IMPERIAL POLITICS,

Otago Witness, Issue 2762, 20 February 1907, Page 29

IMPERIAL POLITICS,

LONDON, February 12.

The Labour party has re-elected Mr Keir Hardie as its chairman. It was decided that if a Women Suffrage Bill is introduced in Parliament members of the party may vote as they please on it. The Advisory Committee to co-operate with, the Board of^ Trade ir administering the shipping regulations under the new act will consist of 16 members. The Board of. Trade will nominate three, the ship-owners and Parliamentary Committee will select four, the shipbuilders, underwriters, certificated officers, and seamen two each, and the firemen one. Sir Robert Pullar was elected unoppc6ed for Perth in the Liberal interest in succession to Mr R. Wallace, X.C, retired. February 14. At a great women's convention held in the Caxton Hall, Westminster;- profound indignation was expressed that no allusion was made in the King's Speech to the women's suffrage question. The meeting demanded that the House of Commons should give precedence to the question. Eight hundred "suffragettes," headed by Mrs Despard, marched to the House of Commons to present the resolution to Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, singing " Glory hallelujah."' The police tried to disperse the procession near Westminster Abbey, but the bulk of the " suffragettes " contrived to reach the entrance to Parliament, and clamorously demanded to see the Prime Minister. After much uproar and many skirmishes with the police, 56, including Mesdames Despard, Christ abel, and Sylvia Parkhouse, were arrested. A doaen forced their way into the central lobby, and were carried out despite their fierce resistance. During the struggle outside the mounted police nearly rode down several. Mr J. N. Barnes, Labour member for Glasgow, moved an amendment to the Address in-Reply in the House of Commons regretting that no provision had been made for old-age pensions. Mr Asquith, in the course of a sympathetic reply, said the Government was anxious to make a beginning, but it must proceed tentatively and by stages. The question was how to find the money. The Government ardently desired to start a pension scheme on lines socially and financially sound. Mr Burns (President of the Local Government Board) 6aid the matter would be taken up when means and time allowed. Mr Austen Chamberlain (ex-Chaneelloi" of the Exchequer) estimated that £28,000,000 would be required. The amendment was rejected by 213 to 61. The Time* states that ilr Balfour will move an amendment to the Address-in-Reply emphasising the importance of tariff reform. Mr Augustine Birrell (Chief Secretary for Ireland) has given notice of a bill to establish an Irish Council. . The Tribune, the Chronicle, and the Daily News all complain of the brutality of the police in. connection with the women's demonstration. The mounted police are especially singled out for condemnation. The suffragettes belonged to the Women's Social and Political Union, who were not invited to Saturday's demonstration lest they should alienate manyopponents by their extreme methods. Mrs Despard was fined 40s or 21 days, and the others 10s or a week to 20s or a fortnight's imprisonment. All the 58 went to prison. A man was. fined 20s for attempting" to rescue his wife. Mr Keir Hardie has given notice of an amendment to the Address-in-Reply in favour of women's suffrage. February 15. Mr Dickenson lias introduced a Woman Suffrage Bill. It ia reported that 400 members of the House of Commons will support the measure. Replying to Mr Hayden's amendment regretting that Parliament's promises to the evicted tenants were not fulfilled, Mr Birrell said he admitted the matter brooked, no delay and undertook to apply the utmost pressure on the Estate Commissioners. He hoped every claim would be adjudicated by May. Referring to Lord Clanricarde's "shocking case," he hinted at legislation depriving him of the management of the estate, as he was wholly incompetent to manage it. Mr Redmond stated that the reply was quite satisfactory, and the amendment was withdrawn.

At a meeting of 52 tariff reform members of the House of Commons, held in one of the committee rooms, Mr Austen Chamberlain stated that Mr Balfour was unwilling to move a tariff reform amendment. It was resolved by 41 to 4 to ask Mr Balfour to consent to a front bench amendment. The House of. Commons, by 192 to 190, rejected Sir A. Scland-Hood's (U.) motion that 3. writ be issued for the election of a member for Worcester. The Government did not resist the motion. "Sir A. AclandHood, in addressing the National Society of Conservative Agents, later on described the House of Commons' decision as an- inconceivably "dirty trick."' By the rejection of his motion Worcester is practically disfranchised; for at. least another year. The Pall Mall Gazette says that "where, as in Lord Clanricarde's case, file responsibilities of property are so cynically ignored, a desperate case may require a desperate remedy, especially if it selfishly obstructs a great national settlement. The suffragettes are greatly delighted that Mr Dickenson has drawn the first place for the discussion on his bill to give women the suffrage, February 16. Mr Dickinson's Women's Suffrage Bill was read a first time to-day. Mr Balfour, the National Union of Conservative Constitutional Associations, said lie saw unmistakable signs of a coalescence of Unionist views in the direction of a safe, sound, and sober policy of fiscal reform, based on the grounds of the absolute necessity of enlarging the basis of taxation, the vital need of safeguarding the gr^at productive industries against unfair competition, the need of a wider foreign market, and the necessity of securing the great colonial market of the future. Mr Balfour declared that the Government bad no constructive policy, and it therefore threatened the House of Lords, but the -Government was not possessed of .the moral position to enable it to revolutionifce our historic Constitution. February 17. Lord Clanricarde protests against being treated like a lunatic. He declares that his rents" are lower than, those of any others in that part of Ireland. Only 6 per cent, of those formerly evicted had aofc l>e«ix restored, aii-cl tliat because tliey belonged to the Plan o,f Campaign. In connection with the Hollesley Bay labour colony, which provides the rough training necessary, for emigrants, the Spectator approves o£ the common-sense policy of Mr John Burns (President of the Local Government Board). Mr John Belcher, a well-known architect and one of the experts who were called in to examine St. Paul's Cathedral, declares that the subsidence should be dealt with as soon as possible. In the House of Commons Sir E. Straohey introduced a Butter Bill, which was read a first time. It is understood that it embodies the recommendations of the recent report of the Select Committee. The Spectator declares that if the Government grants old-age pensions it will require a tariff which would mean a betrayal of the cause of Freetrade, whether such an eventuality be intended or not. February 18. Mr Keir Hardie, speaking at the Cambridge Guildhall, declared that Labour, would insist on old-age pensions during the present year. He added that if the difficulty of finding the money prevented the Government from taking action, though the Labour members were Freetraders to a man, he did not believe all their influence could prevent large sections of the workers from being lured over to the Unionist side at the next election on a promise of penaons as the outcome of a system of preferential tariffs. Prior to the meeting a bottle of harmless evil-smelling chemicals was. thrown through the window, and the undergraduates invaded the Guildhall. A small anti-socialistic section numbering about 30 was exceedingly rowdy, and pelted Mr Keir Ha*die with oranges and sugar dipped in chemicals. The Senior Proctor appealed for a fair bearing, and restored comparative calm for a period of 20 minutes. The meeting closed in au uproar, and the carriage supposed to be waiting for Mr Keir Hardie was smashed.