Although the Tariff Reform controversy raged throughout 1904, only faint fiscal ripples disturbed the new Chancellor's budgets of 1904 and 1905, which remained mainly orthodox. But the split in the Government and the party upon this para- mount issue, together with other political causes (see 3.254), led to their crushing defeat in the election of Jan. 1906. Austen Chamberlain was again returned to Parliament. Subsequently in this year he married Ivy Dundas, by whom he had a family of two sons and one daughter. The Unionists had dwindled to 158, against 512 Ministerialists under Campbell-Bannerman, in the new Parliament, and the task of this disheartened residue was formidable. Austen Chamberlain, however, encouraged them, not only by his industrious activity, especially among the younger Tariff Reformers, in assisting the propaganda work, but in the House of Commons by his spirited assault upon the budget of 1906, as well as by his bold denunciation of Mr. Asquith's high taxation in the budget of 1907. In the year following, Mr. Asquith succeeded Campbell-Bannerman as Prime Minister, and his introduction of old-age pensions some- what disarmed the critics of his finance. In 1909, however, Austen Chamberlain led the opposition against Mr. Lloyd George's " People's Budget." In a brilliant impromptu speech he moved its rejection, arguing that the Government was welding a weapon for oppressive taxation; and for 40 days in committee he fought it clause by clause and line by line, until the proposed diversion of the old Sinking Fund was dropped, the duty on ungotten minerals had to be jettisoned, and the land taxes were whittled down into weapons of such weak revenue- raising capacity that they finally vanished (with Mr. Lloyd George's assent) in his own budgets of 1919 and 1920. In the period of constitutional crisis which followed the Lords' rejection of the budget, and after the breakdown of his father's health, he consolidated his own position in the Unionist party as the leader of the Tariff Reform movement in his father's absence; and when Mr. Balfour resigned the leadership of the Unionist party in 1911 he had established strong claims to the succession. But another section favoured Mr. Walter Long, his senior, and it was charac- teristic of both men that they would not put the party to any division in the matter. Austen Chamberlain gave his full loyalty to Mr. Bonar Law when he was unanimously adopted.
In 1913 he became chairman of the Royal Commission on Indian finance and currency, acting until March 1914. When the World War broke out, it had not proceeded long before a Coalition Government became necessary, and he then joined the Government as Secretary of State for India. In this capacity he inherited extensive military commitments in India and the con- duct of a campaign in Mesopotamia, over which distance gave him spasmodic and scant control. When difficulties overcame the expedition in its advance upon Bagdad, a commission was appointed to inquire into the causes in Aug. 1916. It reported in June 1917, and, since it reflected upon the medical prepara- tions in India, a debate followed in the House on July n. To the general astonishment Mr. Chamberlain in his speech an- nounced his resignation, admitting the truth of the breakdown of the hospital arrangements, but explaining that he was entirely ignorant of it until the damage had occurred. Although the Prime Minister urged him to remain, he insisted upon the consti- tutional duty of a responsible minister to resign when his office had been censured, and in doing so he confirmed his reputation for disinterested and high-minded independence.
In 1918 he returned to office in Mr. Lloyd George's Coalition Government, as minister without portfolio. At the general election in Dec. he was returned unopposed for W. Birmingham, for which, on his father's death in 1914, he had been returned at a by-election, and he was then appointed, at Mr. Lloyd George's invitation, once more Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Peace was being negotiated in the early months of 1919 in Paris, but Mr. Chamberlain's valuable contribution to the deliberations there of the Supreme Economic Council, over which he presided, did not prevent the introduction by him of the budget on the last day of April, in a speech reflecting the gigantic pecuniary sacrifices of the nation and the urgent need for economy. Taxa-
tion was increased to meet an expected deficit; but the distinc- tive departure of the budget was the reduction of existing duties by one-sixth upon articles of general consumption from the Colonies. The principle of Imperial Preference thereby became an integral element of the British financial system; and by a strange stroke of fate it was thus first introduced by the son of the statesman who had sacrificed everything to preach this prin- ciple and convert his countrymen 1 5 years before. A little later in the year, although private pockets were empty and the spirit of sacrifice temporarily exhausted, Mr. Chamberlain issued the Victory Loan. In the budget of 1920 he had the titanic task of attempting to make revenue and expenditure balance, with a deadweight debt of 7,835,000,000 and a floating debt of 1,312,- 000,000. But not content with 150,000,000 in hand for debt reduction, Mr. Chamberlain called upon the nation for further efforts and increased the excess profits duty to 60%, while introducing a corporation tax for the first time. When he had taken office as Chancellor late in 1918 the budget could not be balanced without borrowing, and currency inflation continued. But in this, his second year, the budget balanced, over 250,000- ooo of debt was repaid out of revenue, and inflation took a down- ward course. This was done when trade prospects were favour- able, and before it could be realized that wide economic dislocation on the Continent, aggravated by home labour disputes, was about to create a profound commercial depression. Criticism was, however, not wanting in later months that a less drastic policy of debt reduction would have left citizens better able to finance business, and as the year went on some concessions had to be made to this view, with which was combined a growing agitation for economy so as to reduce expenditure. The withdrawal of the excess profits duty next year was announced in Nov. in ad- vance of the budget statement for 1921, and Treasury control was everywhere tightened.
On March 17 1921 the political world was startled by Mr. Bonar Law's resignation of the Unionist leadership, owing to ill-health. Instinctively the party turned for a successor to the man who might have led them 10 years previously, and whose accumulated experience and services were now his overwhelming credentials. There were no competitors to Mr. Chamberlain's candidature; even the usual lobbying seemed absent; and on March 21, in a packed party gathering at the Carlton Club, he was unanimously chosen Leader of the party. As such he became Leader of the House of Commons, and took office as Lord Privy Seal, being succeeded as Chancellor of the Exchequer by Sir Robert Home. (O. L. L.)
CHAMBERLAIN, JOSHUA LAWRENCE (1828-1914), American soldier (see 5.819), died at Brunswick, Me., Feb. 24 1914.
CHAMBERS, CHARLES HADDON (1860-1921), British playwright, was born of Irish parents at Stanmore, near Sydney, N.S.W., April 22 1860. As a boy of 15 he entered the N.S.W. civil service, but two years later sought a more adventurous life
as a stock-rider in the Australian bush. In 1880 he first visited England, and two years later established himself there as a
journalist, writer of stories, and finally as a playwright. Amongst
his most successful plays (see 8.534, 536) may be mentioned
Captain Swift (1888); The Idler (1890); John-a- Dreams (1894);
The Tyranny of Tears (1899); The Awakening (1901) and Passers-By (1911). He died in London March 28 1921.
CHAMPAGNE, BATTLES IN, 1914-8. At the end of the fighting after the battle of the Marne, the lines became stable along a front selected by neither of the opposing forces. On the sector W. of the Chemin des Dames, along the heights of Vailly Chavonne-Soupir-Moussy, the 6gth French Div. had relieved
British divisions, and its front line was, so to speak, hanging on
to the slopes which dominate the Aisne, with the river in its rear,
and with all its communications under observation of the Ger-
mans, who were holding the fort of Conde.
I. COMBATS OF 1914-5 ON THE SOISSONS-REIMS FRONT
Vailly-Soupir, Oct. 30-Nov. 2 1914. On Oct. 29 the trenches occupied by the French 6gth Reserve Div. were strongly bombarded on the plateau of Rouge-Maison; on Oct. 30 the I37th
