TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXIII, Issue 15923, 8 May 1912, Page 10

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

NO VOTES FOR WOMEN. NEW REIGN OF TERROR IN FRANCE. END OF THE COAL WAR, [From Our Correspondent.] ■; Y LONDON, March 29. ■ To-day the Coal Mines Minimum Wages Bill received, the, Royal, Assent, and° interest now centres on tho result of the ballot of the miners which is being taken to discover whether they are willing to return to work on the strength of the Bill, or wait until the Joint Boards have completed their task of fixing the minimum for the different districts. I'll© news that a ballot was to be taken was generally welcomed by the men, and there can be little doubt that a majority will vote for a resumption of work. Most of the miners members of Parliament are now in their respective areas advising that the Bin should be accepted. There are, of course, extremists who give the opposite advice, but the fact remains that the reports show that the bulk of the men are anxious to return to work at once, and not wait until the Joint Boards have completed their task. That would mean another three or four weeks ldleness, and, as the strike has already lasted much longer than either the leaders or the rank and file expected, it is all' but certain that the 1 ballot will be in favour of an immediate resumption. Up to the end of this week the strike has cost the various Miners’ Associations throughout the country £1,043,250, and there must be another week’s strike pay which will mean another £250,000 drawn from the Union coffers. , Several associations are already without funds, and others will he without at the end of another week. The amount already •ost in wages by the miners themselves for the four weeks they have been out, and by other workers conneoted with collieries, has been over £5,000,000, and there must have been nearly as much lost by other workers who have been thrown out of employment through the shortage of coal. The total cost of the strike to the community at large cannot be estimated with any degree of accuracy, and thus far none of our statisticians have atfempted to do so. The only reliable figures, which' can be ascertained for the time being are those dealing with the miners’ loss on wages and the loss sustained by the railways, whose takings as compared .with the same period last year show a decrease of a million and a half. NO VOTES FOR WOMEN. The House of Commons last night divided on the second reading of what is generally known as the Suffragists’ “Conciliation Bill”—a measure which would have enfranchised about a million womon—and rejected it by a narrow majority, of 14 on a poll of 430, 208 members voting for and 222 against the measure, after a striking debate.

There was no semblance of party feeling either in the debate or the division. The second reading was moved by a Unionist and seconded by a Liberal. A- Liberal moved and a Unionist seconded the motion for the rejection. The Prime Minister made a strong speech against the Bill, while Sir Edward Grey spoke as strongly in favour, the division lists showed that the “ Ayes ” included Mr Balfour, Mr Bonar Law, Sir Rufue Isaacs, Sir Edward Grey, Mr Lyttelton, Mr John Bums, Mr Wyndham and Mr Lloyd George; and in the “No ” lobby Mr Asquith and Mr Winston Churchill found “strange bedfellows’’ in Mr Austen Chamberlain and Mr F. E. Smith. The Labour Party voted for the Bill, but forty-one of the Irish Party followed the Premier into the “No lobby. The vote on the second reading of the “ Conciliation Bill was really the first serious division on the suffrage question. The significance of the vote and the debate arose from the fact that the Government last year gave a promise that if this Bill passed the second reading it would give a week of parliamentary time, so that the • remaining stages of the measure tvould be afforded cn&nco of passing. That chance is now gone. The debate last night was in sharp contrast to the free.and easy, and ofttimes irresponsible discussions during the past few years on the problem. An air of approach to seriousness and reality lav over the House, members realising ' that there was at last a (dimmer of hope, or fear, of Votes for Women ” (some women) becoming a legal enactment. This was the Bill 111 b Aboiit one million women would have the vote. They must be inhabitant occupiers of houses or tenements separately ra No married woman tc have the vote unless her husband con sente to 'forego his vote, or unless silo has a property qualification in some other constituency. No votes for women lodgers. No votes for women who have only a freehold qualification. Mr Asquith denounced the measure In a brief but vigorous speech. He admitted that there might be some gain in granting women the franchise, but the gain would be more than neutralised by the injuries consequent to women and to tho stability of public life. Parliament had ill the past always pronorlv regarded the special interests of ’women and children, neither of whom are directly represented in this House. He added: “I am hound to take what I believe to be the only sound and prudent attitude with regard to this question. That is to rote against any proposal cf this kind, which in the long run would prove injurious to women, and is fraught with the greatest possible peril to the future of good government in this country. ” Sir Edward Grey, m supporting the Bill, referred to Mr M’Callum Scott, an opponent of the measure, who had talked about everything resting on force; “If the argument of physical force is to he pushed to its logical conclusion,” he said, “ why not decide on votes to-night by physical force? Why shouldn’t Mr Scott com G outside with me—(laughter)—for a moment

(loud laughter)—so that when we return—(very loud laughter)—we may both go into the same lobby?” (Loud laughtor.) He was emphatically : not of opinion that to grant women the vote would draw them from their homes or lead thorn to neglect their husbands. It would neither injure the State nor the homo, but would greatly benefit both. Where it had been granted the effect has been marked by good in just those directions which those who opposed tho vote said it would be bad. The Bill was killed to the accompaniment of a full-blooded demonstration of jov.' When tho tellers came from the division lobbies and marched to the table a roar of pleasure burst forth. Members stood up in rows, waved hats and handkerchiefs, and shouted gleefully, and the Prime Minister’s face was wreathed in smiles. When the figures were called out another demonstration took place. Hats, order-papers and handkerchiefs were waved, and the scene was one reminiscent of the downfall of a Ministry." MURDEROUS MOTOR BRIGANDS. The most atrocious of the series of amazing outrages by the murderous bandits who are terrorising Paris and tho neighbourhood in stolen motorcars, were perpetrated last Monday morning. For the accomplishment of •their, previous crimes, such as the attack on the bank clerk C'aby, the sacking of the office of a notary at Pontoise, and the murder of a policeman outside St Lazare station,, the scoundrels had stolen automobiles from garages at night. This time they simply stopped a motor-car on the road near Montgeron, eight miles from Paris, killed the chauffeur, wounded another occupant, and drove off to Chantilly, where they raided the local branch of the Societe Generale's Bank, killed a couple ol clerks, and made off' with some £2OO in notes and specie. The first crime was committed about half-past eight, in' the morning. Two chauffeurs; C'elestin Mathilet an’d -Louis Cerizone, employed by the De DionBouton Compagnie, were taking to Nice a car purcliased by Colonel Comte ue Rouge. The car, a dark blue' Limousine, with yellow stripes,* bearing the number 179 W. 1., had to undergo a trial trip ; t>n the road from Paris to Nice before delivery. Mathilet was driving, and the vehicle had just passed the village of Montgeron, on tne road that traverses the forest of Senart; when a notice-board compelled the driver to slow down. Just ahead were two carts. Suddenly four men issued from the forest, and while two or them stopped the drivers of the .carts aiid menaced them with their revolvers, thjp other two advanced towards the motorcar shouting, “We want your auto.?* At the same time they fired, MathSp let fell dead. Cerizone, who gave an account of the crime to the local police, jumped from the box when the first shot was fired. One cT the bullets passed through his right hand, and three others penetrated his left hand. He had the presence of mind to drop down by the roadside as though dead. Without waste of time, the miscreants hauled Mathilet’s corpse out of the driver’s seat and dumped it on the roadway. They then entered, the car 1 , and on being joined by the two other men, who had apparently been acting as a sort of reserve force in case or emergencies, drove off in the direction of Paris. • V ' As soon as the car was well away from the scene of the outrage, Cerizone made haste to get back to Montgeruii, and told his tale to the local police. They communicated the ghastly news, to Paris, and detectives were immediately despatched in motor-cars to the scene of the crime. Hardly had they left than the news reached Paris ot tub second crime at Chantilly. The dark blue and yellow. Limousine, it appears, arrived at Chantilly—the Newmarket of France—which is some forty miles from Montgeron, about 10.30, and pulled up within a few yards of the Societe Generale’s premises in the - Rue du Counetable. There were in the bank at the time only• .Three clerks and a couple of customers. As soon as tlie car stopped, five men stepped out. They were wearing, motoringcaps and automobile goggles, which practically masked their faces. ■ • '' While the driver Kent watch the live entered the bank, and some producing revolvers or carbines, walked to the cashier’s desk. Before the baftk officials could take any action the intruders fired simultaneously. The two customers fled for their lives. ,• M. Guilbert, the assistant accountant, fell with two bullets in the right, shouldef, and the cashier, M. Prinquet, dropped dead, with a bullet in his shattered brain. The third official, Legendre, although unarmed, dashed towards the intruders, but was mortally wounded by three bullets, and died shortly afterwards. . . ;

Having thus summarily disposed of all opposition the murderous scoundrels quickly rifled the cashier’s drawers, and with their booty re-entered the motorcar, and drove off, firing as they.went at the people who, alarmed by the commotion, were rushing towards the bank. Happily, beyond breaking a few windows, hitting.a horse on the hoof, and putting a bullet into the heel of a shopkeeper’s boot, their promiscuous fusillade did no damage.

The dual crimes of the motor-bandits created, of course, a tremendous 6ensa'tion, and the police all over France were promptly informed. But half an hour after the blue and yellow car left Chantilly, all traces of it were temporarily lost. Then it appeared at Asnieres, going at a furious rate. Police on bicycles at once went in pursuit, and soon after, apparently, something went wrong with the machine, for tho car came to a standstill close to. tho railway station, the men jumped out, and after spending a few seconds iii a hasty examination of the engine, scrambled over the fence protecting the railway enbankment and. disappeared just as the police cyclists came into sight. •’

At that- moment two trains were in the station, ono bound for Argenteuil, the other for Pains. When the policemen reached the railway station and gave the alarm, both trains had left, and the criminals had vanished. It is believed probable that they hastily, separated and took one of the two trains just mentioned. The' ono for Paris was an express, and reached St Lazare Station witliin ten minutes.. The stationraaster tried to obtain connection with St Lazare Station but unfortunately it took over twenty mimito* to secure telephone connection, and a fine opportunity of capturing some, if not all, of the miscreants was lost. They are still at large, and no ono seems to have any positive proof of their identity. They are supposed to bo members of a, gang of criminals, three of whom are wanted in connection with previous motor-car crimes perpetrated during the past winter —Bonnot, Gamier, and Carouy. Bonnot is believed to have been concerned in tho murder of a confederate whose body was found near Lyons 6ome months ago. Bonnot, Gamier and Carouy aro regarded as identioal with the men who shot and robbed a bank messenger outside the branch ot the Soeiete Generate in the Rue Ordener on December 21, ana with the three men who late in February shot a policeman dead near the in the Rue dn Havre while he was trying to stop their headlong flight in a grey car, which was afterwards found partially destroyed by fire in a secluded suburban street.