Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-19
GOSSIP OF LONDON
Labor Leaders Claiming to
Hold Balance of Power.
WANT LIMITED COALITION
Ready to Work With New Minis
try Under Certain Conditions.
RIVALRY FOR SOUTH POLE
Englishmen Believe They Have the
Better Of Proposed Expeditions.
News of the Theaters.
RIVALRY FOR SOUTH POLE

News of the Theaters.
) BY L. H. Moore.
, Special Correspondence Of The Star
; LONDON, February s. 1910
Hard on the heels Of the general
, admission that the Irish nationalist
; party will have a controlling share
; in the affairs of the new gov
, eminent comes a statement by RAM
; sey Macdonald, secretary of the labor
party. that. leaving the nationahsts out
Of account. the labor members will have
the balance of power In their hands The
Christian commonwealth is the medium
of Mr.. Macdonald's pronouncement. He
sees three possible policies for his party.
One is to form a coalition government
with the liberal party. He does not evil
IDENTIFY mean by that high-sounding phrase
what is generally understood by the
| words. IL he did. vista of startling pos
siDilities in the way of forming govern
ment and its policy would open to view
He wants the coalition, if there should
be one. to exist for a specific piece OF
work, and when that work is accomplish
ed the situation would be subject to
change
The second policy indicated by Mr. Mac
donald Is to demand certain measures
from the government on condition of sup
pola: ana the third Is to remain absolutely
independent, with no arrangements be-
tween the two parties. The second would
appear to be the most likely of accept
ance by Mr.. Macdonalds colleagues
Without any threat Of withdrawing sup
port, which. indeed, was almost a negii-
gible quantity in the last parliament. the
labor party in the matter of it's legisla-
tive projects Jared exceedingly well AT the
hands or the liberal government but IL
will be an interesting moment when the
Iright-tO-work bin Is flung at the heads Of
Mr.. Asquiths government. under q PEN
atty of forty votes transferred to the
other side. The labor members have
learned to walk warily after four years
experience Of the parliamentary game
and 1t is probable that the fine language
OF the youngest party in the house may
mean very little after all. Still. the situa-
ton is full Of interest to the oniooker and
perplexity to the prime minister.
The New Ministry.
Further speculation has arisen with re-
gard to the composition of the new min
istry. but more particularly as to the fill
ing up Of Mr.. Gladstone's office. The
name Of John Burns was associated with
the home secretaryship. but a more likely
event is that Mr.. Birren will be offered
the succession to Mr.. Gladstone. The
rumor has got about, In Ireland at all
events, that the present chief secretary
will leave Dublin castle. and probably il
Mr.. Birrelfs own inclinations were con-
suited this exchange OF Offices would be
decided upon. Mr.. Winston Churchill is
credited with a desirc-quite natural In
view of his fathers early associations
with 1reland-to become chief secretary.
The post is one Of the most trying, and
II It's occupancy has induced Mr. Birrell
| In the house OF commons at times to fiing
up his arms In q sort of mock despair. SO
| may 1t prove an excellent SOLDERING dis
cipline for the leading young blood, OF
the ministerial party. 1t is thought that
| Sir Ivor Herbert. the member for south
Monmouthshire, will be appointed under
secretary for the colonies, in succession
| TO Col Seely, who was defeated in the
general election. Sir Ivor Herbert has a
distinguished military career behind him,
| including a fve-year command of the
Canadian local forces. He therefore
knows something about colonial matters
| and while In parliament he has been
! stanch supporter OF the present govern
| ment.
The labor exchanges have been running
now nearly week. and their need and
| use have been clearly demonstrated by
the rush of thousands of unemployed to
seek their aid In obtaining work. Already
many employers and voorhees, men and
women have benefited by the opening OF
these bureaus. and 1t is evident that the
| scheme, though only now on trial, will
be adopted as permanent institution.
/ There have now been opened about 80
| exchanges, and before many weeks pass
some 20 will be doing their beneficent
work in giving mobility and opportunity
| to British labor which it has heretofore
| conSpicuously lacked.
System Of Exchanges.
| The exchanges will, broadly, be divided
into 40 first-class. 40 second-class and 100
| third-class and suboff1ces. First-class
bureaus will be set up in towns of over 100, :
| 600 population and second-class in those
| under 10000 and over 5000. The United
| Kingdom will. for the purpose Of labor
/ exchange information. be divided into
eleven districts. in charge Of as many di-
| visional chiefs.
| Five sites in London and the provinces
| will be purchased in 1910. Next year will
| see the adapting and furnishing Of 100
third-cIass exchanges and subofflces the
| establishment OF the London docks sys-
tenn of exchanges. the erection Of five d.
| visional clearing houses and the purchase
| Of a few more sites.
! At a cost of about E3OO,OOO annually
/ from 1901 to the eleventh year of their
existence, 1890. the complete organiza-
| ton and housing Of the exchanges will
| proceed side by side with what it Is
| hoped will be the increasing national de-
mand for increasingly efficient service
| which the new board of trade subdepart-
ment will thus be enabled to give to the
interests of labor and capital.
| During the last few months the radi-
| Gals and socialists have attacked the
sacred principles of hereditary right. COM
mencing with the peerage. The wicked
and uncalled-for revolution Of 1858 di-
verted, as a boulder falling into limpid
stream, that divine right. and has fur
nished a precedent to those who, falsely
representing themselves as speaking in
the name of the people, now attack the
| similar hereditary rights of the peers. II
you arc opposed to the attacks on the
upper chamber TO be consistent you must
| be opposed to the successful attack on
the lawful sovereign in 1885, l quote
from a pamphlet handed to me at King
] Charles statue in Trafalgar Square by
| the melancholy but unconquerable little
man in black who always advances the
| Jacobite cause in this way on the ami
| versary Of King Charles death.
| The writer concludes with the words
"Only thus can you consistently as tories
l fight successfully with those who In these
dangerous days would uproot all our an
IL o,.l