BRITISH POLITICS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 190, 6 May 1908, Page 7

BRITISH POLITICS.

• LICENSING BILL. HUGE PETITIONS FOR AND AGAINST. BY TBDEGRAPEt—PREBB ASSOCIATION—-COPTJftIOHT. (Rec. May 6, 0.22 a.m.) ■ 1 \ London* May 5. . Iu the House of Commons,, Lord Robert Cecil (Unionist member for Marylebono East) has presented a London petition, bearing 600,000 signatures, and covering nine mileß of papor; against the Licensing Bill. ; Mr. John Wilson (Labour member for MidDurham) presented , a petition a. mile, and .one-third in length, bearing 169,510 Methodists' signatures, in favour of the Bill. Mr. John Wilson' is a' teototaller, a local preacher_ among tho Methodists, and a man held in high respect by all sides. Whon the new British Cabinet was cabled, New Zealand cablegrams did not .state who was tho Under-Secretary for the Colonies, in succession to Mr, Winston Churchill (President of the Board of Trade). Evidently the ttamo was dropped on the cables between Australia and Now Zealand, for 'the, name appears in cablegrams published in Australia. The new UnderSecretary for the Colonies is Liout.-Culoiiol J. ■ E.. B. Seely, who saw service in the South African war. While at tho front' he wa's 1 elected to the House of Commons as a Conservative for tho Isle of Wight. H« : how-' over, differed from the Unionist Government as to its South African policy following the 1 war, and at the general election declared himself a Liberal. He was eleoted for th'e-Aber-cromby Division of Liverpool.