Further, with the illuminating discussion in the House of Lords on January 6th, 1915, the Briton--as apart from the politician, or the supporter of the cocoa-Press--surely cannot be satisfied. The Government spokesmen told us that we still had among us no fewer than 27,000 Germans and Austrians at liberty, and of this number 2,998 were living in prohibited areas--an increase of 37 since November 7th! The lack of organisation for dealing with these aliens is the most deplorable feature of the administration. There are three separate authorities. The navy, military and police all act according to their own interpretations of the Defence of the Realm Act, and when one or other takes drastic steps for the removal of alien enemies, somebody who stands in the background reverses the process. A truly amazing state of affairs. The splendid efforts of the Earl of Portsmouth, the Earl of Crawford, Lord Leith of Fyvie, Viscount St. Aldwyn, Lord St. Davids, the Earl of Selborne, Viscount Galway and Lord Curzon made in the House of Lords seem, alas! to be of no avail, for, while on November 25th Mr. McKenna gave details showing the distribution of male alien enemies, the latest figures supplied in the House of Lords on January 6th by Viscount Allendale show:-- Nov. 25th Jan. 6th Aberdeen to Berwick 35 59 Northumberland to the Wash 543 437 The Wash to Thames Estuary 54 38 Thames Estuary to Dorsetshire 136 } 161 Devonport to Plymouth 3 } ____ ____ Total 771 695 Our authorities have actually admitted that from November 7th to January 7th, 49 more alien enemies have gone to live on the East Coast of Scotland and on the South Coast of England! And Mr. McKenna has permitted them to do so! Surely by the official assurances of safety an attempt has been made to lull us to sleep--and we are now being slowly lulled into the hands of the enemy! In these same areas were 2,190 women alien enemies on November 25th, as compared with 2,303 at the present time. The figures show that there has been a decrease of 106 in the neighbourhood of the Yorkshire raid. But there has been an increase of 22 on the South Coast, and of 27 on the East Coast of Scotland. Under whose authority, one may surely ask, have 49 alien enemies been permitted to settle on the Scotch and South Coasts?