IMPERIAL POLITICS

Otago Witness, Issue 3511, 28 June 1921, Page 20

IMPERIAL POLITICS

THE COALITION CONDEMNED. LONDON, June 18. Lord Salisbury has issued a letter stating that the Coalition Government no longer possesses the confidence of the Unionists, although they would be proud to follow any 7 Coalitionists in other political connections. The Government’s vacillation, its unsuccessful foreign policy, its mishandling of domestic crises, and the trouble in Ireland have fatally estranged public opinion. It is the duty of every Unionist elector to inform his member in the House of Commons that the latter lias no further obligation to the Coalition. SCOTTISH CHURCH UNION. In the House of Commons Mr E. Munro Amoved the second reading of the Church of Scotland Bill, which aims at union in order to terminate ecclesiastical rivalry. He said the present system was deplorable and tended to retard and frustrate Christian progress. It involved waste and dissipation of energy. The committee would examine and report on endowments and temporalities. A condition precedent to the solution of the endowments question was the disposal of a preliminary question declaratory 7 of the legality of the constitution of the church. Messrs A. M'C’allum, Scott, and J. M. Hodge opposed the motion, and Mr Balfour supported it. The second reading was carried without division. I)R ADDISON'S POSITION. LONDON. June 24. In the House of Commons there was an ( exciting debate on the proposal to reduce the salary of Dr Addison, Minister with- ; out portfolio, on the ground that he was ; "paid without first consulting the House, j Mr Lloyd George eulogised Dr Addison’s services. He justified his office on the 1 ground of the great strain on Ministers, but said that in view of the necessity of economising he would confine the office to this season. The vote was accordingly reduced to £2500 without a division.