IMPERIAL POLITICS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 291, 13 November 1912, Page 5

IMPERIAL POLITICS.

HOME RULE BILL. GOY’ERNMENT’S FIRST REVERSE. [press association— copyright.] London, Nov. 12. An official statement has been made to the effect that the Government does not regard the vote as involving any modification of its programme, and will take steps to ascertain the real opinion of the House. The division was on a motion not even put on the order paper, but communicated in manuscript without notice and overthrew a resolution adopted in the committee stage on Thursday. The statement adds that the Premier in a recent speech at Ladybank intimated that he would not allow his course to be affected by a snap division. The Government majorities hail seldom been below IGO. The Cabinet sat two hours and meets again to-day. Mr. Asquith to-day moves the rejection of the resolution as amended by Sir F. G. Banbury’s motion. Sir R. Finlay, speaking at Bethnal Green, said the Government had fared badly on a crucial question. Before the division the PostmasterGeneral declared that were it conceivable that the motion could be carried, it would knock the bottom out of the bill. Sir R. Finlay hoped that Air. Samuel’s amendment would prove right. Lord Robert Cecil, speaking at Bcrmoudsey, said the Government's defeat was its death blow. Viscount Peel, speaking at Taunton, predicted that the Government would continue for some weeks longer its broken existence. Its prestige was gone and its doom already threatening. MOTION TO RESCIND. (Received 13, 10.55 a.m.) London, Nov. .12. Mr. Asquith has given notice for to-morow to rescind Sir F. G. Ban--I>ury ’ s amendment. Mr. Redmond lias issued a statemint saying that while not disguising the danger respecting the Ban"bury incident, he explains that the absence cf many Liberals and Nationalists as due to a false sense of security created by the recent'largo majorities. NO SYMPATHY FROM ()’P>RIEN. (Received 13, 12.35 p.m.) London. Nov. 12. Mr. William O'Brien, interviewed, said Government had brought trouble on themselves instead of admitting, with the Royal Commission of 1896 and the Primloss Committee experts, that Ireland was grossly cvertr.xi’d, the Government was ccntonding time Ireland owes England two million per year and Unionists seized the contention and raised i a rally. Mr. O’Brien also stated:! “We offer to accept any temporary arrangement as an experiment to be I revised at the end of five years.” | SMALL HOLDINGS. The Agricultural Holdings Bill, entitling tenants to twelve months’ notice to quit upon the sale of an estate, passed the Committee stage in the House cf Lords.