7 MAY 1932, Page 8

of their work by Departmental Ministers. On Thursday Sir John

Gilmour dealt with agriculture, and rebutted the Socialist suggestion that economy in inspectors had resulted in the abolition of protection for agricultural wages. He was strongly pressed to renew the grants made for allotments to the unemployed—by common admission a most valuable experiment. His reply was that voluntary funds were -available to continue it, and he absolutely refused to make an unconditional grant. The best chalice which those anxious_ to see this experiment extended appear to possess is, to put. up a proposal for a grant of a pound for every pound extra they can raise themselves. Friday brought another review of the situation in India from Sir Samuel Hoare and also the spectacle of Mr. Churchill patting himself on the bad: upon the results of the adoption of his policy. No one pointed out that a policy must be judged not. merely by its character but by the time at which it is applied, and that Mr. Churchill's policy might have been fatal if applied when he wanted to apply it. More- over, his policy has not even now been fully applied nor is the success of the policy adopted assured, though the situation has enormously improved. Probably the greatest constructive step taken recently has been the balancing of the Indian Budget and the linking of the rupee to sterling, but that is too undramatic to appeal

to political taste. * *