BRITISH ELECTION BATTLE

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 54, 28 November 1923, Page 7

BRITISH ELECTION BATTLE

NOMINATIONS LEAD T 0 SURPRISES SQME> UNEXPECTED CANDIDATES LABOUR SPLIT AT PAISLEY The closing of nominations for the, British elections led to several surprises, some unexpected candidates appearing, while a number of expected candidates withdrew at the last moment. The Labour Leader, Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, has a straight fight with the Conservative candidate at Aberavon, the Liberal having retired. At Paisley Mr. Asquith will have three opponents, the Labour split not being healed.

Bv Telegraph—Press Association. -Copyright.

(Rec. November 27, 9.5 p.m.) ' London, November 26.

The nominations led to some sur prises, for example, the Labour noffl: jnee for Bridgwater withdrew the last moment leaving Sir Robert Sanders a straight fight with the Liberal. In the Abbey division of Westminster, Dr. Finucane, the Liberal, retired, leaving General J. S. Nicholson unopposed. Chelsea produced a Liberal candidate at the last moment, making a three-cornered fight for the Air Minister, Sir Samuel Hoare, and Mr. Ramsay Macdonald now has a straight fight with the Conservative at Aberavon, the Liberal nominee having retired at the eleventh hour. Two unexpected candidates appeared at Birmingham. one a Liberal against Sir Francis Lowe, ‘in Edgbaston division. A woman journalist provided a surprise at Berwick, being nominated as a Labour candidate against Miss Mabel Russell. The Labour split at Paisley is not healed, so that Mr. Asquith will have three opponents, a Labourite, a Co-operative, and a Conservative. —Reuter. SEVERAL CANDIDATES NEARLY MISS NOMINATION LIBERAL ESTIMATE OF THE RESULTS. • (Reo. November 27, 7.40 p.m.) London, November 27. After the Sunday truce the election battle has recommenced with full fury. Owing to the country-wide fogs and hard weather, several candidates almost misled nomination, including Major G. Llovd George, at Pembroke. Mr. Braithwaite Pontefract came ashore from Scvthia in a special tender, and caught the 8.25 train to Leeds. He there jumped into a waiting motor-car and reached the nomyiation room on the ninth stroke of twelve. The women candidates number thirty-four—Conservatives, seven ; Liberal, twelve; Labour, twelve; Independent, one: Co-operntor, one; Communist, one. Mrs. Hilton Philipbou ifl the only woman opposed by another woman. Though duly nominated. Sir Arthur Stanley, son of Lord Sheffield, is confined to his homo nt 'Alderlev Park, with mumps, and will be unable to speak during the election. The nominations disclosed the final combatants and the number of three-cornered contests. There is much speculation as to what will occur if Mr. Baldwin has an insufficient majority to carry out his yolicy, though there should be a Unionist majority. The possibility .of Lord Derbv forming a Cabinet, including Free-traders, is being discussed In this connection it is to note that Lord Salisbury, the Freetrade leader, has gone abroad to rest on medical advice. A Liberal official estimate is that the Unionists will los" forty seats, apart from the ten or "twelve Unionist Free-traders who will be returned. — Aus-N.Z. Cable Assn. NO OPPOSITION FOR FIFTY SEATS London, November 26. The total number of members returned unopposed is. fifty, comprising thirty-five Conservatives, eleven Liberals’, three Labour, and one National-ist.—Aus.-N.Z, Cable Assn. LLOYD’S VIEW OF THE CHANCES PREMIUMS CHARGED TO COVER LOSSES (Rec. November 27, 7.40 p.m.) London, November 27. Lloyd’s are charging three to five guineas per cent, to cover losses in the event of a Labour majority; twenty-five guineas against the event of a Liberal majority, and twenty guineas against the event of the Conservatives failing to obtain majority.--'Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. VISCOUNT BIRKENHEAD OPENS TOUR DANGER OF CAPITAL LEVY (Rec. November 27, 8.30 p.m.) London, November 27. Viscount Birkenhead opened a coun-try-wide tour rivalling Mr. Lloyd George’s by a descent upon Mr. RjW 1 * say MacDonald’s seat. Aberavon the greater part of his speech was devoted to the danger of a capital levy. He •aid it was universal knowledge that the Labourites had held a meeting to decidie whether to jettison this old man of the seas,” and by a narrow majority decided to retain the levy. Referring to tariffs. Viscount Birkenhead said the message Britain would send to .other nations would not be provocative, but simply this: You have imposed tariffs in order to preserve your own market for, yourself. We have home markets too.” It was certain that if we protected our markets foreign ma.nufacturerß would es-'

tablish factories here, and British workmen would draw wages insteadl of doles. Mr. MacDonald, sneaking at Aberavon later, said the Tories had brought down Viscount Birkenhead to preach the gospel of protection, but if twenty Birkenheads were let loose it would only be to the advantage, of the Labour Party. ' From Aberavon Viscount Birkenhead. went to Cardiff, where he had a remarkable reception. He addressed three thousand in the Empire Theatre at Port Talbot. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

BREEZY SPEECHES BY MR. LLOYD GEORGE

“SONG OF VICTORY ON THE

TRIANGLE”

(Rec. November 27, 8.30 p.m) London, November 27 Mr. Lloyd George in the breeziest mood, made frequent small speeches to people from the platform between Glasgow and Sunderland, where he came to support £j’r Hamar Greenwood. .There were numerous hecklers, but everywhere Mr. Lloyd George faced them with remarkable quickness and good humour. Mr. Lloyd George, speaking at Edinburgh railway station, described the Conservative hopes as a song of victory played on the triangle. He added that triangular duels alone give Toryism the chance of coming into power. Apart from five thousand in the Sunderland Stadium, there was an equal number in the adjoining skating rink who heard by means of amplifiers. Mr. Lloyd George urged that the shipping industry in Britain would not only be handicapped but crippled under a system of restricted imports and exports. The present attack on Free-trade was a surprise attack in the fog. but it was more subtle than those of 1903 and 1913, inasmuch ss the attack was conducted by an honest man. He went on to draw an imaginary picture of Mr. Baldwin offering to carry a lady’s grocery parcel. “ ‘I am an honest man,’ say* Mr. Baldwin- The lady looks at him twice, and when she gets home finds a tin of salmon missing and the apples gone, and decided not to let an honest man carry her groceries again.”—Ails.N.Z. Cable Assn. MR. BALDWIN ON WOMENS FRANCHISE DISCRIMINATION IN AGE BETWEEN SEXES (Rcc. November 27. 8.30 p.m.) London, November 27. Mr. Baldwin said be was glad io know a number of women candidates were standing for their cause. ' The Government’s energies, if returned, must be devoted to combating unemployment, therefore he was reluctant to make promises, for he never made one unless he could keep it; but he agreed that the present discrimination in age between men and women voters could not be permanent. He hoped he might be able to revise the joint committee of both Houses which had been investigating the'guardianship of infants, with a view to working out an agreed measure which could be submitted to Parliament .Regarding pensions for widows, there was no one who did not sympathise, but no honest man could promise to deal with the question in view of the present limited revenue. The policy enabling children to pass from the elementary schools via the secondary 'schools to the university had his warmest support. .He declared that he would have nothing to do with the inflationist policy regarding tariffs. If monopolies resulted he could deal with them.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. VISCOUNT HALDANE ENTERS FRAY (Rec. November 27, 8.30 p.m.) London, November 27. A new combatant to enter the party fray is Viscount. Haldane, who went to Swindon to support the Labour candidate. Unfortunately, owing to a delayed train, Visepunt Haldane was only able to wish Labour good luck before he took train back to London.; —Aus.N.Z. Cable Assn. EFFECT OF LIBERALS’ POLICY MR. LLOYD GEORGE IN OPTIMISTIC MOOD I London, November 26. Mr. Walter Runciman, who has hitherto been at political variance with the former Premier, presided at Mr. Lloyd George’s meeting at Newcastle. After a speech of welcome. Mr. Runciman said he wanted to shake hands publicly with Mr. Llovd George. They both rose and clasped hands. Mr. Lloyd George, in his speech, said that the heart had been taken out of tlio party by distressing family rows. Hundreds of thousands had voted Labour at toe last election in sheer des-

pair. Now tbe Liberals tvere reunited. and they were going to have an effect on the country’s destinies unprecedented in the history of the party. The only good thing in the Labour programme had been borrowed from the Liberals, whose gigantic policy would completely revolutionise the conditions of tbe people. After expatiating on the evils of Protection, he concluded dramatically by saying that Free-trade won the war. —Reuter. “MOST MOMENTOUS CONTEST” ’ London, November 26. Mr. Lloyd George*hadl a great reception St Wavcrley Station, Edinburgh. Addressing a huge crowd, he said the contest was the most momentous in many years. The life of the country depended on the issue. Mr. Baldivin really hoped the people would he beaten, by triangular contests. Whatever happened in the election, there would be a majority of millions against Mr. Baldwin’s ill-conceived hasty, and dangerous proposals.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. CONVERT TO TARIFF REFORM “TO SAVE BRITAIN” London, November 26. A notable convert to tariff reform is Sir Samuel Turner, the well-known Rochdale cotton manufacturer, who has joined the Conservatives because he believes that a tariff coupled with tho development of the Empire and a great extension of the farming industry are the only things that at present are able to save Britain. He declares that the deplorable condition of tho cotton industry is largely due to the failure to grow cotton within the Empire.—Reuter • MR. HODGES A CANDIDATE WANTS NATIONALISATION OF MINES London, November 26. Mr. F. Hodges, secretary of the Miners’ Federation, is standing for Parliament for the first time. Speaking at Cannock Chase, he stated that lie was concentrating on tho nationalisation of mines, because trade unionism hud exhausted its possibilities of getting that unification of tbe coal industry which was essential for owners I. and jnen.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.