IMPERIAL POLITICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2801, 20 November 1907, Page 19

IMPERIAL POLITICS.

LONDON, November 12.

Twenty suffragettes were ejected at intervals with almost clock-like regularity for interrupting Mr B. M'Kenna, President of the Board of Education, during his speech at Brighton.-

November 13.

Persistent interruption by a number of suffragettes at a meeting addressed by Mr Birrell (Chief Secretary for Ireland) at Southampton resulted in many being ejected.

November 16.

Sir H. Campoell-Bannerman hopes that next year a bill will be introduced into Parliament to stop the sale of tobacco to juveniles, and also juvenile smoking. November 17.

t £be stewards carried 30 suffragettes fcodily from Mr Aequith's meeting at Noneaton (Warwickshire). The speaker had been shouted down continually by these ladies.

November 18.

The Earl of Plymouth describes Mr Balfour's speech at Birmingham as the turning point in the Unionist party's fortunes.

The conference by a majority approved of a parliamentary vofe for women, and also carried a motion in favour of making them eligible for entry to and to register votes ' for country, district, and parish councils. By a large majority the action of the Government in placing contracts abroad was condemned. X A motion was also carried against the abolition of the coal export tax. Mr Balfour conversed with Mr Chamberlain for an hour. Mr Chamberlain was delighted with Mr Balfour's speech, and was gratified at the success of the Unionist Conference. He also discussed the party's plans. The Spectator declares that Mr Balfour's speech was intended to keep .things on the simmer and no more. - SPEECH BY MR ASQUITH. LONDON, November 18. Mr Asquithj speaking at Nuneaton, suggested as a little Birmingham comedy salting Mr Balfour's tail. He -added that when Mr BaSfour roe© the bulk of his Protectionist heareTS must have asked themselves: "Shall we get' -him!'" but after the speech another question must have been asked with varying degrees of anxiety and assurance — namely, " Have we got him ?" "My disinterested verdict," said Mr Asquith, " is that the bird has the best of it." Now the plain Tory party, as a ( party, had been captured by tbe Protectionists, and as the Liberal party stood between the country and Protection, a return to Protection would now become a more substantial and more imminent danger than the shadowy spectre of Socialism. The Liberals' first duty was to show that they were able to combine the inestimable advantages of a Free-trade policy with steady and continuous progress and social reform. CATTLE-^DRIVING IN IRELAND. | LONDON, November 13. i In the course of a speech at Southamp- j ton, Mr Birrell (Chief Secretary for Ire- j land) 6aid that the Government was doing ■ its best to stop the illegal conspiracy of j cattle-driving, which was a breach of the truce which was supposed to follow the Government's land-purchase scheme. If the cattle-driving was persisted in it wou'd - endanger all his schemes for reform. He blamed the apathy of the magistrates and graziers.