The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-23
MEMBERS HOUSE OF COMMONS FILTHY More Interested in Games
 Than Politics LAW AGAINST ARMS Pistol Toters Will Be Prosecuted Vigorously in London = The
 Carnarvon Castle Is Be-
 ing Altered


 | ing, as he did the other day. that in | spite of the all important constitutional 1 struggle now going on In England, people dids not seem to take the least interest | in politics. which are oyershadowed by | football, cricket and other kinds of sport He might have added that not even the legislators themselves are tax | ing their duties very seriously but spend | a considerable part of their time in the 1 lobbies chatting about anything but politics. The dlgnified members of the | house of commons have indeed discov-
 cred a new game to relieve the mono.-
 onys of their daily routine. To get all
 the real excitement out of the new game, they leave themselves the small I est possible margin of time for getting | into the lobby, before the speaker or l the chairman give the order Lock the door" Then they sprint, hustle the men | in front of them. and when the door is being banged. squeeze through, greatly to the annoyonce of the man who is !, guarding the entrance.
 Recently, MT. Barnes. the famous labor leader who Is very much in earnest about everything that he does. raised his voice in protest and suggested that the vore
 
 clared void, because a number of mem bers had squeezed through the door after the order to lock the it had been given. The chairman, however. had to declare
 that 1t could not be done much as he
 regretted that members should thus for get the dignity of the house
 Another game Is the "count out. When there is not a quorum present
 member may rise and call the attention to the fact. 'Theemember speaking then has to sit down, and there Is brief | interval before the count of those pres- | ent Is taken. The word at once reaches the lobby smoking-room and other favor
 ite hiding places that the house may | be counted out, and thus automatically | adjourned In order to save the situa- 1 ton members come fiocking in from | everywhere and hastily find seats. The quorum is thus obtained and the situa- l tion is declared saved. Then losing no l time out they all go again to their
 books. their friends and their half-
 empted glasses.
 l The word "compromise'' Is again in the air. You hear about it wherever you go, but it Is not to be taken too seriously | John Redmond not only looks like Napo- leon but he has the reputation of being as much of fighter as the little Corsi- | can, and MrKeir Hardie Is man with
 a message who has been too excited all
 
 | appearances. There are also many
 square jaws amoUg the earnest radica Is
 who sit behind the government bench.
 We know what we want and we are | going to get it this time" they say. They laugh at the lords reforming them selves, and in the lobby they scoffed about Lord Lansdownes move for clear
 ing the way for his bill, and the tran which the government so easily avoided l But the end is yet to come. The radi-
 calls are keyed up to the highest pitch
 and the opposition Is full of fight. As
 the battle grows hotter the lacking in-
 terest will surely come.
 Ever since the famous Houndsditca
 murders. followed by the Momeric siege
 of Sidney street. we have been living | in a constant state of fear Of armed foreign devils whom we love no more than our brethren the real Chinamen Of
 the far east do. II is known that very large numbers or revolvers and pistois | have been sold In this country in recert
 years, and that this sale has increased l considerably during the last two months | as a result of the advertisement given l the Houndsditch affair. The danger CT
 these weapons being in the hands of the
 criminal class is generally admitted aaT l for this reason the home secretary mas
 determined that safeguards of strin- | 1 scheme has actually been drawn up and
 probably no single one of the details now l officiallly contemplated is unalterable, | but there Is little doubt as to the actual course which will be taken.
 | In the first place heavy tax Will pe
 laid on the possessors of all revoivera' l automatic pistols and other similar arms. 1 This license. it is understood. will be s5 a year. and the conditions of registra- 1 tion when the license Is taken out Will be such as to assist materially m 1den 1 tifying any particular weapon or its | owner should such action become necps- l sarv. The possession of weapons bS persons not thus registered. VII, ." l treated as a most serious crime. II ;s in fact on this side of the new pro | visions that most reliance is placed 70 remove the danger. The tests which MT. Churchill lnitlalen' of the various forms of pocket plsto's with a view of putting the police al ieas' on an equal footing with armed crinina's have been very comprehens'Ve an, . .ne minister is now in possession of all the necessary data in regard to the Brown ira Clement. Mars Mannlicher. Wobblev Scott and Mahser pistols. Experiinen' have also been made on behalf of tre home office with Colt and Savage pisto Of the United states make.
 t'arnarNOn rdSt'~ 'iie o' riace of North Wales IS ten'porar"V closed to the public to enable the neces- sa,v structural alterations and other nreparations for the approaching cere- n,onv of the investture of the Prince or
 Wales on July l3. The breaches caused hv Cromwell ana
 bv time are being repaired. Some %
 bi;clSlavers are employed in strengthen-
 ing the walis-a very necessary proceed
 ing in view of the fact that some 1h.Wo nersons, including ihe highest and mob
 lest in the land, will be congregated With in the wall to witness the historic cere-
 monial
 TO accommodate these spectators heavy teams are being erected to prop up the walls from the interior and some idea or the magnitude of the work may be had when it is said thaS nearly 300 carpenters will shortly be employed.
 The actual quarry from which the stones used in the original building were obtained has. as result or careful search, been discovered in Anglesey anu from it stones are now being taken to complete the necessary repairs. SsThe idea once broachcd of having re- glrdE for the historical truth by fixing flambeaux in sconces in the walls. was found to be inpracticable and the result will be the anchronism of eoth cen tgls' building aud cel'emqnial. l.=s sasNses
 He aetpai ,pefeniphy ef uis estitures Wil | itake place 6uis q raiseds platform Within the castle. The king and queen will ar
 AL.