The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-14
GOVERNMENT IS
 PLAINLY WORRIED Insurance Act Is Losing
 Popular Favor GIANTS IN LONDON English Cabinet Stands Eleven to Nine Against Women's Suf.
 frage-Case Into Court.
 Russia's Trouble
GIANTS IN LONDON
By PAUL LAMBETH

London, January 13.-(Special) - There is no disgusting the fact that the government is worried by the loss of popular favor evidenced by the recent bye-elections. Since the present parlia- ment was elected they have lost five seats and have gained none. It is true that one of the seats was lost because the labor party ran an independent candidate and there was no loss in the aggregate radical vote: and that at least two of the other lost seats were really by nature conservative, but had been swept to the liberal side by the Landslide which kept the government in power; but two of them have been con sistently liberal for many years. In other bye-elections the liberal majori- ties have been cut down.
 This swing Is undoubt tedly due to the Insurance act which has been the most viciously condemned piece of Legislation in recent years.
 Chancellor Lloyd George, author of the act, and his colleagues are confident that when the act becomes operative and it's terms are fully understood there vii be a reaction and the liberals will ltBdin tnclT SlltilS LII. iitiC dlOllt Cdh tell whether they are right or not. In the meantime they are uneasy, and the fact that if an appeal should be taken right now to the country, it Is probable the government would be turned out of office, makes the opposition bold and aggressive.
 Bonar Law, the new unionist leader, has made much reputation as a cool headed, adroit, political general, who
 will mako datarpnipad fight all a a1on the line.
 As tho government coalition has a majority in the commons of considera- bly, more than 100, there is little dan ger of an appeal being forced until the major part of the government programme has been carried out.
 Mr. Asquith informed the deputation of anti-suffragists that there was a majority in the cabinet in favor of Wo- mems suffrage. The true figures are eleven for and nine against. Mir Lloyd George and Sir Edward Grey are the most enthusiastic advocates. Among the opponents, leaving MT Asquith out of account, the most active spirits are the Lord Chancellor and MT. Harcourt, the latter of whom feels so strongly on the matter that he has stated that he would not retain a member of a government that accepted a bill containing a Wo- mans Suffrage amendment. MT. Me Kenna, who is also strong "anti, IS not likely to express his personal views In public while he is responsible for locking up window smashers. It is ex- pected that as counter blast to MT LloydGeorge and Sir Edward Grey's recent meeting number of the mem bers of the cabinet who differ from them will in February take the plat form at an Albert Hall meeting. The spectacle of cabinet members stumping the country against each other is an unprecedented one.
 Is 9 race of giants growing up in
 s-don? This would certainly seem to be the case in the Marylebonc district. since the height and weight of newly born children have increased in an as- tonlshing degree during the last few years This fact was mentioned by Dr. Ezekiel Boyd, of Seymour Place m the Marylebone police court recently. when he said that children born during the last two years were undoub tedly heavier than hitherto. Dr Boyd, inter viewed the other day, said: "Of course there is no doubt that we are becoming a taller nation than we used to be, put the extraordinary increase in the size and weight of babies in this district is out of all proportion to QUOT gradual increase in stature and it has aston.s.. ed me for some time An average new ly born infant used to weigh 6.S lbs. but l am now accustomed to babies --ofghing pounds. which is about the average for the last two years, the pc riod during which I have noticed this strange phenomenon. Babies of 10 lbs. or 12 lbs. or almost double the old av- craze weight are not unusual. I am speaking of Marylebone, where my practice lies, and I think these big ba- bies are chiefly to be found among the middle classes" He believes that flour was the secret of our increasing growth
 MT. J. C. Lauder a son of Harry Lau- der the comedian, has just graduated at Jesus College, Cambridge in the spe- cial examination in political economy for the ordinary degree, being placed in the third class of part 1. MT. Lauder steered one of the Jesus boats in the | Dent races last year. Apparently Mir. | Lauder does not intend to follow in his fathers footsteps.
 An action by a nun for alleged wrong full dismissal from a conventual estab- lishment in England will probably pc l tried in the beginning of the new year | It will be the first case of the kind to | be heard in the English court for more l than thirty years. For various reasons | the case is likely to excite a good deal | of public interest.
 Russia's extremely provocative meth ods in the middle and for east bids fair to raise international issues compared to which the Moroccan crisis was a small affair.
 So assert representative British rad icals competent to pass judgment upon latest phases of St. Petersburg's policy in Asia. They warn the Washington government that Russia, just now, thanks to the irritation felt over the passport controversy, is willing to help Japan or any other power to smash the American principle of "the open door"
 Denouncing the Anglo Russian treaty