VIEWS OF MR WILL CROOKS, M.P.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13596, 3 December 1909, Page 7

VIEWS OF MR WILL CROOKS, M.P.

(special to "the press.") DUNEDIN, December 2. Mr Will Crooks, M.P. for Woolwich, an out-and-out supporter of the "revolutionary Budget," is not broken in spirit over the action of the House of Lords on "coming down heavily upon it." "That Budget will go through sooner or later, and I believe sooner rather than later," was his spoken, and obviously his strong-rooted, conviction this morning to a "Star" reporter. He could not at this distance from the heart of the political cauldron say what was likely to follow the throwing-out of tho famous Budget. "Tho House of Commons," he said, "will be called together to vote supplies to carry over, and then I suppose tnere will be a question raised as to the constitutional rights of tho Lords. Whether the House of Commons l will go over the heads of the Lords and ask the King to use his prerogative ono cannot say at this distance. There is, as far as my memory carries mc, a precedent for this. Charles 11. on the Restoration declared that the people were always to have controfof tho finances. It would be very interesting just now to see whether a Royal promise could have effect, since their Lordships stand so much on precedent. But that Budget will go through sooner or later. Or course a dissolution at this moment would certainly givo the Liberals a new lease of Government, but I cannot believe that wiser counsels will not prevail in the end, for you have only to remember that this Budget covers a deficit of £15,000,000—an alarming sum for any future Chancellor of the Exchequer to have to face. The Tories—by that I mean tho Tories both in the Commons and iii the Lords — have always been fortunate enough to enter into office with a Liberal surplus. That they have squandered it from time to time need not be enlarged upon, but to face a deficit would certainly be something revolutionary for them. If this Budget is not the way out, I am inclined to ask what is? Is taxing the people's food under the guise of what they call Tariff Reform to be their plan ? li so, then I venture to say that tho world has never seen such a revolution in public opinion and in action as will result if this is attempted; but they have no chance of carrying it out, as they must well know. Personally I hope the workers of the nation will once and for all put an end to this. Assembly of Anarchists. What else can you call them but Anarchists? Without responsibility, without right, without authority, they float and jibe the people. Three or four times during the last Administration they passed measures without giving them a moment's consideration —measures which upset all the constitutional Tights as we understand them. Public-houses holding an annual license wero endowed with freeholdsi by these friends of the brewers—they have been described as the peerage and the 'beerage'—and all that in spite of the most strenuous protests of the people. They have) endowed the schools with religious instruction contrary to any spirit of freedom which has been exercised by the people for more than iorty years', and all this without a semblance of a, mandate from the people. Then there is the evil of plural voting, which enaoles rich men to vote in two or even up to thirty-two constituencies at one election. For these men to talk about consulting the people before they pass an honest and just Budget is the worst political bluff that has ever happened, *or has been practised in any civilised country in the world. This Budget means hope* For the workers, comfort for their wives, square opportunity for their children, and decent subsistence in old age for the veterans of labour; and go through .it must, or surely the Old Land might write 'Finis.' But not of the people, but of the House of Lords, will this be written, and within six months.' 1