1917. February 13.-House of Commons. War Pensions Bill introduced by Mr. Barnes. Supply Civil Service Supplementary Estimates. Salaries of Ministers-Speech by Mr. Bonar Law and Mr. H. Samuel. (1) Dr. Addison at Bedford on the Output of Munitions. Rossendale By-Election consequent on the elevation of Mr. L. Harcourt (L) to the Peerage. Number of Registered Electors-13,682. Sir J. H. Maden (L) 6,019. Mr. Taylor (Ind) 1,804-4,215. Representation unchanged. 1910 (Jan.) (13,217). Harcourt (L) 1910 (Dec.) (13,217). 6,619 5,206 7,185 Harcourt (L) Kebty-Fletcher (U) 4,695 Craven-Hoyle (U) Bulley (Ind) 639 14.-House of Lords. Formal Business. House of Commons. Votes of Credit-Report. Consolidated Fund (No. 1) Bill read a Grand Juries (Suspension) Bill read a second time. Speech by Sir F. E. Smith. Sir John Jellicoe and Lord Derby at the Mansion House on the War. 15.-House of Lords. Multiplication of Offices and Officials-Speeches by Lord Midleton and Lord Curzon. House of Commons. Ministry of National Consolidated Fund (No. 1) Bill read Trades Union Congress Deputations to Mr. Lord Derby at Preston on Treatment of Disabled 17.-Lord Derby at Bolton on the War. Mr. Henderson at Manchester on the War. (1) Mr. Prothero on the Recruiting of Farm Labourers. "Why is the Army so anxious to get your agricultural labourers? Because they make the best soldiers. After all, it is that virile force in a nation which makes it great or small." (2) Lord Bryce on Turkish Mis-rule. "Since a year ago, when it was reported that two-thirds of the population around Jerusalem had perished by disease and famine, things had been growing steadily worse. He had heard that the Turks carried their desire in some cases to exterminate the non-Moslem element so far as to send infectious persons to Christian and Jewish villages to spread disease. The Turks, knowing they were a bad Government, decided, in order to preclude any possible movement on the part of the people, to destroy them in anticipation. Some people wished that the Turk should be driven out of Europe. He would drive the Turk out of everywhere as a ruling power, for the Turk was not fit to rule over persons of another faith." (3) Mr. Runciman on Woman Suffrage. "No measure of electoral reform was now possible which omitted the enfranchisement of women, and by including the principle in its report the Speaker's Conference had truly interpreted the feeling of the country. Those who supported the extension of the franchise for men and reform in the electoral machinery and were in favour of woman suffrage believed that all these things hung together. Without the inclusion of woman suffrage it would have been unjust to deal with the franchise law at all. . . . The progress marked by the Speaker's report-which was the outcome of a notable change of opinion among the opponents of woman suffrage on the Conference-was such as it could not be ignored by any Government. The compromise in the report was a real achievement. Most suffragists would like to go further, but those who supported a wider measure could not get a majority for it in the House of Commons.' ... (4) Lord Newton on British Prisoners of War in Belligerent Countries. "In Austria there were roughly about 200 civilians interned and no military officers, with the exception of two or three at the outside. In Bulgaria there were no civilians and probably about 500 or 600 military prisoners. In the case of Turkey it was extremely difficult to obtain accurate information. There were about 700 civilians interned, and about 2,000 British military prisoners, and about 8,800 Indian prisoners. These were the figures supplied by the Turkish military authorities, but it was impossible to look upon them as correct, because they did not account for a large number of missing men. As regards Germany, there were about 4,500 civilians, and about 34,000 or 35,000 military prisoners. As far as Austria was concerned we had an arrangement by which civilians over the age of 51 were repatriated, but very few exchanges had taken place in view of the somewhat preposterous proposal made by the Austrian Government, which suggested that in return for the 200 British civilians we should hand over no fewer than between 10,000 and 11,000 Austro-Hungarian civilians interned here or in the Colonies. It was only right to add that the conduct of the Austro-Hungarian Government with regard to prisoners had been in complete contrast to that of Germany. British subjects had been treated with a great deal of consideration, both in Austria and in Hungary." 1917. February 19.-House of Commons. The War Loan- Criminal Law Amendment Bill read a second time-Speeches by Sir G. Cave and Mr. Henderson at Newcastle on National Service. 20. House of Lords. Persia and the WarSpeeches by Lord Curzon and Lord Crewe. House of Commons, Consolidated Fund (No. 1) Bill read a third time. Conduct of the War-Speeches by Mr. Dillon, Mr. Bonar Law, Mr. H. Samuel, Mr. Long and Mr. S. Baldwin. (1) Mr. Prothero at the Associated Chambers o (3) Mr. Runciman at Queen's Hall on Woman 21 House of Lords. Food Supply-Speeches by Lord Chaplin, Lord Lansdowne, and the Duke of Marlborough. House of Commons. Supply-Navy Estimates. Sir E. Carson's Annual Statement. (See page 96.) Speeches by Mr. Churchill and Dr. Macnamara. West Perthshire By-Election consequent on the succession to the Peerage of the Marquis of Tullibardine (U). Unopposed return of Colonel Alexander Stirling (U). Number of Registered Electors-8,582. Representation unchanged. 22.-House of Lords. Exchange of Prisoners of War-Speeches by (4) Lord Newton and Lord Bryce. House of Commons. Ministry of National Service Bill read a second time Speeches by Sir G. Cave and Sir Charles Hobhouse. (1) Lord Haldane on the New Interest in Education. "Why is this new interest born in the British people? I will tell you. By this war we have been awakened from our dogmatic slumber. We realise the necessity of a new life. We had become sunk in our own prosperity, and overlapped by it. Our prosperity had made us a little slothful. (2) Mr. H. A. L. Fisher on Education and the Primitive Virtues. "There was a current idea taken up by a popular novelist some years ago, that one effect of education was to weaken or discredit the primitive virtues. Never in history had a war been waged by an Army so highly and generally educated, and yet the standard of courage and range of moral splendour had exceeded anything imagination could conceive. The war had not shown deterioration in the primitive virtues. He did not say that education was the cause of the great moral courage exhibited, but he did advance the modest proposition that education had not suppressed it." (3) Lord Derby on the Army and Horse Breeding. "In the United Kingdom the War Office had bought during the year well over 400,000 horses and had paid for them upwards of £20,000,000. The Army needed three classes of horses-light draft, riding, and heavy draft. As to riding horses, as long as racing, hunting, and polo continued-and speaking for himself, and he thought he could speak for the Army also, he should view with the gravest concern anything which threatened permanently to interfere with any of those sports he should support all three, because he believed that they made the industry of horse-breeding in this country the first in the whole of the world. The War Office had under consideration a scheme by which they hoped to take advantage of the opportunities which the conclusion of peace would present for aiding the light horse-breeding industry.” (4) Lord Derby on the War Office and Farm Labourers. "It is believed that from England and Wales about 180,000 agriculturists have joined the forces since the beginning of the war. The census reports show that 216,000 have joined, but that is a crude, an inflated figure, and includes gardeners, foresters, and others. At the present moment 300,000 men of military age are employed on or about the farms of England and Wales. From that number the War Office have been authorised to take 30,000. The decision to take these 30,000 men was given by the War Cabinet. But I would like to point out that of the 30,000 we have as a matter of fact taken only 10.610. 1 rather resent the insinuation continually made that the War Office has only one idea and that is to get men and to pay no consideration whatever to agriculture or other fields of industry. I deny that entirely. We have a most difficult task to perform, because failure on our part to get the men means failure to keep up the divisions at their full strength, and to do that was an imperative duty on their part. I speak not only for myself but for those associated with me when I say that we see as clearly as anybody the great necessity for agricultural labour in this country, and the great danger that will await us if that necessity is not met." (5) Mr. Wing's Motion on Liquor Restriction in the House of Commons. "That the members of this House request the Kitchen Committee to observe in the sale of intoxicating liquors the same restrictions as are imposed upon the general public. 1917. February 23.-House of Commons. Restriction of ImportsSpeeches by Mr. Lloyd George, Mr. Runciman, and Mr. Long. (See page 74.) Mr. Henderson at Leeds on National Service. Mr. R. Munro at Aberdeen on National Service. (1) Lord Haldane at Stockton-on-Tees on Education after the War. North Warwickshire By-Election consequent on the appointment as Governor of Tasmania of Mr. F. A. N. Newdegate (U). Unopposed return of Mr. Henry Wilson Fox (U). Number of Registered Electors-21,268. Representation unchanged. 26. House of Commons. War Loan Result Speeches by Mr. Bonar Law and Mr. Supply-Navy Estimates. Arrests in Ireland-Speeches by Mr. Dillon, (2) Mr. H. A. L. Fisher at County Hall, Spring Mr. Henderson at Sunderland on National Service. 27.-House of Lords. Mesopotamia CampaignStatement by Lord Curzon. Solicitors (Qualification of Women) Grand Juries (Suspension) Bill read House of Commons. Ministry of National Service Bill-Committee. Hunters Improvement Society Deputation to (3) Lord Derby and Mr. Prothero on the Future of Horse Breeding. 28. House of Lords. Food Supply-Speeches by Lord Crewe, Lord Selborne, (4) Lord House of Commons. Liquor Restriction at the |