Lords Sitting of 8 October 1912

Preamble
The Viscount GLADSTONE—Took the Oath.
The LORD CHANCELLOR acquainted the House, That the Clerk of the Parliaments had laid upon the Table the Certificate from the Examiners that the further Standing Order applicable to the following Bill has been complied with:

London Institution (Transfer).

The same was ordered to lie on the Table.

NATIONAL INSURANCE ACT, 1911.
1. Provisional Regulations, dated 9th September, 1912, made by the Insurance Commissioners, the Irish Insurance Commissioners and the Welsh Insurance Commissioners, entitled the National Health Insurance (Naval and Military Forces) (Time Limits) Regulations, 1912;
2. Provisional Regulations, dated 19th September, 1912, made by the Insurance Commissioners, entitled the National Health Insurance (Married Women's Special Benefits) Regulations, 1912;
3. Provisional Regulations, dated 1st day of October, 1912, made by the Joint Committee acting jointly with the Insurance Commissioners and the Welsh Insurance Commissioners, and Regulations made by the Joint Committee acting jointly with the Scottish Insurance Commissioners, entitled the National Health insurance (Administration of Medical Benefit) Regulations, 1912:
Laid before the House (pursuant to Act), and to be printed. (No. 148.)

THE WAR IN THE BALKANS.
THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNE: My Lords, I have given the noble Marquess who leads the House private notice that I would ask him whether he was able to give us any information with regard to the most recent phase of the situation in South-Eastern Europe. We have, of course, all of us had an opportunity of considering the statement made last night in the House of Commons by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a statement which, if I may be allowed to say so, seemed to me to be as satisfactory as the circumstances could possibly permit. But that statement was of necessity couched in very general terms. We gather from it that the Great Powers are intent upon doing all that is possible to avoid a breach of the peace. But it is stated this afternoon in the streets that war has actually been declared. I dare say the noble Marquess will be able to tell us how far that is the case or not. We also gathered from Sir Edward Grey's statement that the Powers intend to press for the introduction of administrative reforms in Macedonia, and also that the Turkish Government admits the necessity of such reforms.
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That, my Lords, is very satisfactory, but of course the difficulties commence when you begin to consider what the reforms shall be and what guarantees shall be taken for their execution. Of course, we cannot expect the noble Marquess to give us details upon a point of this kind, but he may, perhaps, be able to tell us whether it is the case that the reforms under discussion are to be based on Article XXIII of the Treaty of Berlin, and more particularly whether they are to be in general accordance with the scheme of reforms proposed by the International Commission for the reorganisation of Turkey and Crete—a scheme which is generally referred to as the Statute for Eastern Roumelia. We remember the circumstances in which that Statute was produced, and in which it unfortunately became completely abortive. The House will be grateful for any words of explanation which the noble Marquess sees his way to give us upon any of these points.
THE LORD PRIVY SEAL AND SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (THE MARQUESS OF CREWE): My Lords, I shall, of course, be glad to give the House all the information it is in my power to give, though I am not able to add much to the statement made by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in the House of Commons yesterday, a statement which I have no doubt is within the knowledge of your Lordships. My right hon. friend stated that two questions were before the Great Powers of Europe. In the first place they desired that peace in the Balkans should, if possible, be maintained, and with a view of impressing on the Balkan States the sentiments entertained by the Powers the two Great Powers most particularly concerned—namely, Austria-Hungary and Russia—were to make, and presumably have made, representations to the Balkan States on lines agreed upon by all the Great Powers. Those representations were to the effect, in the first place, that the necessity for the introduction of reforms would be seriously impressed upon Turkey by the Powers. The second point was this, that in no circumstances would the Great Powers agree to any change in the status quo in the South-East of Europe. Now, we are told to-day that a breach of the peace has already taken place, that there has been fighting on the Montenegrin frontier, and for a time it did not seem to be certain—we had no information—

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as to whether this was the beginning of an actual state of war or whether it arose out of one of those frontier incidents which, as your Lordships are aware, have not infrequently occurred on those disturbed frontiers. But I am sorry to say that we have this afternoon received information that the fighting on that frontier is a sequel to a Note presented by the Montenegrin Chargé d' Affaires at Constantinople involving what was tantamount to a Declaration of War. Then as regards the latter part of the noble Marquess's question, it was agreed that at Constantinople identical communications should be made by the representatives of the different Powers in respect of reforms to be instituted by Turkey in the European Provinces; and, in reply to the particular point raised by the noble Marquess, it is clearly intended that the basis of discussion, the starting point from which the discussion between Turkey and the Powers will take place, will be Article XXIII and the Law of 1880, to which the noble Marquess has alluded—that is to say, it is intended that the reforms should be carried out in the spirit of those two instruments. It is also clearly stated at the same time that the reforms shall be carried out without infraction of the territorial sovereignty of Turkey. The one feature which, I think, we can all regard as encouraging in a situation of great stress and anxiety is the accord which has been arrived at and is being maintained between the Great Powers with regard to the representations which they are unitedly prepared to make.

LONDON INSTITUTION (TRANSFER) BILL.
[SECOND READING.]
Order of the Day for the Second Reading read.
THE LORD CHANCELLOR (VISCOUNT HALDANE): My Lords, this Bill is one which I think I may say has very cordial support from both sides of the House. With the Eastern Hemisphere of the world this country has very extensive relations, far more extensive than those of any other Power. We trade with some 600,000,000 of people who speak Eastern languages, and our trade with them amounts to well over £200,000,000. Besides that we have relations with them of different kinds—not trade relations—which involve on the part of our diplo-
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matists, our soldiers, and our sailors a knowledge of various Oriental languages. While this is so the country has done very little indeed to meet the necessity of giving opportunities to those who will be engaged in these relations of acquiring these Oriental languages. In Berlin, where the relations to the Eastern Hemisphere are less than with us, the State spends £10,000 a year; in Paris about £7,000 is spent; while we spend almost nothing, and of what we do spend very little comes from the State.
In these circumstances the attention of the Government was called to what really amounted to nothing less than an evil, and it was resolved some time ago to see how it could best be dealt with. To that end a Committee was appointed by the India Office, under the presidency of Lord Reay, and, in 1909, that Committee reported on the desirability of founding a school in London which should devote itself exclusively to instruction in Oriental languages. Following upon that a very important Committee was appointed to consider the best way in which the scheme brought forward by Lord Reay's Committee could be put into practice. Lord Cromer, I think, was chairman of that Committee, and the noble Earl, Lord Curzon, was also a member. The second Committee reported in favour of what seems to the Government to be a very practical scheme, and upon that scheme steps have been taken.
The design is to found a School of Oriental Languages, which may be available not only for commercial men but for those who require the other kinds of training to which I have referred. It seemed desirable, if possible, that the school should be placed in the City of London, where those who required that training might find it more easily available. In the City of London there exists an old institution called the London Institution. It is one of those organisations which belong more to the Victorian period than to the period of to-day. It was founded for the purpose of giving lectures and providing a library, reading rooms and a place of study. The shareholders of that institution, taking a very public-spirited view of the desirability of utilising it for national purposes, were willing to take a step forward, and, subject to certain arrangements for their existing members which would give them access to the building, they expressed their willingness that the Government should

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take their building over and remodel it for the purpose of the new School of Oriental Studies.
With this view an arrangement has been come to between the Treasury and the London Institution under which a large sum is to be spent on remodelling the building, and under which a very substantial grant of money is to be given for the purpose of maintaining the school. We have reason to believe that there will be other revenues, but there will be a grant of £4,000 a year and £25,000 capital money will be expended on adapting the building. The arrangement is that the buildings are to be taken over and vested in the Office of Works as trustees, and that there should be a governing body, on which, of course, the Government will be represented but it will be a body best adapted for promoting the functions of the new institution. The present Bill is to enable the transfer to take place. All the terms have been agreed. I have had the satisfaction of an interview with Lord Aldenham on behalf of the London Institution this afternoon, and there is now no outstanding point of any kind with regard to the difficult questions of finance between us. In these circumstances I ask your Lordships to read the Bill a second time.
Moved, That the Bill be now read 2a.—(Viscount Haldane.)
EARL CURZON OF KEDLESTON: My Lords, the noble and learned Viscount on the Woolsack has referred to me, and it is true that I have played a modest part in connection with this matter as a member of the Committee to which he alluded. Lord Cromer was chairman of the Committee, and I can assure your Lordships that all the parties concerned are very much indebted to him for the active energy and ability he devoted to the settlement of this question. It is only through indisposition that my noble friend is prevented from being present to-day. As the Lord Chancellor truly stated, this country has a greater stake than any other European nation in the East. We own larger Eastern possessions. We have greater commercial, political, and military interests. We send out to the East more of our nationals than any other European country. Yet hitherto we have been, in point of instructional advantages, behind the other great nations
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of Europe. It is to remedy that deficiency—I might almost call it a scandal—that this effort is being made. The Committee over which Lord Cromer presided exerted itself to suggest a constitution for the new school when it should be started, but we should not have been able to carry it through had it not been for the very liberal view the Government were prepared to take of their responsibilities in the matter. Those who served on the Committee owe a debt of gratitude to His Majesty's Government and notably to the Lord Chancellor, who, being himself immensely interested in the University of London, with which it is proposed, in some form or another, to connect this school, has helped us by every means in his power. A word is also due to the shareholders of the Institution, headed by Lord Aldenham, who have met the proposals of the Committee and the views of the Government in every possible way. Among the smaller Bills that come before your Lordships none is more worthy of support than this, and I hope it may pass through your Lordships' House without opposition.
On Question, Bill read 2a, and committed for Monday next.

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE.
THE MARQUESS OF CREWE: My Lords, as there is no urgent business of any kind immediately before the House I had intended to move that we should adjourn until Monday week, but I am informed that there are one or two other matters—including a further stage, or, if possible, the remaining stages of the Bill to which your Lordships have just given a Second Reading, and upon which I am glad an agreement has been reached by all concerned—which I think make it desirable that we should not adjourn for a longer time than to Monday next. There is a further matter connected with an Address to the Crown, in which I understand my noble and learned friend on the Woolsack is interested, and which he probably desires to bring forward on Monday. Therefore with your Lordships' permission I move that the House do adjourn until Monday next.
Moved accordingly, and, on Question, Motion agreed to.
House adjourned at ten minutes before Five o'clock, to Monday next, a quarter before Eleven o'clock.