HOME & FOREIGN CABLES.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXV, Issue 9748, 27 January 1908, Page 1

HOME & FOREIGN CABLES.

[By Electric Tklkgraph.—Copyright.]

(Per Prkss Association.) Received January 26, at 4.32 p.m. London, January 25. Mr Asquith. speaking at Norwich, Kii;l the Government's generous mid indulgent facilities in regard to denominational instruction were not to be repeated. Their policy would be to put the nation first and sections afterwards. Regarding old age pensions he did not think any satisfactory scheme could lie based on a contributory system, but he did not favor

giving persons :it a certain age reguulless of need or other conditions, lie urged that the system must from the beginning he untainted by the humiliations attending the poor law. He denied that the Liberal Administration desired to injure any class, but said they desired to assert the overriding cJainid of the whole community against the interests of particular classes. A dozen suffragettes were ejected from the meeting, A threatened lock-out of cotton operatives at Oldham was averted by the masters' terms being accepted. 'I he Jirooklands agreement has been upheld, and a general wage list will be mutually compiled. Mr J. TTaslam. it. I*. announced that the decision of the officials of the Derbyshire Miners' Aa-ociation was thai the Association would not ballot for members concerning the Labor Keprts.iitation Committee unless the new departure adopted at the Hull Conference was fully explained. Mr Stephenson's resolution, he said, seemed simply to mean, that those joining would be lommitted to unadulterated Socialism.

•Mr Harvey, Y..Y.. caid' it was impossible to associate'himself with a man like Mr Queleh and the vast majority ot (he social leformers. Mr Taverner iutei view, d Mr Huldane. anil complained that the alteration made in the War Office tptcilicatiors for the tinned meat coiUiart.s. closing on January 13, permitting the ic-.e of cheaper tins, had placed the Victorian tenderers lit a disadvantage ae compared with the Americans. Mr Haldane regrettid that amistake had been matte, and promised that the Australians would be given ample noti, o of alterations in. epecilications in future. The Chronicle say.-: organised Labor will possiblv weaken and wreck the Liberal Party."the onlv praeti.al result heiin: to leave the Tories in possession of the Held. The Labor party ptobably do not real use what the nroteedings at Hull mean, but the danger is leal, and' if the Lal>or and .Liberal " Tarty and trade unionists ally theni.selveS to'a policy of revolutionary •jo- , ialism thev will alienate sympathy. I'aris. January 25. The "French Chamber debated the Moroccan situation. M. .laurel interpellated the Oovcrnment teuardiuj. their policy. A ure.it feature ot the debate was the dramatic intervention of M. Delcasse in justification of his policy. He made a r-.tirr-ii;.:' protest against the hesitation and timidities prompting M. .James and his folltnvetv: to the demand for the abandonment of the Knropian mandate to MoUeceive.l January 27. at 0.38 a.m. ' London, January 26.

Sir Charles Matthews, in opening for the pnwe.'iilion of "Miss" Robinson for perjury in comic, lion with the recent Dili, e lase. stated that "Miss" liobin.-.on's husband worked as a shepheid at Worksop in 1870 aixl both sailed for New Zealand in 1874. where they were rteiding in Watmate'in 1875. "Miss" Robinson was the mother of several children, including Maud (bom in 1884k who. as Maud' (TXeill. appeared as a witness before Mr I'bwdeii. but who never utati il her ielationshiu or her real name. After her husband's death in 1385. "MiL-s" Robinson kept boardinghouses, iuchuihi". one at New Brighton and another at Fal-irave ctnet. Christchurch, until 1906. She had Iven paid £5 17s since her arrival. Mr Matthews stated that he had a witness from NewZealand who had known the witness since 1878. Sit A. <!e Rutzen considered ami dismissed the.unsupported statement that MitK Robinson was of unsound niind. [.lt was ■dated in a ncent cable that the police had evidence to the ell'eet that Miss Robinson was the daughter of a policeman named-' Webb, and had married a butchcr. named Robinson. "Miss" l!obi,uson was the New Zealand witness in the Drm e case. Detective l-'.ade. of Christc'liiirch. was commissioned to en.|ui:e into her history, and with the object in viewhe recently paid a visit to Waimate. The Robinson 'family came to Waimate over 30 years ago. the husband following the occupation of a butcher. There was a family of two girls and three boys. They lived' there for 20 yeais in Painstown. "Miss" Robinson was well educated, said to be of very good family, and was looked upon as a very clever woman, paiticulaily in days when the spread of edmatiou was not so general as now.]