The House of Commons has been devoting most of its attention this week to the Miner's Eight Hours Bill, which has passed its second reading, and the Old Age Pensions Bill, which has got into the Committee stage, through which it is to be forced by means of the guillotine. In both meajsares the Government is making considerable ions in deference to public criticism; but in neither case will the changes bring the measure into conformity with old-fashioned Liberalist. In regard to the Miner's Bill it is frankly admitted by Mr. Herbert Gladstone, who has it in charge, that in the form in which it was introduced it would " involve embarrassment" for the general public—in other words that it would substantially increase the price of coal and so have a very serious affect on the manufacturing industries of the count And so the time of half measures is to be extended from eighteen months to five years, after which no miner must be under ground more than eight hours a day. In the interval the time of ling " will not be included, no that as estimated, the miner may be on an average under ground eight and a-half hours " day, THE OLD AGE FRNBIONS SCHEME, With regard to the Old Age Pensions Scheme a drastic alteration has been made by the decision of the Government present he would have worn the regula-|to adopt a sliding scale in place of the tion frock coat and silk hat. But he has not yet recovered from an illness which for a little while gave ground for considerable alarm. Some other members of the Labour Party in the Commons, however, were present in lounge suits and bowlers. Yesterday practically the whole of the Royal adult family were at the Chapel Royal, St. James', for the wedding of Miss Jean Reid to the Hon. Dudley Ward, and afterwards at the reception given by Mrs. Whitelaw Reid at Dorchester House. Tt wax beyond question the most bril linet Anglo-American wedding that has ever taken place in this country.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.