BRITISH ELECTIONS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7029, 18 January 1910, Page 5

BRITISH ELECTIONS

FURTHER RESULTS OF POLLIMG. UNIONISTS SECURE SMALL ADVANTAGE SUMMARY OF RESULTS. Seats contasted ... ••• ••• I 7 ~ uncontested ... ... Total ... ... ... - •" BO Unionists have gained - ••• •** Liberals fg „ ... ••• ••• ® Labour „ ~ > Party representation unchanged in PRESENT STATE OF PARTIES. Unionists ... . ... ... ... ••• Liberals ... ... ... ... ... 3^ Labour ... ... ... ... ... ••• ® Nationalists ... ... ... ... «• ® Total returned ... ... Remaining electorates ... SSI Total membership ... ... ... , S7O By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. LONDON, January 16. MANCHESTER (SOUTH-WEST). The following are additional returns Mr Colifax (TJ.) ... ... Sill from yesterday’s pollings in tlio bor- Mr Needham (L.) 300-1 oughs: Mr Maclachlan (Lab.) ... .... 1218 , DEVOKPORT (T,vo S»«). •giOTMBW. SJftfiS’SSW ::: SS S$ *Sir J. AV. Bonn (L.) ... ... 51-16 Bright (L.) ... 36r9 Mr Lithgo-w (U.) 5110 ma , jority .... .;. 2 057 Unionist majority ... ... 658 Unionist gain. Unionist gains. STOKE-UPON-TBENT. BATH (Two Seats). “Mr Jahn AVard (Lab.) ... ... 7788 Lord 11.*. (t T.) ... MM Mr Kyd 5!! .= ::: SS K .S , ” i "'*’ - - 1191 *Mr G. P. Gooch (L.) 3757 cl g IPSAVXCH. Unionist majority 322 »sir D. Goddard (L.) 6120 Unionist gams. Rev. S. Horn© (L.) ... ... 5958 ROCHESTER. Mr Churchman (U.) 5690 Mr Ridley (U.) ... 2675 Mr (U.) ... ... 5645 »Mr E. H. Lamb (L.) ... ... 2543 Liberal majority ... ... 743 Unionist majority 132 c^an 8 e - Unionist gain. .DUDLEY.. . ■ SALISBURY (CITY). “Mr A. G. Hooper (L.) 8342 Mr Locker Lampson (U.) ... 1803 Mr Bosomvan (TL) 8155 “Sir E. P. Tennant (L.) ... 1485 L iber al majority 187 _ Unionist majority ... . ... ’3lB No change. Unionist gain. BURNLEY. ELECTED UNOPPOSED Mr Gerald Arbuthnot (U.) ... 5776 ~ “Mr Fred. Maddison (Lab.) ... 5681 DUBLIN UNIVE-RSXTY (Two Seats). Mr H. M. Hyndman (Soc.) ... 4048 Rt. Hon. Sir E. Carson (U.) Unionist gam. « J Rt. Hon. J. H.- M. Campbell (U.) -

SPEECHES BY MINISTERS ME, ASQUITH! ON THE RIGHTS' OP THE PEOPLE. (Received January 17, 9.30 p.m.) LONDON, January 17. Mr Asquith, Prime Minister, in a speech at Crieff, in Perthshire, declared that the outcry about the Navy had completely failed. The Government, recognising the new conditions under which naval administration had now to he carried on, had taken prompt and effective measures to make Britain’s naval power complete and unassailable. i After dwelling upon the issues of the election Mr Asquith concluded by urging the electorate to assert for its representatives the solo right to determine taxation, direct the policy, and mould the laws of the Kingdom.

Mr Winston Churchill, President of the Board of Trade, speaking at Dundee, said the whole Tariff Reform movement, was promoted by tho privileged classes in order to make secure what they now possessed, and to carrywarfare against tho rights- and interests of the common people. PREFERENCE ' MR BALFOUR AGAIN STATES THE , ' CASE. - ' - ' (Received January 17, 11.5 p.m.) LONDON, January 17. Sir Balfour, ■ -at Bradford, said Germans were not offended! at any country i arming for -emergencies; hut they did . feel insulted by the amazing and often- . sive pictures published of wretched . artisans, with all their education and ; technical knowledge, compelled to eat blackbread, horseflesh, and every kind

of diet that civilised man would reject with disgust. Referring to the policy of preference, Mr -oalfour remarked that the Government had turned a deaf oar to the pleadings of the Dominions oversea. ‘‘l trust,’’ he said, “we shall not for long turn an unheeding ear. The whole method of framing tariffs adopted by our rivals is such as to compel tlio colonics, unless wo alter our policy, to come to some, arrangement with those with whom they nr© doing business. Put yourself in the position of a great colony which for years has given tho Motherland preference and is threatened by great commercial neighbours’ penal tariff unless it throws in its commercial lot with some State outside Empire, while tho Motherland refuses to come to any arrangement. END MUST COME. “That cannot last, and, if it cannot, then in Heaven’s name put an end to it at once, because tho evil is growing.” Mr Balfour emphasised the fact that foreign tariffs -were so framed as to divert British industry from skilled employments and giving the best wages, not to those engaged in tho production of semi-manufactured and raw material, but for the foreigner’s finished products. He instanced the fact that the most skilful, highly paid, and remunerative kinds of industry in Bradford had been diverted to foreign countries, and asked: “AVhy should we continue patient and tolerant, trusting to the freedom of rivals to manage our trade? AVha-t is wanted is a diplomatic weapon enabling the Motherland and her oversea Dominions to meet the other nations on equal terms."OPINIONS ON RESULTS FIRST RETURNS NO GUIDE TO FINAL AEERDICT. - LONDON, January 16. Mr Lloyd George, Chancellor of the Exchequer, speaking at Louth, declared that the first results of tho i elections were' no indication of tho form Parliament would ultimately take. The winning of an. election does not mean holding every seat. BOTH SIDES ELATED. (Received January 17, 10.22 p.m.) LONDON, January 17. Both Liberals and Unionists express elation at the -results of Saturday’s pollings. MINISTERS AND NAYY ALLEGED DIVISION OF OPINION ON THE SUBJECT. LONDON, January 16. Mr Balfour, leader of the Opposition, in a speech at Bradford, said it was perfectly plain that there were two schools of thought in the Cabinet —one which looked forward with deep alarm to the growth of a rival naval Power, -while the other school talked of “frittering away public money ” on the Navy. “ I don’t know which school would win if the Budget provided ample funds,” added the speaker, “but when we are faced , with a deficit,' as I believe is certain, the school which regards naval expenditure as frittering will finally dominate the policy of 'the Cabinet.” . , MR BLATCHFORD REAPPEARS. LONDON, January 16. Mr Robert Blatchford, tho Socialist writer and editor of “ The Clarion,” replying to the ‘ ‘ Daily Chronicle ” in regard to Krujaps works, quotes an article published by the “Chronicle” on March ;20th last, stating that Krupps in 1907 employed 4350 men, and had ' since secretly raised £2,000,000 for the purpose of increasing their manufacture: of guns, gunmountings, and armour-plates. ( ELECTION AMENITIES MR LLOYD GEORGE IN HOSTILE TERRITORY. LONDON, January 16. Local Unionists strongly resented Mr Lloyd George speaking at Grimsby during, the polling on Saturday. A hostile crowd. surrounded the hall in which - the meeting was held, “booed” the speaker, and cried “Traitor” and “Pro-Boer!” Tho police assisted Mr Lloyd George to escape along the railway line to the first station, whence he motored to Louth, in Lincolnshire. During the meeting at Louth in the evening some Suffragettes, who had secreted themselves between tho ceiling and. the roof, compelled , Mr Lloyd George to cease speaking while they were ejected. SUFFRAGETTES’ DAY OUT. (Received January 17, 9.30 p.m.) LONDON, January 17. The Suffragettes were active in all the constituencies during Saturday’s polling. They stood outside the polling-booths and urged every elector to keep tho Liberal candidate out, or to write across his voting paper “ Votes for Women.”

Mr Winston Cliurcliiil. President of the Board of Trade, speaking at Dundee, incidentally sta.tod that 3fr Gladstone, Home Secretary, had tried the prison, methods of forcible feeding with whole meal to test the Suffragette grievance, and had found that so little, inconvenience was caused that those under treatment talked throughout the operation.

greeted by several Suffragettes from a coign of vantage on tlio roof of the building. Tlie Minister remarked: ‘T see rats on idle roof. Let them squeal!” ALLEGED BRIBERY AT LEICESTER. LONDON, January IG. Mr John Foster Fraser and Mr Bagley, Unionist and working man candidates for Leicester, have issued writs against Mr Ramsay MacDonald charging him with slanderously alleging that they had bribed the electors with drink. WAITING’FOR RETURNS SCENES IN THE STREETS OF LONDON. LONDON, January 16. Crowds numbering between twenty and thirty thousand gathered outside the Fleet street newspaper offices in Trafalgar Square, and in Aldwich, to watch the election results shown by a lantern on screens. ' The periods of waiting were enlivened by political songs upon gramaphones. GREAT INTEREST IN AFRICA. CAPETOWN, January IC. The South African newspapers were published, on Sunday owing to the intense interest felt in the British elections. TAXES ON FOOD IP THE UNIONISTS ARB RETURNED FEOSI OUB SPECIAL COBHESPONPENT. LONDON, December 10. The latest' improved version of Air Chamberlain's Tariff Reform 6 cheme_ is Saveli this week in the columns oi _tae Birmingham •'■Post;? a journal in close touch ‘with Mr Chamberlain and lus party. The "Post” 'candidly admits that “Whatever els© is done by the party leaders it is certain that theywnust produce a hotter financial scheme than that invented, by Mr,Lloyd.George if they .are to obtain a majority in the next Parimment.” Then it proceeds to outline a tariff which, it says, will form the basis of the Budget of 1910 if the Unionists are returned. . , The proposed Unionist tariff is to no of the simplest possible form, and is not to be ** protective ” in the sense in which that word is understood in Germany or the United States. There, is no■ intention. we axe told, of having multifarious rates which throw open the door for Parliamentary intrigue or lobbying. There will be throe rates of duty only, giving an average of about 10 per cent. The plan at present favoured by the Tariff Reformers is to allow raw materials to come in free, to place a duty of 5 per cent, on goods on which little labour has been spent, 10 per cent, on goods more nearly approaching tilt) finished state, and 15-per cent. on completely manufactured articles. . ihero will be no variation from this scale, unless some very exceptional cases can be proved. "Thus the work of classification'will be greatly simplified Each article will almost naturally fall, into its proper class, and even when there is doubt no • great difficulty can arise. Just as there are to be three rates pi duty, so there will bo three scales in each rate."

TO PRODUCES ,£16,000,000. “ A tariff framed on the basis indi-cated-above,” says the Birmingham Post, “ia calculated to produce.,a revenue ot from sixteen to twenty millions, and, at the same time to give an immense impulse to home trade and home employment. ' The’cost of collection is put down" at a maximum of a quarter of ,a million—a marked contrast to the extravagant estimates of Free Trade speakers who know little or: nothing mbout ..the business'of tho Customs Department. It is. admitted, however, that , neither the' 1 full revenue nor the, full cost ot' collection is certain to lie in .operation during the first year of a Unionist Administration.” , ... If the Unionist party, are returned to L power next month every possible effort will'be made to -embody the. ’new duties in the Budget of 1910. If this is found to be impracticable we may expect to see a ‘' beginning,” which will take the form of giving tangible proof of the intention; to give colonial preference worth having to the colonics and of placing •duties on certain articles which can conveniently be selected. In this event the full Tariff Reform Budget would make its ‘ appearance in 1911—with this exception. that the maximum duty would remain in abeyance for two years, so as to give time for the friendly negotiations -.vof' commercial agreements with foreign Powers. ■■■■_. COLONIAL PREFERENCE.

Important, modifications on. Mr Chamberlain’s original proposals arp introduced in the proposed tariff. Mr Chamberlain was going to let colonial corn come in free, and to let bacon and maize ini free, but the Tariff Reformers now propose to tax corn (including colonial), bacon, Und maizo. This is how they explain why Mr Chamberlain’s proposal was thrown overboard; “Com, according to present views, is to be liable to a duty of 2s a quarter when coming from a foreign country. The chief object of this duty, ot course, is to make it possible to give a valuable preference to tho colonies -Canada. and Australia' in particular. Mt- Chamberlain proposed to remit the whole of tho duty to the colonies. There is, however, a: possibility of this arrangement being modified by asking the colonies to agree .to a substantial 1 preference, which will not free then, from the -whole ot tho duty.

“The chief aim of any modification would, of course, bo to increase I Ik; revenue, Und at the same time to lend some encouragement to wheat-growing at home. I'lou r will have to pay a higher duty, in consideration of the fact that it had had labour spent upon it, and to the very desirable end of promoting the grinding of corn in this country. It is manifestly better that wo should import corn and mill it at home (thus employing our ohm labour) rather -him import flour which has been prepared bv other labour. Another modification excludes bacon aiid maize from the free list. • ■

, "It is recognised thut Mr Qhamberiain was mistaken in treating these articles bn an exceptional' basis, and wc do net doubt that he himself is sympathetic with present - intentions with regard to them. Such important raw materials as cotton and wool will, of course, come in free/* Tariff reform in England, it will be seen, involves taxes on the food of the people as one of its essential features Moreover, the new scheme calmly ignores.the pledge given by Mr Chamberlain for a remission of existing taxes on tea, etc., to counterbalance the taxes on food.

While Mr Lloyd George was speaking at Louth on Saturday he was