This boom is trade must be helpful to the Liberal party in their election campaign; and the Unionist organizers—in London at all events—are evi ently more anxious or less sanguine than they were a fortnight ago when the the constituencies was just There are strong complaints ing the date which had been pro-lly fixed for the dissolution of ment, Instead of Saturday January 8, it ie to be Monday, January 10, The official explanation, of the change is that it would be better to follow, in all respect, the precedent of 1906, when Parliament was dissolved on the second Monday in Jani the Unionists contend, and there doubt i contention, that the object is to enable the first elections to take place on the Saturday. For some reason—either because many of the well-to-do opend all their week-ends away from towa, or because the working classes have more leisure on Satordays, the last day of the week garded by both sides as a speci favourable day for the Liberals, particularly in London. Last time, it may be remembered Ipswich, with doubifal polled on the Friday. But with this single exception the contest began on the Saturday. There are a certain number of people with whom a desire to be on the withing side has more force than any political and the side which does best in the Saturday's polls will to this extent have an advantage. In 1906 it may be remembered the Satarday's pollings were so deci that it st once became evident what the general result would be.
STATE CANALS, The important Royal Commission on Canals which was appointed shortly after the present Government came into power has prosected its report, and it was published yesterday, It consists of 230 pages, and is of so elaborate and complicated a character that most of the newspapers have been wise enough to suspend jadgement upon it until they have bad farther time to consider it, Out of the nineteen commissioners, of whom Lord Shuttleworth was the chairman, sixteen have signed the majority report, but four of these have made some reservations, Substantially they recommend that the Government shoald
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.