MR LLOYD GEORGE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIX, Issue 14734, 13 July 1908, Page 4

MR LLOYD GEORGE.

TO THK EDITOR. Sir,—The principal feature of the Bill which was introduced into the British Parliament by the President of the Board cf Trade to amend the Shipping and Seamen Act was to compel owners of foreign ships entering or leaving British ports to adopt the loadline mark which is compulsory on all British ships. A 3 it was, the Board of Trade had no power to prevent or punish overloading on the part of foreign shippers. With reference to the adjustment of the loadlino on British ships, Mr Lloyd George said: "It is quite clear that regulations applicable to the old days of sailing ships, when steam was only an experiment, would be inapplicable where steam is everything and sailing a declining and decaying quantity." Any person, I should think, with ordinary intelligence would know that regulations which applied to old wooden ships would be quite inapplicable to modern steamships like the Corinthic. To saddle Mr Lloyd George with the blame for the present unemployed is ridiculous in the extreme. He is fighting hard at present for the Licensing Bill, which is being brought in by the Liberal Government. In the course of a powerful speech, delivered the other day, he said: "if you put an end tomorrow to the excessive drinking which is doing so much harm to our land, half the brewing syndicates of England would be insolvent. When you touch excess you rouse up indignation and the animosity of those peoplo who have vested interests in it. Too often the drunkard's ruin is the brewer's dividend. Ton will find everywhere that the channel of progress in this countryis clogged and choked." This is the statesman whom Mr France keeps on trying to impress upon us is legislating for the capitalist, "who is endangering in the future the lives of our bravo seamen.'"' I am rather sorry for Mr France. Mr Tom Mann makes a wild statement to his audience at the Opera House, and conveys a totally wrong impression of the action of Mr Lloyd George with reference to the Shipping and Seamen Act. When public attention has been directed to the glaring injustice of Mr Mann's remarks, that gentleman has travelled further afield, and the local body of his supporters are left to explain the matter away as gracefully as they can. 1 consider it very unkind indeed. We may expect, I suppose, upon Mr Mann's next visit to hear that, owing to the passing of the Liberal Government's Licensing Bill, • of which Mr Lloyd George is a thorough supporter, dire misery has been caused to hundreds of brewers, thousands of barmaids have been reduced to starvation, and millions of/hop-pickers are walking the streets of 'London in destitution. Altogether this Mr Lloyd George seems from a Socialistic standpoint to be a very dreadful person. However, an overwhelming majority of the voters in the Old Country are quite satisfied he is the statesman of progressive actions. I am surprised indeed to hear that

Mr Franco is a Britisher. I should have come to the conclusion that he was a Swiss from his entire, lack of knowledge of the construction of modern steamships. Thanking you for the considerable amount of space you have devoted in your columns to this discus* sion,—l am, etc., BRITISHER.