Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-31
THE BRITISH CABINET
It is Rather Larger Than
Those of Gladstone.
THE LONDON COMMENT
SAFETY OF MANY PUBLIC BUILD
INGs QUESTIONED.
Scheme for Construc tion of a Channel
Tunnel is Still Debated-Beer-
bohm Trees Project.
THE LONDON COMMENT
Special Correspondence of The Star.

Special Correspondence of The Star.
LONDON, December 16, 1905
On the whole the new cabinet follows tina
lines of general expectation. 1t Is rather
larger than Mr.. Gladstone's cabinets, but
contains just as many portfolios as Nj
Balfour's. Eight members only of the last
liberal cabinet are in the new. Lord Rose
berry and Lord Spencer are the most no
table absentees. Sir Edward Grey and
Mr.. Buxton are the only two under secra-
taries of the last liberal ministry who now
receive cabinet rank and the number of
peers included cannot be thought excess
sfve, except In relation to the strength of
the PARTY in the upper house. There are
no sensational omissions from the list. The
administration strikes liberals as a
cohesive body, full of promise for the har-
monious working of free trade and lib
eral governmental promise supported by
the remarkably short time in which &c. B."
has overcome his difficulties and got his
team together.
What is chiefly applauded in the new
premier's selections is the skill with which
he has adjusted his material as to offer
hope for individual talent without impair
ing the balance of the combination as
whole.
The debating strength of the new govern
ment is remarkable, and although perhaps
most powerful at the points of fiscal at
tack, its characteristic, in the general
opinion, is not much concentration as
evenness and breadth. have heard 1t said
that the prime minister must have been at
tempting a contrast in characters when he
invited Mr.. Morley to step into Mr. Brod-
ricks shoes, Mr.. Haldane to go to the
war office in succession to Mr.. Arnold
Forster and Mr.. Herbert Gladstone to re-
lieve Mr.. Akers-Douglas of the duties of
II q ntroS &c nj
most equally striking in every other post.
People VINO take what may be called a
sporting interest in politics are especially
grateful for the provision that has been
made for Mr.. Chan,berlain's entertainment
1t will certainly be interesting to see how
the latter fares in his fiscal campaign with
Mr.. Asquith at the treasury, Mr.. Lloyd
George at the board of trade and Mr.
Churchill at the colonial office.
The new cabinet apparently intends to re-
vert to. an old practice, and to hold its
meetings in the famous room of No. 10
Downing street, the premier's official resi-
dence. 1t was Lord Salisbury who made a
breach with long standing custom when he
came into power ten years ago. Being for
eign secretary, he decided that the rest of
the cabinet should save him the trouble of
him, and so all the unionists' cabinets Of
the past ten years have been held in the
foreign secretary's room. 1t is convenient
in one sense, for 1t has double doors d.
viding the minister's room from that of
his private secretary, and in the space be-
tween there is a room for a small cabinet
70 be held. But 1t is fitting that No TO-
the scene of most of the great cabinets of
the last century. should again come into
its own. Sometimes there have been In
formal adjournments while the cabinet was
waiting for an important dispatch, and
then the members have found the shady
garden Convenient for promenades.
Most American visitors are familiar with
the democratic looking, unassuming house
In Downing street and will remember Mr..
Choate's discovery that John Harvard, the
founder of Harvard University, lived in
this street at one time. Downing street
falls gently away from Whitehall and ends
in an iron railing and a small passage
tEroa gil which in summer the great men
can go to cool their -brows in St. James
Park No. 10 and 1.-THE chancellor of the
exchequer's lodging s-compose neat little
Qraen Anna fragment OF dark red brick.