Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-17
POLITICS IN ENGLAND
Reported Internal Trouble
Among the Liberals.
IRISH PARTY MAY SPLIT
Cabinet May Decide to Drop Off Min
listers Salaries.
FORTUNATE SEQUEL TO ACT
Kaiser's Designs on Increase of the
Civil List-Poet Laureate Again
Faces the Critics.
FORTUNATE SEQUEL TO ACT
Special Correspondence Of The Star.


day passed off without any outward sign
of internal trouble. That is not to say
that no internal trouble exists. and If
the meeting had been private 1t would
not have been so harmious II was.
Some OF the liberal members were.
indeed. complaining that it was held
in public. thus preventing them. from
giving vent to criticisms which. In
order to make SHOW ON unanim-
ity. they had to suppress in public.
The one note Of discord was that uttered
by Sir John Drummer. While Sir John
expressed the feeling held by large
section of the party. lie at the same time
made the more academic members start
when he boldly asked Mr.. Asauith to
drop the now effete theories of the Man
chester school,"
There is a large group in the liberal
party who believe that the liberals must
meet the arguments of the protectlonlsts
with some more substantial policy than
that of stolid and mmovaole belief IN
free trade 1t is quite easy to- prove ny
pointing to poverty and unemployment
that free trade is not exactly divine
dispensation Here lies the strength of
the protectionist argument and many lib
erals are beginning to see that the liberal
must do sonnet hing more pos
tive for the relief of the commercial COM
munity than merely to defend free trade
Predicted Split in Irish Party.
| am told that there is likely to be in
the near future very serious split in
the Irish party Mr.. William O'Brien.
who has lately been the apostle of con-
Citation. is said once more to be at log
gerheads with his colleagues. He sug-
hat ShOu1d
be summoned in order to settle the out
standing difficulties of the land question,
and he believes that in this way the land
lords of the grazing farms could be got
to listen to reason If the treasury could
be persuaded to advance sufficient money
for buying them out on generous terms.
The Irish party. as a whole believe that
this policy would end in egregious failure.
Pressure has been brought to bear on the
government to bring in bill for the
compulsory purchase. Of the grazing lands
The point is that If Mr. William O'Brien
had his way the Irish party would be de-
prived OF one of its chief means of justi-
flying It's existence against the Sim Fem
ers. A conference of the party is to be
called. and if Mr. William O'Brien per-
ssts in his attitude we. may once more
see the Irish party torn by internal divi-
sions.
Ministers Salaries.
ltd1Ii lIdl tic CdOiLCl arc ldhIhS Hito
consideration a leveling down of minis
ters' salaries. as we'll a leveling-up of
those of the president of the board of
trade and the president of the local gov
eminent board. Instead of raising the
salaries of those ministers from R2.O0o to
$4,000 a year. the cabinet are understood
TO be considering whether their salaries
should not be raised to f3.JO0 year and
those of other ministers which are in ex
cess brought down to a similar sum.
This reduction would not apply to pres
ent ministers. and it is also suggested
that it should not apply to the prime
minister nor the secretary of state for
foreign affairs. both of whom have to
spend good deal of money annually in
entertaining. But If applied to ministers
in receipt of a salary in excess of G35O0
a year. it would become applicable to the
secretaries of state for the colonies. war.
home and India tf3.OOO. the first lord of
the admiralty (f4,J0 and house). the
chancellor of the exchequer (f5,OO and
house, and the chief secretary for Ireland
(Ei,42O
Presumably such a rule would not be
applied to the lord chancellor. who draws
G1O.cO0 d year. f4OO0 for being speaker
of the house of lords and E6O 900 as lord
of appeal In ordinary. 1t is recognized
that it is easy for the economists in the
cabinet to make such a suggestion, but 1t
is another matter TO induce ministers to
impose such self-denying ordinance.
The Small Holdings Act !
Officials of the board of agriculture re-
sponsible for the working Of the small
holdings act. of which ] wrote some time
since inform me that one of the indirect
results of the act has been the revival of
commercial interest in English agricul-
ture. The value of land has been en-
Il So
farms of average acreage has arisen
The farmers have been challenged by the
act. IF outsiders can make small hold
ings profitable" they say. why. then,
can earn profits out of our larger
farms and prevent them from being d.
vided out into twenty-acre patches.
Energies among the rural and agricul-
tural population which lay dormant be-
fore have been stirred into activity. The
farmers have discovered that farming is
not dead. not hopeless investment and
that they themselves possess greater en-
ergies and resources than they knew.
This revival of the demand for farms
will retard the progress of the movement
for small holdings Thousands of appli
cations cannot be supplied, for there is
no land available
Notwithstanding this hindrance, the
commissioners for small holdings are re-
ceiving much encouragement from the
county councils in prospecting for sufta-
BILE land. Regulation have now been Is
sued by the board Of agriculture, under
which 1t has been determined that prac
tically the whole of the expenditure in
Cured by the councils I'm valuing land. in
conveyancng. in registration Of title. and
in arbitration in case of compulsory pur-
chase. will be repaid to the county coun-
ellis out of the small holdings account at
the treasury. This being so. no addi-
tional burden will fal, upon the county
rates in connection with the preliminary
steps necessary for establishing a group
of small holders in any of the counties.
Kaisers Civil List Plans.
1t is probably true that the kaiser is
asking his parliament for an increased
civil list for he is notoricusly extrava-
CANT Some fourteen years ago his
financial embarras snents were So seri-
Gus that he had to seek help from the
expert assistance of Baron Won Bleich-
roder. Berlins most famous banker. to
restore the equilibrium of his personal
budget The kaisers recent purchase
of the late Empress Of Austria beautiful
palace would scarcely indicate a lack of
funds. On the other hand the present
serious state of the German empires
finances does not encourage any such
project.
Hitherto his majesty has received near
ly SJ.GNGOO per annum-$4.OOO. OOo as
King of Prussia and about $j5O.UW as
Emperor of Germany. While he denies
himself nothing. his household is run on
the most economical lines. and the
kaiserin is obliged to be as careful as
any housewife in the land. Many of the
kalser's most irritating embarrassments
That was. il is said. the principal cause
of his rupture with his mother Some