Page:The Annual Register 1899.djvu/130

 122] ENGLISH HISTOEY. [juke

passed through all its stages in the Upper House, and had been duly sent to the Commons by whom it was discharged on the motion (July 17) for its second reading.

The bill brought in by the Government to extend the tele- phone system under the management of the Post Office was keenly contested by those who represented the interests of the National Telephone Company, which hitherto had enjoyed a practical monopoly. It was proposed to place 2,000,000Z. at the disposal of the Post Office to develop communication first in London, and subsequently in other municipalities. The Govern- ment also proposed to give large municipalities power to estab- lish telephone systems, and to raise the necessary funds on the rates. As much as was useful of the plant laid down by the municipalities would be purchased by the Post Office at the end of 1911, and the National Telephone Company would be similarly treated. On the second reading of the bill (June 20) an animated discussion, extending over three evenings, arose upon the question whether the bill should be referred to the Standing Committee on Trade or be discussed in committee of the whole House, but the point was finally decided by Mr. Balfour's declaration that unless the former course were adopted the bill would be lost for the session. This decision, however, did not save it from further debate on being reported to the House (July 24), and the opponents of the scheme managed to postpone the third reading (July 31) until within ten days of the end of the session.

The long-deferred debate upon China, which had apparently been awaiting Lord Charles Beresford's convenience, waa ultimately raised (June 9) on the Foreign Office vote. He had recently returned from visiting China, and had had special oppor- tunities afforded him of becoming acquainted with at least the external features of Chinese statemanship. The debate was opened by a politician of the advanced Eadical school, Sir Charles Dilke, who attacked the new attitude of the Gov- ernment, which had abandoned their original policy of "the open door " in favour of " spheres of interest/' He criticised with his usual carefulness of statement the proceedings of the Government in the Far East, maintaining that the recent arrangement with Bussia left matters much as they were before. The Government were still pursuing at one and the same time the irreconcilable policies of the " integrity of China " and of " spheres of influence.' ' Bussian authority was rapidly growing at Pekin, while the occupation of Wei-hai-wei had not materially added to our strength. He also condemned the Government for their failure to obtain compensation from the French for the relatives of the officers and men killed in the affair at Waima.

Lord Charles Beresford {York) followed in a vigorous speech, which was listened to with great attention in view of the sources of the speaker's remarks, but it failed to carry conviction.