But let the total stand at
L113,000,000. That sum neither warrants the breach of faith of which the
Government and the Nationalist party have been guilty, nor does it
present an insoluble problem to the resources of a united Exchequer.
L41,097,939 has already been borrowed in the market, and advanced, in
less than eight years.
The policy to which the leaders of the Unionist party stand pledged may
now be re-stated in the words which I was authorised to use by Mr.
Arthur Balfour and Lord Lansdowne after consultation with their
colleagues. Speaking on July 9, 1909, I said:--
"Our attitude is, that it is necessary to deal effectively with the
block of pending agreements, but in dealing with that block it is
not necessary to prejudice the interests either of the landlords or
tenants, who may come to terms on some future agreements. We think
that the spirit of the Act of 1903 must be observed in the case of
pending agreements, but it must not be departed from in the case of
future agreements."--Hansard, 1909, vol.
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