HOME RULE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 84, 10 April 1911, Page 2

HOME RULE.

UNIVERSITY DEBATING SOCIETY. The first meeting for the year of the Victoria CoHege Debating Society was held at Victoria College on Saturday evening. Previous to the commencement of the debate the business of theannual general meeting, postponed from 3rd April, was- concluded. In future, subject to Lord Pbanket's consent, the Plunket medal will be awarded by judges instead of the votes of members. Following are the officers of the society : — Patron, his Exceency the Governor ; S resident, Professor Garrow ; vice-presi-enis, Messrs. M. H. Oram, M.A., and A. Farr, LL.B. ; committee, Messrs. F. Hall-Jones (secretary), G. W. Moriee B.A. (treasurer), A. E. Caddick, and G. G. Watson, and' Misses Nicholls and Currie. A vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Collie for his gift of a handsome honours board to the society. The motion debated was to the effect "That the demand of the Irish Nationalists for Home Rule should be granted." Messrs.- M'Eldowney and Hall-Jones supported, and Messrs Taylor and Oram opposed. The movers applied to the case of Ireland the two maxims of Imperialism ; local self-government and Imperial unity. Each constituent part of the Empire capable, of managing its local affairs should of right have the power j to do so. The opposers replied that while the Irish were quite capable of governing themselves, it woidd not be m their own interests to possess the power to do so. No Irish Government could have put the Irish land laws into execution. Ireland had better representation in the House of Commons than had any other part of the United Kingdom. The demand of the Irish Nationalists was, as in the days of O'Connell and Parnell, for complete separation, not merely for local self-government. A far better expedient for relieving the House of Commons of iis overwhelming burdens was the establishment of an Imperial Council, to which the United Kingdom and the Dominions could delegate power over Imperial matters. Th© Hon. Mr. Jenkinson, M.L.C., who judged the debate, made some interestHig remarks on the value of interjections in bringing out the combative powers of debaters. For the purposes of the Union prize- he placed the first five speakers in the following order: — Messrs. A. Fair, D. S. Smith, W. J. M'Fidowney, G. G. Wateon, and P. Hall-Jones. The society will be represented at the university , tournament at Easter by Messrs, Taylor and Oram.