The War Damage Bill was introduced by Sir Kingsley Wood
in a speech which was worthy of the theme. No one pretends yet to have mastered the intricacies of this vast scheme. Even Sir William Jowitt admitted that nobody yet understood the details of the Bill. Of course there is more compensation than insurance in it. Major Lloyd George, whose competence is enhanced by his genial understanding of the House of Com- mons, wrestled with the commodity-insurance aspects and the Attorney-General answered a mass of knotty points. Mr. Hely-Hutchinson made the point that one cannot enter total war " insurance-minded," nor can one do more than rough justice as between the equity-owner and the mortgagee and as between lease-holders and free-holders. Mr. Benson, of Chesterfield, was alone in his opposition, but then he wanted logic and equity in the middle of a war for survival. The Bill had a good reception, but when Parliament resumes there will be many new difficulties discovered. Only a National Government could possibly pilot through the House a Bill of such proportions.
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