The Telegram. — 1901-02-26 (Weymouth, Dorset, England)

MORE UNIONIST SPLITS.  ANOTHER FALL IN THE GOVERNMENT MAJORITY.  TittinSDAY.—There were 115 questions on the paper. One or two interestiug statements were contained in the answers—such as that Sir A. Milner ill be paid £ll,OOO a year as High Commissioner of South Attica and Administrator of the annexed Republic.. The sum is made up iu this way-28,000 as Administrator of the Transvaal .11d Orange River Colonies and £3,000 al High Commissioner. Lord Cranberne stated that our Minister in Pekin had not been a consenting party to any communication to the Chinese Government in. aicating that the Foreign Ministers would approve of an edict requiring certain Chinese officials to commit suicide. . _ . .  Mr. Bruitrick was questioned by Mr. Labouchere, Mr. Edmund Robertson, and others, as to the authority which he had for stating that a native named Esau, and other "peace envoys" had been cruelly flogged by the Boers, and some of them shot after the flogging. Mr. Brodrick does not condescend to answer many of the questions put to him, leaving that duty to Lord Stanley—but be answered, or pretended to answer, in this case. ' authority " was Reuter! There was a shout from the Opposition, and immediately that hard-headed lawyer, Mr. Edmund Robertson, was up. "Are we to impierstand," he began, "that the right hum geutlenian accepts in this case the authority of the same agency which he repudiated the other day when it was quoted by the member of the Carnarton Boroughs (Mr. Lloyd-George)?" This was what is colloquially known as a "poser,' and Mr. Lirodrick attempted an explanation by saying that in this case the Government had "every reason" for believing that the statements made were correct. "'IV hat realol3 ? What reason?' shouted the Opporii roe, lint there was uo reply. When Mr. Brodrick was further asked if lie, as a Minister of the Crown, hail made his statements the other day wiih no official information, he once more took refuge in discreet silence. . . . .  The chief event of the sitting wee the debate founded ori Mr. Jobe Itekimond'a au.eutimene, In favour of a system of compulsory sale rod purcbes of lead ia Ireland. There was a very full lieu%  Mr. Redmond moved that the administration of the Irish Land Acts was unsatisfactory, and that the only permanent solution of the land question was a measure providing for the creation of an occupying proprietary by the establishment of • system of compulsory sale and purchase. He pointed out that Ireland was practically unanimous on the question, and that for the first time since the Union there was a joining of hands ItAween north and south.  Mr. T. W. Russell, who seconded the amendment, said that the land system had been the curse of Ireland, and that the country was united and would remain united until it had been changed. Mr. Balfour contended that the Land Purchase Act was working well, and said that, roughly speaking, about two and a half million acres bad been traueferred from the owners to the occupiers of the soil, or about one-tenth of the laud of Ireland. Compulsory purchase at a cost of £120,000,000 would be one of the most difficult 1 and dangerous experiments shot any Government could try. Land purchare should be facilitated in every way, but it must be voluntary. The difficulties which attended the system might Le removed by judicious legislation. He could not imagine a contingency in which the people of this country would willingly use their credit as was proposed by the amend. ment. Ile was certain they would be regarded as lunatics at large if they made any such proposal when a great and costly war was being waged across the Pea,. He therefore appealed to the followers of the Government not to support what Woo equivalent to • vote of no confidence. In the discussion which followed two Unioniat members spoke in support of a scheme of compulsory land purchsse.—Mr. Wyndham and Colonel Saundereon opposed the amendinent, and Sir H. Campbell13annermau cud Mr. Haldane supported it—On a division the amendment was rejected by 235 votee to 140.