Show A Measure of Policy London March 251n the house of commons today Rt Hon George N Curzon under foreign secretary said in reply to an inquiry on the subject that British and American merchantmen merchant-men and vessels of the same class of other nationalities consigned to agents at ports in Crete were liable to b searched should they attempt to reach their destinations despite the blockade of the island and would also run the risk of being prevented from delivering their cargoes at the discretion of the admirals commanding the foreign warships war-ships in Cretan waters The blockade he said was a measure of policy enforced with the consent of the soereign Dower Mr Curzon also sid that Sir Philip Currie British ambassador am-bassador at Constantinople had been instructed to urge upon the representatives representa-tives of the powers as well as upon the porte the idea that the withdrawal of the Turkish troops from Crete would greatly facilitate the withdrawal of the Greeks from the island A motion was made this evening on behalf of the government that the educational edu-cational bill pass its third reading Mr Herbert Asquith on behalf of Sir Viia Vernon Harcourt the opposition op-position leader in the house who Is suffering from influenza moved the rejection re-jection of the bill After a debafe that lasted for hours Mr Asquiths motion was defeated by a vote of 331 to 131 |