have certainly shaken the resolution of the Government in regard to their agitation against the Lords, for, as " The Times" points out, Sir H.
Jampbell-Bannerman's in hin reintroducing the two Scottish Bills " by its moderate and concilistory tone contrasts very sharply with the language used last Session."
THE CHILDREN'S OMARRER, For their first important measure of the Session Ministers have wisely select ed one which arouses no party feeling and which is safe to pass into law with no substantial modifications, whatever may happen to other measures, or to the Government themselves, before the end of the year. This is the "Children's Charter," asit has been dobbed, a Bill for consolidating and amending a large number of Acts passed in recent years for the protection of children. This Bill will practically pat an end to the imprisonment of children or "young persons under the age of sixteen." Except in a few special cases young offenders will be punished by other means: or, if they are imprisoned.at all, it will be in houses of detention "erected for the special purpose of housing young people awaiting trial or ander remand. Speci courts, too, are to sit everywhere to try children, who are to be zealously kept from contact with adult criminals, Then the measure will do something to reduce the fearful tribe of children who every year are overlain or burnt to death, There are ut present about sixteen hundred annually of each class. In fatare, it would seem, an appearance at 8 police-court as well as at an inquest will be inevitable in every stob case, though, where nothing worse than negligence is proved, the penalty will not he leery. Another, and perhaps a more debatable set of provisions will make it punishable offence to sell tobacco or cigarettes to a boy or girl under sixteen, and" punishable offence for any one under sixteen to smoke in a sttest or public place. Mr. Laboucheroin rath," recently denounced this proposal as a piece of grandmotherly legislation, and pointed out that physical deterioration is cer raisly not particularly marked Holland, where nearly all boys smoke. Medical opinion is, however, unanimous ax to the injurious effect of amoking upon growing lads.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.