LORDS AND IRELAND

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 740, 12 February 1910, Page 5

LORDS AND IRELAND

THE VETO FIRST. MR. REDMOND'S PLAIN WORDS TO THE LIBERALS. A BROKEN PLEDGE MEANS . " THE WILDERNESS." By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyrieht. ,(Rco. February 11, 9.45 p.m.) . London, February 11. 1 Mr. John Redmond, Leader of tho Irish Nationalists, made'a strong, attack on the reported decision, of the Government to deal yrith the Budget before dealing with the House of Lords' veto m the new House' of Commons. Mr. Redmond declared that the sending of the .Budget to the House of Lords before dealing with the; Lords' veto would give: the whole , case against the Lords away, to tho di6gust of every British democrat, and would break unashamedly the explicit pledge on the faith of which Ireland had promised her support. Mr. AsguitK, Minister, had promised never to assume or to retain office unless he received assurances that ho ■ was able to curb the Lords' >eto. If he wavered in his purpose or paltered with his pledges, ' Mr. Asquith would ; drive' the Liberals into, tho wilderness for twenty years. '• ' .

Mr. Redmond stated that the policy of passing the Budget, and adjourning the question of; the veto was,one which Iroland could not and would not approve.

• A CABINET COUNCIL. | (Rec. February 11, 9.15 p.m.) I London, February 11. ] A short-Cabinet Council wasv held yes-1 terday. •' ' ■ v' BUDGET. "IN DOUBLE QUICK TIME." 1 .(Rec. FoEmary 11, 9.45 p.m.) London, February U. '. Speaking at Cainberwell, Dr. J. T. Macnamani, Secretary' to the 'Admirallyi declared that the' Budget was going; to become' law "in double quick time." . A UNIONIST.SEAT. ONLY ONE RETURN TO COME. London, February 10. The,election for■ 'Edinburgh- and . .St.'" Andrew's Universities resulted -in ; the. Unionists ".retaining that-seat.'; The voting was asunder:— ■-■ ■■ >• Sir R. Finlay. K.O. (U.):.—.......... 6,205 Mr. Simpson (L.) . Li " 2,693 Unionist majority ' 2,512 . CRosult in 1906: Sir J. 13. Tute (IT.), 4893; Mr.' J. St.Xi. Strachey (U.),- !310j,TJ. majority, '2583.1 ■■ V -

; ' STATE OF PARTIES, v REMAINING SEAT LIKELY TO BE ""'-I/ LIBERAL. There is- only, one return '.still to come to hand, that Jar north Scottish ' seat Orkney aud Shetland, held in the -old Parliament in the Liberal interest by Mr. J. Cathcart Wason, formerly a member of the: New , Zealand Parliament., . Mr. Wason-iri.looo overwhelmei.'his opponent,' with .a majority, of 281G (3837^1021),'.-aiid' itjmay, fairly: bo assumed that: he willretain the seat, thus off-setting the, Unionist' retention cablcd\to-day; .In that case the complete . figures .in the : new House of Commons will be: . ■ Lost ' Gained. Eetained: TH. Liberal ...... 118 .; , 22 : - 254 270 •Unionist- ■ 17 "127 146 ■ • 273 Labour. " 15 .' 2". 37.- 1 39 Nationalist* X'l- .-■.'■■ — V 8282 •■'■',• Total: seats in House 670' 'Including- ll Independent Nationalists. v- . Majorities. Liberal over Unionist i. 3 i Liberal-Labour over Unionist ...: 42 Liberal-Labour-Natlonalist over Unlonist 124 .- Concerning Mr. J. 1 Cathcart.Wason,: a : Unionist writer thus hits off his-"points":; "Mr. J. Cathcart Wason is, a brother of, the, member : for. Clackmannan and ■■ Kin-, ross.: He was elected :-; for: Orkney -.and Shetland'as; a'Liberal Unionist, in. 1900, but : " speedily 'changed oyer' and':secured ■re-election as 'a: more' or-less .independent' ■Radical., He:is.a six-footer,:with a ; tasto for knitting in tW recreation rooms of the House of Commons, but he is also capable of enjoying himself in a more arduous fashion-with rod 'and gun. He was educated at Rugby, and called to the Bar, but he went to New Zealand at. an early, age, prospered ; -in sheep-farming, and adorned for a time the colonial House of Representatives. He. was born-, in' 1848.". ; ; Sir Kobert ; Knlay, K.C.,',the :new;-Un-ionist member for Edinburgh and St. . Andrew's.'; Universities,, is. .figuring:- just' . now as. counsel for, the, respondent (Lord Sackville, now, in' possession of. the, Sack--1 ville .Peerage; and estates) in.- the case brought by the claimant Ernest Sackville- • West.

DOMINIONS AND HOUSE OF LORDS. COLONIAL OPINION. A. REPROOF. FROM MR. FISHER. - i - London, February 10. Writing in < the "Daily Mail", recently, Mr. Griffiths/Unionist. M:P. for; Wednesbury, proposed that the membership of the Upper ; House., (now over 600) be curtailed to 200,- and .that the .colonies be asked to . nominate 40 members who. have done Imperial work; Canada to;send ten, and Australia eight, and the other colonies to be. represented , proportionately;,; ; The "Daily Mail", asked Commonwealth party leaders':for;an, expression-.of.opin-ion on the proposal. The Prime Minis-; tor, Mr. Deakin, replied that ! he- proffers 1 not. to-criticise , a scheme.so vaguo. r. Mr. Fisher,; Leader of the Labour, party' and ex-Federal Prime Minister, cabled; "I think any attempt to drag the Dominions, into the ■ Constitutional "dispute between,, the Commons and • the Lords is unstritesmanlike : and;mischievous." *. : COLONIAL REPRESENTATION. V , LAW APPEALS. . (Roc.. February 11, 10.20 p.m.) London, February 11. The Earl of Onslow, formerly Governor of New Zealand, and afterwards President of the Board of Agriculture of tho' Balfour Ministry, in; further; discussing the question of reform of the House of Lords, declares that everyone is favourable to it. 1 .-■ ■

He would welcome representatives of the overseas Dominions ' sitting: in the House' of Lords, but it is ' difficult to mate a proposal .that jwould bo - acceptable. Colonial politicians cannot be long absent from : their ' colonies and retired l politicians get out of touch with the Dominions. Moreover, ' democratic : sentinient is against titular honours."■ Ho sug> Bests that colonial appeal* in law 'cases, instead of going before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, should be decided by the House of Lords with colonial- jurists assisting. Lord Onslow ' recommonds the Dominions to discuss the subject and to express opinion as to how their interests can be I voiced in tho.lmperial Parliament.