IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

Otago Witness, Issue 2612, 6 April 1904, Page 20

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

AN ATTACK ON THE GOVERNMENT. LONDON, March 29. In the House of Commons Mr M'Neill asked whether provision was made in the Transvaal labour contracts enabling indentured Chinese to celebrate their rites and at whose expense idols were provided. The Hon. "A. Lyttelton, Colonial. Secretary, promised that if Mr M'Neill was interested in Chinese ritual he would obtain the information, but Mr M'Neill might safely leave such rites to the Chinese administration. He said no arrangement had been made for payment for ritual. Mr Arnold Forster, replying to Mr Lambert, said the military experience of Lord Esher's committee was confined to the military member thereof. March 30. In the House of Commons, on the motion to adjourn till April 1:2, Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman attacked the Government on the meagre results of the first- portion of the session. He declared that LoTd Milner's speech condemning opinion in Britain was the rankest separation. He asked was it constitutional for Mr Balfaur to retain power in view of the results of bye-elections. He added that the Government did not possess the sanction of the people after the war -and its settlement. Mr Balfour denied that the Government were hangers-on and incapable of doing the work the -country entrusted to them. The delay in legislation was attributable to the Opposition. Neither the Government nor Mr Chamberlain while in the Ministry declared that the fiscal controversy afforded any grounds for shortening the -duration of Parliament. Lord Rosebery's appeal to the Government not to allow the country to be rushed was justified. Moreover, byeelections were no indication of the country's feeling. As a whole, any such ! doctrine was unconstitutional in theory and unworkable in practice. " I would be the last," he continued, "to blame Lord Milner if his speech implied a certain amount of benevolent contempt for a certain amount of opinion uttered on a subject nearly connected with the prosperity of the colony." The motion for adjournment was agreed to, after Sir John Gorst had protested against Mr Balfour, and several Ministerialists had walked out at the outset of Lord Hugh Cecil's speech. In the House of Commons a bill, introduced by the Eight Hon. Akers-Dougias, dealing with the immigration of aliens, based on the recent Royal Commission's recommendations, was read a first time. Sir Charles Dilke said he feared the bill struck ai many hopeless victims of political and religious persecution. - Sir M. Hicks-Beach has informed his

constituents that lie intends retiring at the end of the present Parliament. The Ministerialists' withdrawal from the House was the outcome of Mr Winston Churchill's recently rebuking them for' their " vulgar clamour." Mr Churchill felt the- withdrawal acutely, and complained bitterly of the slight "put on him. His prepared speech was spoiled. He offered to resign if his constituents at Oldham desired him to do so.

The Standard (anti-preferential) rebuked the Unionists for their discourtesy over the incident.

Mr Akers-Douglas, in introducing the Aliens Bill, stated that the aliens in Britain had increased by 155,000 in 20 years.

Mr Balfour's leaving the House of Commons during the discussion raised by Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman was due to his having an appointment with the Chancellor of the Exchequer*

The Free Church Council has rejected an overture for a compromise over the Education Act.