The Annual Register (150)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1909 Excerpt: ... CHAPTER V. THE SUMMER RECESS AND THE AUTUMN SESSION. The echoes of the session were heard in a few Bank Holiday speeches, notably those of Mr. Long at Huntingdon and Mr. Wyndham in the Duke of Westminster's park at Eaton, near Chester, but the speakers dealt only with such well-worn themes as the Licensing Bill, Tariff Reform, and the need of increased naval strength. The naval alarmists, however, were partly answered by the remarkable voyage of H.M.S. Indomitable, bringing the Prince of Wales from Quebec at an average speed of twenty-six knots per hour. This performance drew attention to the value of this new class of cruiser-battleships, which, as The Times pointed out, possessed more armament than an armoured cruiser and more speed than a battleship, and were likely to be of the highest value both for purposes of reconnaissance and for actual warfare. To the Tariff Reformers a more comprehensive answer was offered by the International Free-Trade Congress, the first of its kind, which had been organised by the Cobden Club, and met in London from August 4 to 7. It was attended by 500 delegates from various countries, among them Professor Sumner of Yale, Mr. Franklin Pierce, and Mr. Joseph Fels from the United States; MM. Yves Guyot, Paul Leroy-Beaulieu, and Emile Ollivier from France, Signor E. E. Moneta from Italy, and Professor Brentano, Herr Georg Gothein and Dr. Theodor Barth from Germany. At the opening ceremony Mr. Winston Churchill, President of the Board of Trade, in welcoming the delegates, laid stress on the advantages claimed for Great Britain as the result of her Free-Trade policy, and insisted that international peace was preserved and strengthened mainly by the increase of international commerce, and that it was powerfully promoted by Free Tr...