In the House of Commons on Wednesday Mr. R. Gwynne's
resolution in regard to the National Insurance Act wag again debated. Mr. Gwynne's resolution, it will be remembered, declares that the methods adopted to bring into operation Part I. of the Act are unsatisfactory, and that "the date of its commencement ought to be deferred." Wednesday's discus- sion was opened by Mr. H. W. Forster, who dealt with the refusal of the medical profession to appoint representatives to the Advisory Committee and to the action of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who, after having failed to get the doctors by cajolery, had now taken to abusing them. After other speakers had drawn attention to the great number of debat- able points upon which no settlement has yet been arrived at and which could not possibly be settled by the middle of July, Mr. Masterman wound up the debate for the Government. He dwelt upon the millions of leaflets and pamphlets that had been circulated, the thousands of lectures that bad been de- livered, and the numerous committees which had been set up. About 3,000 insurance, companies had signified their intention to apply for approval and about 400 bad deposited their rules. The applications from societies would bring in 3,000.000 per- sons under the Act, and the trade-union applications were for 1,500,000. All this, we may point out, only shows the vast
number of points of detail which will have to be settled and the vast field to be covered.
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