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.f't i, ? -? : I ? ir-?-pr…

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.f't i, ? -?  I ?  ir-?-pr GUI LC?O.? LSTTES. [From our Special Curre^ponaent.] There is not much breathing-space be. tween sessions nowadays. Parliament will reassemble for the sesssiou of 1918 only six days after the end of that of 1917. The old leisurely times, when Par!i.imeat rose early in August and did not meet again until February, will never come again. They had gone for good even before the war. In those days it seems to have been the aim of .Gwrernments to pass as little new legislation as possible, and, except for a few enthusiasts, members of the House of Commons had no objection to a system which gave them all the privileges of "the best club in London" all through the London season and let them off in August in time to kill grouse. Prob- ably the increasing strength of, the Labour Party had something to do with the change that and a growing habit of taking politics seriously. The House of Commons began to find its work too much for a session of ordi- nary length, and prolongations into the autumn have now been the rule for several years, with occasional extensions into the next year, as this time. The session of 1017 tasted twelve months less one day. The present Parliament, by the way, had a birthday last week, when it became seven years old. According to the Parliament Act, passed in 1911, it should have come to an end when it had lasted five years. But much has happened since 1911. There is a great deal of speculation a.-i to how long the Pari iament will live. Being more or le-ss the roaster of its fate, if not the captain of its soul, it has on various occasions been plea-sed to add a few mouths to its life, and by this means has reached to two years beyond the span originally allotted for it. Presumably ilk can, if it likes, prolong its existence in- definitely, or, at any rate, till the end of the war. It is, however, by no means certain that it will do so; not even as certain as it seemed a few months back. It used to be said that a general election in war-time was unthinkable—that was the word—but a good many politicians are now able to talk about the idea quite calmly. Mr. Henderson has been telling his flock that the election may .,i t the e'iect i cn Lit y come in July. With the new register in force, six million women electors, and soldiers and sailor6 voting, it should prove extremely interesting. ".Joints for all as a headline in Satur- day's papers turned out to be but a flatter- ing tale. Many a Sunday dinner-table in town and suburb was jointless. Queues were as numerous and as long as. ever, though Smithfield had received nearly twice as much meat as at the previous week- end. Large releases of beef and mutton were made by the Government, but there was still far from enough to go round. H:e closing of the retail market at Smithhckl had the good effect of preventing queue's there, and of enabling outlying districts to get better supplies. The system of distri- bution, however, does not appear to have been all that it ought to have been. for while some districts had a fair quantity of meat, in others the butcher;) had praetiee.Uy nothing to tell, and in some cases did net open at all for tho week-end shoppers. In restaurants and hotels the portions of meat supplied to customers grow small by degrees and beautifully Ie; For lunch, under the new Public Meals Order, we now have three ounces instead of five, and there is a risk, if the plate is fairly hidden with vegetables, of overlooking the meat alto- gether. The old music-hall joke about the nieat being hidden behind the, potato would now be more painful than funny. It would touch us on the raw. And we have to carry lumps of sugar in our waistcoat pockets to sweeten tea or coffea. In some quarters it was expected that the War Council held at ersailles would have decided upon a reasoned reply to the speeches of Counts Hertiiug and Czernin. Such an impression did certainly get about, but Mr Bonur Law dispelled it in an ans'.ver to a (jnestion iu the House of Commons. The War Council probably thought that nothing was to be gained by staling once more our war aims, v. L.vli in the speeches of Mr. Lloyd George and President Wilson are be- fore the world. The sijeeches of the two. Counts were in reply to those of the Allied statesmen, and it is likely that the War Council felt that the time for further conver- sation is not yet. They therefore, with tho remark that the utterances cf the enemy statesmen bear no approximation to the moderate conditions of the Allies, announce their intention to go on with the Immediate task, the prosecution of the war, with the utmost vigour and ia the closest and most effective co-operation. The War Counei' (ie- clares that the Allies are in compete agree- ment on all questions of military policy. Therefore the agitation for a generalissimo has, up to the present at any rate, been unsucce-sinl. There ought to be a career of usefulness before the C-U:\humcr", Council, which has been sot up by the Ministry of Food. It is composed of representatives of trade unions, co-operative, and women s industrial or- ganisations, and will be strengthened by the appointment of other persons compe- tent to act for the general public who are not covered bv these organisations. As its title implies, it wi!! look after the interests of the consumers, and. holding regular wit- tinas, will in an advisory capacity to Lord Rhondda. The council will deal with problems of rationing, transport, administr- tion, and all questions arising from the shortage of food. Although it will take no responsibility for the Order? issued, it will be able—at any rate it ought to lie able— to exercise considerable influence. A E. M.

! LED BY A BIRD.I

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BOMBS AND MACHINE-GUN FIRE…

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PRISON FOR EX-INSPECTOR. I

I NEW M.P. FOR PRESTWICH.…

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IBABY-STEALER SENTENCED. I

I AN OLD LADY'S HOARD. I

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a4uDi=,4l, - I -V-

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I 0 T H P-" R N; a MINDS,…

BREAD AND WATER.I

? IN THE POULTRY Y&39. | I…

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lOUR CHILDREN'S COFJEK

A PENCIL OF WAX.