IMPERIAL POLITICS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14699, 6 December 1909, Page 5

IMPERIAL POLITICS.

THE BUDGET BATTLE. DISSOLUTION 0"X JANUARY 8. POLLING BEGINS ON JANUARY 13. VIOLENT SPEECH BY MR LLOYDGEORGE. Press Association—By Telegraph-Copyright. LONDON. December 3. Mr J. A. Pease (the chief Liberal Whip) indicates that tlie dissolution will ho on the 2Sth of December, and the first,, election.? on tho Bth of January. The elections will be hold on the present rcister. December 4.

(Received Dec. 5, at 5.5 p.m.) The official dissolution has been fixed for the Bth of January, and waits are to bo issued tlie same day. The earliest polling in boroughs is to hi on the 13th January. At Lord Curzon's initiative, many Peers are arranging („ participate i„ the- election campaign prior [ 0 t .i le issuo of writs. DEBATE IN THE HOUSE OP COMMONS. MR BALFOUR'S VIEWS. LONDON, December 3. Mr Balfour concluded his s ,«ee.li in the House of Commons by saving that Mr Asqiiith. had failed to give a. jingle argument to show that Cue' Lords' action was what the resolution affirmed. Their course accorded with the whole thecrv of a Second Chamber, and 'he had no doubt whatever what tho decision of the country would be The Lords had done their uiily, and had' done it fcarlessly.-(Great cheering.) OPINION OF LABOUR. LONDON, December 3. Speaking on belialf of the Labour party. Mr Henderson (its leader) declared that it mis altogether too late in the day for the House of Lords to profess an.xiet'v in Hie interests of the people. The past History of the Howe of Lords was irredeemable. MP, LLOYD-GEORCiE'S SPEECH.

HOUSE OF LORDS DENOUNCED. LONDON, Dec-ember 4. (Received Dee. 5, at 5.5 p.m.) Mr Lloyd-George, speaking at the National Liberal Club, vehemently denounced the Lords a,s Mad Mullahs ami wreckers of the popular hopes. He said that the House of Lords had now perpetrated its last act. of destructive fury, and had initiated one of (ho greatest and ino.it promising struggle., of modern times. He reiterated the late, Sir H. Campbe!!HaniiermarTs formula that Liberal legklation must, become law within Ilia life" of a single Parliament After describing Lord Cmy/m as not being verv wife or j tactful. Mr Lloyd-flwi'sc remarked that [he was Jess dangerous as a, ruler in the Nonsa of Lords than as a ruler in India. For further' particulars they could apply fo Lord Kitchener, anil if {:}, ey W!mte ' ( [ more information they could "apply to Ixird Midleton. Then there was Lord Milncr. There was one thing in common between Lord Milne,- am \ i o „] Curain: both We very rlever men, and both had every gift except common «nse. Lord Cromer found his scene of rula devastated by misgovcin.nicnt, but ho left it in abounding and smiling prosperity, whereas Lord Milncr found a smiling Jaiirl a.nd left aft;r years of mismanagement a scorched and blackened desert.' His was a peculiar .gonitis for running institutions and countries into destructive courses. Mr Lloyd-George next attacked Lord Kollwhild and Lord JWeNfnke. and twilled them on their ancestry. Both were running down British investments and all (|,i„ KS ;„ (Ik , CoHUt . rv (ilal . "Awed hospitality to their fore'fatbers. After aiguing that the Lords were overborne, by the liquor trade, Mr LloydGeorge exclaimed: "We've cot, V. m ' at M : and ice mean not to let 'em until all accounts aie sotllsd." " Wd Carringtou, who pre'sidrcl, P j m .. atlOTised the sprech as a marvellous one 3"J va " t]?A ' n " l <0 hi ""° n ''"-reaching PKOROGATION OF PARLIAMENT. THE KING'S SPEECH. LONDON, December 3. llic Kin K -8 Speech hi proroguing Parliament thanks th,. Common, for providing the Crown with national expenditure" and regrets thai the provision made had proved unavailing.

. December 4. (deceived Dee. 5, at 5.5 p.m.) the Speech mentioned tlw fiicndlv relalions with foreign Powers, au.l 'stated that satisfactory progress was bei n!r made pnth Jurkey's constitutional refine, and I 1 "*" *}*M that negotiations for a ; renewal of arbitration convent ions will, | jennany, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, j I ortujj-ai. and oilier conventions wer* j J" progress The King spoke hopefully 0 f I t '" C IW "' Co, " uil in India, and said h* that union in South Africa. wonMadd ftraieth (o thai country. The I"'I«nal Defence Conference had been of great mutual advantage to t[ !o Mother- '•™> nnd the oversea, dominions, and 1 | »« Olliomo of tl, o deliberations it mbdit ™j«denlv be expected that the eJ,I i '■'% of the dominions would be pre--erved and their unify promoted. The Speech concluded by recount;,,,, alI ~h o | important legislation duri r ~h e :year.ment,o,iin g th= I r .r.li Land Bill, th-- ,'*!!* :ll; ' 1 Tow.pla„„i, 1;t Bi||. ~n (1 „,; establishment of Labour Exchanges. "IE HOUSE OF LORDS. LABOUR MANIFESTO LONDON. December 3. \ I ho Independent Labour party has »*"« l a manifesto in favour of ond.V ratucr than mending, t| lc I[o, lsc 0 f ], I he parly strenuously opposes anv atteimit. lo strengthen that Hon*, bv reforming'it. or by increasing its power of obstruction i" the manner proposed bv the kite Prime Minister (Sir 11. C.impocll-Bamierman). 'Ilie manifesto adds that the p.irtv ,'s ''ringing candidales into the lield with the sole object nf strengthening the Labour Socialist forces in the House of Commons. OPINIONS IN T'MI-; COLON 11*. LONDON, December 3. _ The South African i:inv.sp:i|)om (iiielinlin;; the Band Mail) generally express the hope that the Lords will be reformed on the basis of strengthening the representative element. The Transvaal Leader, the Pretoria News, the Cape Times, and the Natal Mercury warmly support, the Lords' aet'.on. The DL-paich (Last London) doprecii'es Lord Cvewc'u ivievence to the co'onies. which it describes as a misuse of the oversea partners in the Empire. The comments „f tl le Canadian news. P«nei> are varied in eliavaclvr. ' LOUD CRKWK PIDICI'LL.D. i LONDO.\, December '1, (Received Dec. 5, at 5.5 pm.) Mv Alfred Lyltelton. i„ a letter to The Times, 'ays:-"Lord Crewe, the oialov. iissures the Peers that they will be the laughing-stock of their compatriots abroad if they reject a Money IVdl. Lord Crewe, (•he statesman, deliberately invests the I senates of the overseas dominions with the I very jiower whose exercise he ridicules ] at. home." I

TWO LORDS AT VARIANCE. LONDON. December 4. A sharp correspondence is being carried on between Lord Rosebery and Lord Curzon. The latter quotes extracts from Lord lio.-ibery's Glasgow speech. Many newspapers fully believed that Lord Ho?eb?ry would himself move the rejection of the Budget, while a great majority of the Peers expected that he would advise its '.ejection. THE NEW DUTIES. COLLECTION SUBJECT TO POSSIBLE REFUND. LONDON. December 3. The Government has ananged to receive the new Customs awl Excise duties, sub ject t-i any refunding according to the decision of the next Parliament. This will ■nvolve little, if any. loss of revenue. The Tea. Buyms' Association (including all tlio large linns) has agreed to pay the duty during the interregnum on the understanding that the sums so paid will he returned it not reimpored, or not made .retrospective, by the now Parliament. TRIANGULAR- CONTEST?:. LONDON, December 3. The Labour party seems ill-disposed to agree to Mr Pease'.-; proposals for the avoidance of triangular contests. TARIFF ?.!-KFOI!M. A CONVERT FROM. FREETRADE. LONDON. .December 3. Sir Julius Wcinher. addressing the sharoholders of Messrs Eraser and Chalmers (Ltd.). advocated tariff reform. He was previously a. lending Fieetiader. LORD LANSDOWNE CONFIDENT. THE ISSUES STATED. LONDON. December 5. (Received Dec. 6, at 1.15 a.m.) Lord Lnnsdowne, at a Unionist demonrstation 8000 strong, a I Plymouth, maintained that the 1/n'ds. were fighting for the liberties of the people and one of their 'most valued privileges—namely, that they should be consulted before great issues were passed into law. He said he awaited the result of the appeal with confidence. The issues were: Tariff reform as against an-extinct- Budget;—one or two Houses of Parliament; and Socialism or not.

Sir Gilbert Parker, at Hackney, after relating how the Legislature in Victoria dealt with tacking in 1865 and 1877, said that Lord Crowe and Mr Ura would do well to leave the oversea dominions out of their appeals for partisan sympathy. The Law Journal, analysing the voting of 16 Peers having judicial experience, declares the weight, of legs I opinion of the Lords ro bo against the view that the Peers have violated llw Constitution. POLITICS AND FINANCE. LONDON, December 3. The Times' Stock Exchange article dealing with gilt-edged securities state;. that on Thursday the best and most active of the " bears." who had anticipated financial chaos, fought to cover.