A CENTRE PARTY. MANIFESTO ISSUED.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 71, 26 March 1910, Page 5

A CENTRE PARTY. MANIFESTO ISSUED.

AGAINST ANOTHER ELECTION SAFEGUARDS OF FINANCIAL INTERESTS. By Tel«fr»ph. — Press Association.— Copyright, j (Received Marcn 26, 9 a.m.) LONDON, 25th Maich. The newly-formed Centre Party of the Unionists, whereof Lord Cromor, Mr. Harold Cox, and Mr. J. St. Loe (editor and proprietor of the Spectator) are leading members, have issued a manifesto protesting against another election. The manifesto declares that though the lafct election was inconclusive regarding some questions, it is incumbent on the Government to safeguard the financial interest* of the country and national defence. BANKS AND INCOME TAX. REFUNDS. (Received March 26, 9 10 a.m.) LONDON, 25th March. Practically all the banks are following the example of Bank of England, and are refunding the income tax. [Recently, the Bank of England, in view of the Government's decision not to secure legislative sanction for the collection of the income tax, informed the London County Council that the bank intended to refund, upon application by the owners of the stock, the amount deducted for the payment of the tax. The announcement referred to 74£ millions of London etock whereon the income tax totals £120,000. The council hitherto held this at the Government's disposal, but the Treasury never applied for it. The council agreed to the bank's decision.] A MASS MEETING. ADDRESS BY LLOYD-GEORGE. "CITY OF~~REFUGE." LONDON, 24th March. Mr. Lloyd-George, speaking at a m»u meeting in connection with the Gladstone League at Queen's Hall, denounced Tfie Tory landlords, accusing them of intimidation and interference with rural voters at lam/ elections. He declared that the Liberals would never secure the economic independence of the workman while feudalism remained. Two thousand five hundred landlords owned two-thirds of the soil, and thus exercised complete sway over the livelihood of millions. A Voice : Tax them out oi existence. Mr. Lloyd-George : I have made a start Several Unionist papers are denouncing Mr. Lloyd-George's violent language upon the subject of interference by landlords in the elections, and lay etre&s on the fact that no such complaints were made during the election of 1906. Mr. Lloyd-George describes the Gladstone League a* a city of Tefuge for the persecuted. Voters will employ an avenger of blood and prosecute intimidators. MR. ASQUITH'S VETO RESOLUTIONS. A DEFECT. UNIONISTS ARE GLEEFUL. LONDON, 24th March. The Unionists are gleeful at the discovery of a singular defect in the drafting of the first of Mr. Asquith's veto resolutions. It contains no provision forbidding the House of Lords from referring the Budget to the people instead of actually rejecting it. Moreover the second resolution does not provide against the Peers continually postponing Bills until tho end of the session, when the Government would be forced to abandon them. It is officially explained that the three successive sessions mentioned in the second resolution may extend from one Parliament to the next. [The veto resolutions are as follow :—: — (1) It is expedient that the House of Lords should be disabled by law from rejecting or amending Money Bills. These are defined as follow : — Bills which the Speaker considers to contain only provisions dealing with the imposition, repeal, remission, alteration, or regulation of taxation ,- also charges on the Consolidated Fund, or the provision of money by Parliament ; also the supply and appropriation, control, or regulation of public money ; also the raising, guaranteeing, or repayment of loans, or matters incidental to these subjects. (2) It is expedient that the powers of the House of Lords respecting Bills other than Money Bills be legally lestricted so that when a Bill has passed the House of Commons three successive sessions, and has been sent to the House of Lords at least a month before the end of the session, and rejected in each of the three sessions, it shall become law without the consent of the House of Lords upon the Royal Assent being given, provided that at least W o years shall elapse between the first introduction to the House of Commons and the date when it passes the House of Commons for the third time. Bills shall be treated as rejected if not passed by the House of Lords without amendment^ or with only amendments agreed to by both Hous.es. (3) The third resolution limits the duration of Parliament to five years.] BY-ELECTION. LIBERAL LITERATURE. LONDON, 24th March. Mr. Thomas, the Labour member for Derby, speaking at Glamorgan on behalf *ot Mr. Hartshorn, said never before had he seen a party descend to the level the Liberals had reached in the literature they were circulating. He I hoped the Liberal headquarters in London would make themselves acquainted with it. [The Glamorgan seat has been rendered vacant by the elevation of Sir Samuel Evans, Solicitor-General, to the High Court Bench.]