The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-27
PLAN MEANS MONEY
FOR THE LANDLORDS
Lloyd George Attacks Land
owners Reform Scheme
JOKE ON SIR ROBERT
He Had to Settle Bill-American
Crooks Throng London-New
Rules for Fortress at
Gibraltar
Nv PAUL LAMBETH.


David Lloyd-George thus answers Lord
Iansdowne's land reform proposals:
''The laborer is suffering from an in
ADEQUATE wage; the tenant farmer is suf-
fering from inadequate security; the ten
ant in the towns is being oppressed by
tvrannical conditions. What is the plan
of Lord Lansdowne? I will tell you what
It is: More money for the landlords.
Lord Lansdowne says: Yes, houses are
bad, the houses are deficient. 1t is true.
1t is an obligation on those who own
the land to build and repair; let us trans
fer that obligation to the taxpayer That
is his idea of reconcilng private inter-
ests with public duty"
Most observers seem to agree with
Lloyd-George.
1t is significant of the tremendous is
sues involved in what is termed the land
problem that one cannot turn over the
pages OF any newspapers without finding
some reference to the general discomfort
with prevailing conditions. In Lancashire
the farm laborers are engaged in a strug-
gle for four definite improvements. They
demand a wage of as a day half days
holiday on Saturday. overtime for more
of their unions. Few will claim that those
are extrayagant demands. Certainly no
tory landlord would care to bend his
stubborn back to the daily toll of the
farm laborer for very much more than is
there demanded But the men have had
TO resort to desperate strike to attain
to even a slight measure of success. And
Just as 1t is in Lancashire so ii is in
every other county-with this difference,
that in most counties agricultural work
ers obtain lower wages than do their fell
iow-workers in the north.
Here, then is the task for the social
reformer. The state of the peasant must
be raised; he must receive higher wages;
he must not be driven TO toll all the
hours of the day and half of the night.
as he Is in some cases, he must have
some opportunity of healthy recreation,
and be treated a human being of great
potentialities, instead of being driven as
beast of burden of no more consequence
than the patient OK he tends of drives.
He simply must be given an opportunity.
Parliament must take steps to rehabil-
tate him the land from which he Is
being divorced. And Lloyd-George sees
the political opportunity and is using it
for all II is worth.
He loves good joke. does Sir Robert
Ball, most boyish of savants who has
just NtltDfdltu tHt laCt lndI he is now
73, but on his birthday anniversary he
met his match. Madam" he said to the
1andlady when she presented her bill, Il
am going to give you lesson in astron-
omy. In In 25,000,0o0 years all things must
return to their original condition. We shall
all be here again eating dinner pre-
cisely identical. Will you give us credit
until we come bacl?" WELL" replied
the landlady "you were here 25,0Oo 900
years ago, and you left without paying
the bill then. Settle that account, and
will trust you for what you have had
today."
This season London is 'bonored" with
the presence of quite an exceptional num-
ber of American crooks" not only COM
Ing direct from the United States, but
also hocl<ng in from those European
capitals which have made their pitch,
These gentry frequent certain bars in the
West End, and prey upon their travelling
eompatriots rather than upon native Eng
lish
It is officially announced that the gates
of the fortress of Gibraltar have been
ordered to be open till 10 o'clock at night
In summer and O'clock in winter for
ingress The event is unknown in the
annals of the Rock since. the estab-
lishment of British rule. the gates having
hitherto been closed from sunset till sun
Ilse TO the SurFOunulHR country. ln1S
relaxation of the rigors of fortress life
Is due to negotiations between the Span
ish and the British governments.
"He went out into the street. took the
first girl he met and married her, said
a pension officer in the Bawnboy (Coun-
ty Cavan) pension committee, describing
how young man found wife after hav-
ing the family land in Belturbet, that
county, made over to him. SO that his
father might be qualified for old age
pension.
Stringent precautions are being adopt
ed at the royal mint to guard against
any malign designs of militant suffra-
gettes, visitors to that institution now be-
ing closely scrutinized, In addition to
which privileges hereto allowed to the pub
lie are considerably restricted. Similar
conditions prevail at the Tower of Lon
don, and complaints are frequently heard
as to the irksomeness Of these restric-
tons.