BRITISH PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12931, 29 July 1905, Page 5

BRITISH PARLIAMENT.

■ AN APPEAL TO OBSTRUCTIONISTS. By Telegraph Press Association.^-Copyright. (Received July 28, 11.50 ii.m.) London July 28. In the House of Commons last nightMr. Crooks (Labour), member for Woolwich, appealed to the. Irish Nationalists to discontinue blocking private members' Bills. IRISH LAND ACT. Mr. Redmond having complained that the Irish Land Act Amendment Bill (for facilitating the operations of the Land Purchase Commissioners) was to be treated as a highlycontroversial matter, Mr. Balfour announced that he had decided that it was impossible to proceed with, the Bill. »' PREFERENTIAL TRADE.

Mr. Black (Liberal), member for Banffshire, gave notice to introduce a Bill providing, that the British delegates to the Colonial Conference shall be debarred from entertaining proposals for preferential trade with the colonies founded upon preferential taxation of. wheat and flour.

In the House of • Lords yesterday the Duke of Devonshire'moved resolutions expressing disapproval of any proposal to establish a general or penal tariff, or any colonial preference based on the taxation of food. He said the resolutions did not controvert the Government's policy as defined by the Ministers, but condemned the policy of the Tariff Reform League.

Lord Goschen said that Mr. Balfour ought to declare whether or not his policy differs fundamentally from that of Mr. Chamberlain. The "previous question" was carried by 121 votes to 57. (Received July 29, 12.20 a.m.) London, July 28. Lord Lansdowne, speaking on the Duke of Devonshire's resolutions, said the Government was bound by Mr. Balfour's declarations alone. He twitted the Duke of Devonshire with approving of the two last Colonial Conferences, which dealt with the very questions he now objected to. His resolutions tended to bind the Conference before it was held. They were also objectionable because they asked the House to pass judgment on a matter not yet before. Parliament. TRANSVAAL'S CONSTITUTION. (Received July 29, 12.20 a.m.) London, July 28. In; the House of Commons Mr. Sydney Buxton, speaking on the vote for the Colonial Office, raised the question of the ..Transvaal's Constitution. He regretted that full responsible Government was not conferred. The Secretary for the Colonies (Mr. Lyttelton) said that all the colonial Governments had gone through an intermediate stage. The Transvaal had been treated with exceptional generosity. If responsible Government were given prematurely, the result would be a political vendetta, deepening into racial difficulties. Political co-operation under representative institutions would obliterate racial animosities.