Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 158, 1920-06-30Various
General
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 158, 1920-06-30
Various
English wit and humor -- Periodicals
The Government is not so indifferent to economy as is sometimes suggested.
The PRIME MINISTER'S famous letter to the Departments was only written in
August last, yet already, Mr. BONAR LAW assured the House, some progress
has been made in reducing redundant staffs, and the Government has
appointed--no, I beg pardon, "decided to appoint"--independent Committees
to carry out investigations. The hustlers!
[Illustration: DO YOU EXPECT ME TO SEND THE SERGEANT-AT-ARMS TO FETCH THE
MINISTER OF TRANSPORT?--_The SPEAKER._]
The Member for Wood Green, who urged that the Treasury should prepare an
estimate of the national income, with the view of limiting the national
expenditure to a definite proportion of that amount, displayed, it seems to
me, amazing temerity. The course of taxation in recent years encourages the
belief that the only thing that restrains the CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER
from taking our little all is that he does not know how much it is.
Capt. WEDGEWOOD BENN'S complaint that the MINISTER OF TRANSPORT habitually
absented himself from the House met with little encouragement from the
SPEAKER, who sarcastically inquired if he should send the SERJEANT-AT-ARMS
to fetch the delinquent. Capt. BENN then dropped the subject, and Sir COLIN
KEPPEL looked relieved.
The Government insisted on taking the Report stage and Third Reading of the
Rent (Restrictions) Bill at one sitting, and kept the House up till
half-past three in order to do it. Dr. ADDISON had need of what the IRON
DUKE called "two o'clock in the morning courage" to ward off attacks. Once,
when Sir ARTHUR FELL was depicting the desperate plight of the landladies
of Yarmouth, forbidden under a penalty of a hundred pounds to charge more
than twenty-five per cent. in excess of their pre-war prices, it looked as
if the Minister must give way; but with some difficulty he convinced his
critics that the clause in question had nothing to do with seaside
landladies.
_Tuesday, June 22nd._--In the Lords the Bishops, reinforced by the
ecclesiastically-minded lay Peers, made a last attempt to throw out the
Matrimonial Causes Bill. Lord BRAYE moved its rejection, and was supported
by Lord HALIFAX in a speech whose pathos was even stronger than its
argument, and by the Archbishop of CANTERBURY, who admitted that reform of
the marriage laws was required, but considered that the Bill went a great
deal further than was necessary. The LORD CHANCELLOR thereupon re-stated
the case for the measure, for which be believed the Government were
prepared to give facilities in the other House, and Lord BUCKMASTER
repeated his exegesis of the vexed passage in St. MATTHEW'S Gospel, on
which the whole theological controversy turns. The Third Reading was
carried by 154 votes to 107.
[Illustration: _MENS AEQUA REBUS IN ARDUIS._
MR. DENIS HENRY ON THE IRISH SITUATION.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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