The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-14
LIBERALS HAVE
COMPLETE SWAY
This Being True, There is Much
Speculation As to How They
Will Use 1t.
WILL CHANGE EDUCATION ACT
Dominant Party Committed to
Reforms But Not
United
WILL CHANGE EDUCATION ACT
(By Associated Press.)

LONDON, Februay iS-James william
Lowthe was unanimously reelected
Speaker OF the House Of Commons to-
day. In accordance with precedent, there
was no opposition. The House after
wards adjourned until to morrow without
transactlng any other business. The
swearing In OF members Will occupy the
rest OF the week.
The new House Of Commons meets
under conditions OF unusual interest and
evidences OF this were seen in the wild
rush for seats at midnight, when the
spectacle at the entrance of the House
OF Parliament at Westminster resembled
the entry to Il pit on the first night of
a play by popular author.
Outside the House n great crowd
showed keen interest In the poceedings.
political bias, the better known members,
while the arrival OF the yeo-
men OF the guard to make the MIS-
toric search of the vaults for a. Guy
Fawltes. with all the timehonored for
malities, evoked unbounded enthusiasm.
Liberals in Control.
The fact that the Liberals have clear.
majority OF IS over all combinations be-
tween Unionists. Nationalists and Labor
ties in the new Parliament. has completes
ly upset calculations as to the course of
events or probable legislation during the
session of Parliament for which the mem
bers assembled to-day. Before the ex-
tent OF the victory had been realized It
was expected that the policy OF the gov
eminent on many important issues would
be largely controlled BY the labor party
and to lesser extent by the NATIONAL
l.s<. Al IT, A.
With clear majority OF SO behind him
Sir Henry Campbell Zimmerman can
carry out the general Liberal programme
without running much risk.
But there are questions on which tho
party is not unit and which will cause
the session to be troublous II not stormy.
One of the first and by no means the
easiest task of the new government will
be the tacklng of the education acts of
1923, which have been the causes of
SO many long debates both in and out of
Parliament. Those who are demanding
amendments to the acts claim that the
mandate from the electors is clever gen
uine popular control: No religious tests
for teachers There are differences of
opinion as to how the changes are to he
carried out, but or the principles they
agree. In detail they ask for great
proportion Of the cost of education to be
n charge upon the Imperial ESchequeI.:
the training of teachers to be more of
an Imperial than local charge; the ap-
pointfnent OF teachers to oe under local
control. but that no conditions of eni-
pioyrnent shall include the compulsory
giving or receiving sof ydenominational re-
Iigious instruction.; that parents have the
right to send their children to some other
place than the school for the purpose OF
receiving specific UNCONVENTIONAL in
struction at the hands OF their religious
pastors: subject to this elementary
schools to be opened each morning with a
simply family religious service.
In all this they expect powerful resist
ance on the part Of Anglicans, with pos
sible combinations against them among
other denominations In any event a
change in the education act is a pledge
to which the Liberal Party In general
and the Premier in particular are posi-.
lively committed.
That the act will be changed by large
ma jority vote in the Commons goes with
out saying, but the difficulty in carrying
out the pledge to the people comes when
the amendments reach the House of
Lords.
The Labor Groups.
The greatest question at present, how
ever. is: What will be the policy Of the
fifty labor members who have secured
seats at Westminster? There are two
distinct groups of labor members, but on
the main subjects in which labor is in
terested they are agreed. The Parlia-
mentary Committee OF the Trades Union
Congress, which endorsed thirty OF the
fifty successful labor candidates, has
drawn up a general programme. which
Includes a trades disputes bill. amend
ment OF the compensation act. amend
ment OF the truck act, amendment OF tho
factory acts, amendment of the unem-
ployed net, abolition of Chinese labor In
South Africa, establishment OF state
pension fund at sixty years OF age, ex-
tension of the housing OF the working
classes act, establishment OF an eight
hour working day. aa:-.-~uffrase and
generally for the mat.tenance or Tree
trade amendment OF the education act,
popular control of the liquor trade. extern
sion OF municipal trading and nationals
ization OF means of transit and natural
resources In the kingdom. The trades
disputes bill is placed first by lnborltes.
as It aims at restoring the legal status
Of trades unions, which was denied by
the Taft Vale decision
Among the amendments proposed tc
the compensation act Is one providing
"that some system OF State compulsory
Insurance should be established. which
will secure that employees shall have paic
the necessary funds to compensate Ior
all accidents or injury. or Tor diseases
srisinr ont of or Incidental to the nature
of any employment
Iahor has many questions which they
will ask Parliament to consider, and Il
the labor members have their way,
great part OF the session will be devoted
| to their bills.
PROTECT THE YOUTH.
lch;caoo Has Stringent Law AZ