BRITISH COALITION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18050, 27 March 1922, Page 7

BRITISH COALITION.

PERILS OF ALTERNATIVE.

EUROPEAN GROUP SYSTEM.

Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. CRecd. 6.5 p.m.) LONDON, March 25.

Mr. Winston Churchill, Secretary of State for the Colonies, speaking at Northampton, said it had been suggested that those who advocated the creation of a National Party from the Coalition had a deep design against the unity of tho Conservative Party. He emphasised that it would be a great disaster if the Conservative Party were broken up. as the Liberal Party unhappily had broken up. That would be tho prelude to the creation of a number of jealous, discordant groups, such as were to be seen in foreign Parliaments, united only by intrigues to gain power. He saw no reason why Liberals and Conservatives could not work together during the anxious period ahead, as they had done during the last seven years. Old questions that divided the two historic groups were no longer the dominant dividing issues of politics. Even Ireland was not a party to the issue. Liberals owed a debt of gratitude to Conservatives for the great aid they had given in the settlement of the Irish question. Conservative faith and Liberal principles were both exposed to a new attack by Socialist parties, behind which crouched the shadows of Communist folly and Bolshevik violence. The newspapers, commenting on Mr. Winston Churchill's speech, suggest that he is preparing to rejoin the Conservatives if the Coalition breaks up. CHERTSEY BY-ELECTION.

GENERAL GOUGH DEFEATED. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Reed. 6-5 p.m.) LONDON. March 25. The Chertsey (Surrey) by-election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Mr. Donald Mac Master (Coalition Union. ist) resulted;—

Sir P Richardson (Coal. Un.).. 11,811 General Sir H. Gough find. Lib.) 9,400

At the general election in December, 1918 Mr Mac Master was returned for Chertsey with 13,531 votes, against 3232 votes polled by his Labour opponent, T. T Linsey. . . The new member, Sir Philip Richardson led the British rifle team to Australia. General Sir Hubert Gough commanded the Fifth Army in the war, and was withdrawn from the Western Front after th e great reverse of March. 1918.