BRITISH POLITICS.

Feilding Star, Volume II, Issue 530, 25 March 1908, Page 4

BRITISH POLITICS.

MR LYTTELTON ATTACKS THE GOVERNMENT. THE TRANSVAAL QUESTION. BROKEN PLEDGES. [BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH— OOPTBMHT.) a [PER PRESS ASSOCIATION .j p London, March 26. h In tho House of Commons, on tho j debate on tbe second reading ot the r . Consolidated Revenue Bill ™- v Alfred Lyttelton (Colonial [ Secret aiy J iin tho Balfour Government) caused a t great commotion in the Ministerial ] benches. He strenuously protested t against the Government sanctioning, j in December, tho re-enactment, dat- < in«' from last August, for two ami a ( liaTf years, of every line ot tho late , Government's ordinance and regula- , tions regarding indentured Chinese ] labour whioh, for four years and from , ten thousand platforms, tho Liberals had held up to execration and scorn. ( He declared that the enactment was , deliberately sanctioned behind the , back of Parliament and was a breach ( of pledges mado to Parliament. The Hon. Mr •Asquith: Do you say , we, in assenting to the ordinance, intended to break our pledge-'' Cries of "You did break it ! Mr Lyttelton, continuing: The Government's intentions must be exnlained by tho Government themselves Neither in Blue Book nor speech lias assent been mentioned. Tho Hon. Mr Winston Churchill (Under-Secretary for tlie Colonies) admitted that there had been somo dement of exaggeration during tho period of election, but tho prediction o vicious results from the system had been justified. Happily, tho liansvaal's noblo efforts had reduced the collies trom 63 000 to 88.000, and he predicted that by tho end of 1908 not upwards of 10,000 wou d remain in Ho Transvaal. Any or dmance or regulations which had been sanctioned formed a necessary part ot liquidation Mr A. Bonar LaW (Conservative) quoted Mr Asquith's speech ot JJcbru--2rv1906. as proof of the change in tho Liberal attitude.