BRITISH ELECTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18234, 30 October 1922, Page 7

BRITISH ELECTION.

GLASGOW THE ARENA. RIVAL LEADERS SPEAK. LLOYD GEORGE'S WARNING. NATIONAL PERILS AHEAD. NO TIME TO QUARREL. UNEMPLOYED PROBLEM. By TeleeraDh—Press Association—Copyrisht (Kec«iv*<3 5.5 p.m.) 'A. and N.Z. LONDON. Oct. 28. Five thousand people at St. Andren-'s Hall, Glasgow, welcomed Mr. Lloyd George, who was supported by Lord Birkenhead, Sir Robert Horne, and Lord Weir. Mr. Lloyd George had a rousing reception, tho audience rising and singing "Land of Our Fathers." Mr. Lloyd George complained of the wanton act of sabotage of the Carlton Club, which had smashed tho Coalition. Ho was perplexed why this was done, and he thought tho nation was also perplexed. Some party splits were explained by an explosive reason, went deep into the hearts of the people, but there wasi nothing of that kind in the present circumstances. Mr. Bonar Law's explanation had baffled him further. Mr. Bonar Law had not arraigned the policy or administration of the last Government. His only justification for shattering a great combination was the removal of tho Cabinet Secretariat from Whitehall Gardens to tho Treasury Chambers and the abolition of the Pensions Ministry.

Nation Not Ouv; of "The Rough." '* The Tory party want to get rid of me," proceeded Mr. Lloyd George, " because I always want to get a move en. They want to lie down in a negative attitude. In golfing language, Tories say I am excellent at getting the ball out of the rough, but on the green I am too energetic. But is the nation really out of the tough T The Die Hards are not the only people who are calling for a change. The Labour manifesto is a formidable challenge. This is no time for moderate men to fall out. The situation of tho country demands the direction of the ablest men available. Even the best friends of tho new Government will not compare them with the men they supplanted in achievement, experience and talent. ** I do not like this negative pose, particularly in view of the present unemployment. Far better would it be if tho followers of Mr. Bonar Law had gone on ■with minds active and eyea open instead of folded arms and drowsy eyes. It is said that the nation is tired; let it go to bed; but that is not the. way to get through our troubles. It will be impossible to maintain a negative pose and feed despair, and despair is dangerous. The world war was won by co-operation, and I do not say that co-operation is to be .brougnt to an end. We must all take care that we do not convert the wretchedress of our unemployed into recklessness. Europe, too, is in rags. Not even a magic carpet, woven of the world's will, will carry the devastated. area 3 to sunny unburdened lands beyond." A Worse Hurricane Coining.

Mr. Lloyd George concluded :—" As an old mariner who has weathered manygales, I utter this warning. There is a worse hurricane coming from another quarter. You really do not know the worst. I appeal to all not to endanger this glorious old ship l>y quarrels as to-■s-hich officer shall be on the bridge." Lord Birkenhead said that no doubt Mr. Bonar Law was fully adequate to the burdens of Prime Minister, but the men by whom he was surrounded were not. It was useless trying to deal with first-class problems with eecond-class brains. Mr. Llcyd George, when travelling to Glasgow, addressed crowds at Railway stations wherever the train stopped, including Crewe, where several thousand people on the platform sang ""He's a Jolly Good Fellow." TOUCHSTONE OF ELECTION. GLASGOW'S FIFTEEN SEATS. Glasgow, which political observers regard as the touchstone of the coming elections, as were Birmingham in 1900 and Manchester in 1906, returns 15 members. The sitting members include the new Prime Minister, Mr. Bonar Law (Central Division), the late Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir. Robert Home, who rupports Mi-. Lloyd George (Hillhead Division), and two other late Coalition Ministers. Sir W. Mitchell-Thomson, wno was Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of. Trade (Maryhili Division), and Sir J. Gilmour. late Lord of the Treasury (Pollok Division). At the general election in 1918, Glasgow returned 10 Coalition Unionists, three Coalition Liberals and two Labour members. Mr. Llovd George's speech was in reply to one delivered by Mr. Bonar Law the previous evening, a report of which appears below. BONAE LAW'S POLICY. DEVELOPMENT OF EMPIRE. PRESERVATION OF ENTENTE. A. and N.Z. LONDON, Oct. 27 Mr. Bonar Law received an ovation from £000 of his constituentg at St. Andrew's Hall, Glasgow. The Prime Minister said that when he returned from a recuperative holiday in France he became convinced that the Coalition was steadily Hosing ground, and must be ended. The trouble was not due to intrigues, and did not arise in the House of Commons, but in the constituencies. He had acted at the Carlton Club as he did in th» belief that it would be cUamitoub to allow the soul of steady Conservative Opinion to go unrepresented owing to a party split. If there had been a single issue between the Labour and anti-Labour parties he believed it would have strengthened Labour. The greatest foreign problem ahead was reparations. He did not consider it entirely hopeless of solution. Ho did not agree with the view that Germany could not pay anything. Britain entirely agreed with France, and the only point of difference was the method of obtaintog payment. Britain and France, in the interests oi Europe, must remain together. Europe must found her hopes on the League ol Nations, Hia object would be to make

the League more effective. He trusted that the United States would soon become associated with it, increasing its value. Sir. Bonar Law said that Britain did not want to make the Straits of Gallipoli a second Gibraltar. He hoped the treaty with Turkey would enable crur troops to return home. Tho new Cabinet would show patience with Ireland if it were satisfied that the Provisional Government was endeavour- | ing to carry out the treaty. The only real cure for unemployment waa tho restoration of trade, fte emphasised that the country needed as little legislation as possible* He said he proposed to abolish the Ministry for Pensions. Regarding the proposed Imperial Economic Conference, ho could imagine nothing better than the settlement of suitable unemployed men overseas. The best chance of improving our trade waa by developing t/he resources of the Empire.. We had lost many good markets in Europe, especially food from Russia, which was now largely supplanted by supplies from tho' Empire. "The war which improverished Europe has enriched many of our follow subjects overseas," said Mr. Bonar /baw. "We must try to utilise that to the utmost. I am not thinking of fiscal measures, or anything of that kind," he added, " but of development of the Empire by means iof more buying power; by a carefully i thought out plan in co-operation with i the Dominions, better trade results might | be secured. The self-governing Dominions ! are becoming nations; tjhey aro large and j generous. By co-operation I do not mean. i spending British money, but going into; i the whole subject with an earnest desire ; to find if by co-orperation we cannot do i j something to increase trado within the j Empire." j

INDEPENDENT LIBERALS. MR. ASQUITH'S SLOGAN. TO STAND FOR ECONOMY. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Heed. 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, Oct. 28. j Mr. K. H. Asquith, Leader of the In- i dependent Liberals, speaking at Peterborough, said that some months ago the Coalition was tossing on the sickbed, but nobody Miticipated such a speedy release from its:; sufferings. They had to-day | the ununual spectacle of two authors of j its being writing rival epitaphs for its S tomb. The truth was that the Coalition I had fallen into disrepute at home and \ abroad. It was not either in Belgravia : or the Cariten Club, but ;in Downing Street that it met its fate. { Th© Liberal policy was plain enough; | the Labour manifesto waa clean-cut and understandable ; but when it came to the disjointed fragments of the late Coalition things were quite different. Both sections of the Coalition had been turned ' out of the stable to seek fresh pastures, but though they had parted for the moment, they still neighed wistfully over ] the palings. j Little was known about Mr. Lloyd j George's policy beyond that he now was i for the sternest economy. How refreshing! Mr. Bonar Law's policy, where it | was not negative, was gelatinous. ! Liberals since the war had preached economy and would continue to preach it. They were few in number. They had : been voices crying in the wilderness, : j derided in debate and overwhelmed in I ! the division lobbies, KEEN FRENCH INTEREST. BONAR \AW APPLAUDED. A. and N.Z. PARIS, Oct. 27. The press is showing unprecedented interest in the British elections. It unanimously welcomes Mr. Bonar Law's policy statement. The papers express the belief that this gives high hope of overcoming Anglo-French misunderstanding.}, j ' The Gaulois says that if Mr. Bonar' Law is successful England will again adopt her traditional attitude of sincerity I and prudence, with no further adventures, j sudden changes, warlike speeches, or threatening gestures. LADY ASTOR'S OPPONENT. WRIT AGAINST HUSBAND. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Becd. 5.5 p.m.) LONDON. Oct. 28- j Dr. Bayles, official Conservative. candi- i date, who is opposing Lady Aster, Coali- j tion Conservative, at Plymouth, has issued j a writ for alleged libel against Lord j Astor.

LABOUR ELECTION PLANS. OVER 400 CANDIDATES. The readiness of the Labour Party for a. general election was indicated last month by Mr. Egerton Wake, national agent, who, in a statement on the plans of his party, mentioned that at that time . there were already 400 endorsed candi- ; dates in the constituencies, and there ; were at least another 60 constituencies in negotiation with candidates, while a further number of constituencies were developing their organisation and resources ; with the intention of securing candidates ; if the time before an election would allow, i The party had held a series of organising conferences and demonstrations, _ and during the ensuing autnnm and winter'proposed to cover the country with another ijeries. " With regard to the candidates, he said] " about half of them are the nominees of the trade unions, and all the wellknown industrial leaders will be figuring as candidates in the next election. A further 50 are the nominees of the Independent Labour Party, and these include Mr. J. Ramsay Macdonald, Mr. Philip Snowden, Mr. A. 'G. Walkden, and many other well-known Labour men. In addition to the nominees of the various societies affiliated to the Labour Party, the (constituency parties have selected on their own responsibility a larger proportion of ' the candidates, and probably at least 150 > of the candidates will be the direct nom- j , inees of the local parties, who will be responsible for the financing of the con-. i tests. , . " Out. of the 75 Labour members in the ! present House of Commons, 71 will be ! peeking re-election, and in the remaining four constituencies Labour candidates will i be put forward to retain the seat. j "The lint of candidates includes officers of the Army and Navy, well-known literary men. doctors of medicine, Free | Church ministers, and quits a number of i university professors and teachers. The Co-operative Party are putting forward thpir candidates in association with the Labour Partv and there are at present ten of these before the constituencies. I "Women candidates also figure in the ;list. Miss Margaret Bondfield, who is the leading woman trade unionist 6ince j the lamented death of Miss Marv Mc- ■ Arthur, is the candidate for Northampton, and Dr. Ethel Bentham, Mrs. Avriton Gould, and Miss Picton Turberville, iwill be fighting East and North Islington and Lambeth respectively. Mrs. Margaret Pease is contesting East Surrey, j and Miss Susan Lawrence, whose work on j the London County Council is well known, 'will * p ek election for North-East Ham. ! Mrs. Barton, who is running under the auspices of the Co-operative Party, will II contest King's Norton, while several other ! constituencies have women candidates j under consideration.*