BRITISH POLITICS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 8538, 19 March 1908, Page 2

BRITISH POLITICS.

(By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) Jfur PruMu -Tm>r.niari"n. LONDON, March 17. - Mr John Burns, addressing the As- j sociation of Municipal Corporations, j •suggester that since the Municipalities spent 140 millions annually on building and engineering, they might, by co-operating with the Imperial authorities, who spent a similar sum on other work, considerably mitigate the suffering of the unemployed. At present too much Municipal work was done at a time when pi-ivate trade was busy. In the House of Lords, Lord Avebury's Sunday Closing of Shops Bill was read a second time, .after a promise to make amendments to meet the case of Jews. # ! Earl Carrington's Agricultural Holdings Bill, providing for compensation for improvements* on holdings, and also the Small Holdings Allotments Bill, dealing with the powers of _ County Councils regarding the provision of small holdings' loans to tenants, were read a second time. The Central Council of the Church of England Temperance Society, presided over by the Archbishop of Canterbury and attended by many Bishops, endorsed the Licensing Bill and undertook to support the extension of the time limit, if 14 years is insufficient to prevent unreasonable strain on the trade. The Times says that wlnle the (government is willing to materially extend the statutory period the Opposition appear to be determined to resist the Bill to the utmost.