Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-15
Obstruction Of Business.


The liberal parliament has not done much
business thus far. and will have to be ex-
ceedingly Industrious to complete one
fourth part OF the program Of the govern
ment as announced in the kings speech at
the beginning of the first session last Feb
ruary. That session continued until the
end of June, and the second session began
October % and will continue indefinitely.
The trouble is due to large and unwieldy
liberal majority, composed mostly Of new
men, who are without experience, are not
under discipline, and are not united as to
the best policy to pursue. They agree pretty
well on general propositions, but disagree
as to details, and, as the sailors sometimes
say, there Is too much talent on the quar-
terdeck;" too many Of the members have
strong views as to what ought to be uone
and want the leaders of their party to adopt
them.
The labor members. fifty in number, from
whom a great deal was expected, have
split into two factions. The trades union
section, which is conservative. under the
leadership Of John Burns, is striving to at
tain it's purposes by supporting the liberal
party. The socialist section. under the
leadership OF Keir-Hardie, acts independ-
emily and has made such radical demands
as the price of its votes that the govern
ment cannot have anything to do with 1t.
old-Age Pensions.
Both factions are giving a great deal of
press their claims upon the attention of
the house, and the more consideration they
get the more they demand. Half the bills
on the calendar relate to labor matters
and originated with the labor unions. The
bill most Professionally pushed is that pro-
viding for old-age pensions. Mr.. Burns.
who since he has been member Of the
cabinet has become quite conservative Is
determined to get 1t passed at the present
session. The propositions are as follows:
l. To pay pensions of five shillings week
to all British subjects sixty-five years old
or more, rich and poor alike, who live with
in the territory of the United Kingdom and
have not been convicted Of crime and
are not under police surveillance.
2. Applications are to be made to the reg
istrar> of births and deaths in each dis
trict, who will disburse the pensions week
ly and give each applicant a receipt book,
which must be signed by him when the
money Is paid.
8. If a registrar shall refuse to nav
pension for any reason the applicant may
appeal to the lord mayor or mayor or the
cision shall be final.
4. Pensioners who enter aimshouses or
asylums, or are sent to warehouses or
houses Of correction. forfeit their pensions
30 long as they remain a charge upon the
public.
g. If a pensioner be convicted of crime
he forfeits his pension.
According to the census 2.O1s718 persons
in the United Kingdom have reached the
age of sixty-five years. and to pension them
as proposed would require the sum of s131.-
125,OOO annually. or about $40 900 less
than the government OF the United States
is now paying annually to the veterans of
the civil war. It is asserted that at least
10 per cent Of the citizens entitled to pen-
s1ons would refuse to receive them. Some
mink tnat at least 70 per cent would de-
cline. but, at any rate the proposed law
would cost the treasury at least 800 600
600 or more annually, and the chancellor ~
the exchequer declares that new taxes viii
nave to be devised to meet the expenditure
British Fiscal Statement.
In his financial statement he estimates
that the ordinary expenditures of the BRIT
ish government for the coming year will,
amount to Sos. $50, 600 which are almost as
great as those Of the United States, tnclud-
Ing the payments for work on the Panama
canal. The receipts are estimated at s7o4 :
S So0.ooo, leaving a surplus of about s15 000,-
GOO. Since that estimate was Submitted
however, the government has committed
itself to the expenditure of nearly $40. COO S,D0
additional In carrying out the educational
BILL anu meeting changes In postal rates,
which will leave nominal surplus Of q IN,
tie more than $5.O00.000 which Is q very
narrow margin.
Several experienced hnanciers are of the
opinion that the exchequer has overesti-
mated the revenues. because parliament has
already reduced the duty on tea from a 6
pence to pence pound, which went into
erect July L: the duty on tobacco has been
reduced pence q pound, and the duty of
shilling ton on coal exported from the
kingdom has been entirely repealed, The
treasury estimates that these changes will
lieve that the revenues Will be reduced con-
siderably more.
There has been small reduction in er-
Penditures. amounting to less than 100000.