BRITISH POLITICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3518, 16 August 1921, Page 16

BRITISH POLITICS.

ILLEGITIMACY ACT. LONDON, August 9. The Labour members of the House of Commons introduced the Illegitimacy Bill, proposing drastic amendments to the law, including provison that affiliation applications may be made before a child’s birth, and for a maximum weekly maintenance of £2. A father may be ordered to contribute towards the apprenticeship and special education of the child, and maintenance may be ordered beyond the age of 16 if a child is physically or mentally deformed. In the alternative the court may order the payment of a lump sum. A child may be legitimised by the subsequent marriage of the parents. ANTI DUMPING BILL. LONDON, August 9. Lord Inchcape, writing in regard to Glasgow’s protest against the Anti-Dump-ing Bill, described the measure as a fantastic, unworkable farce. If the measure were passed Great Britain would be finished as far as the industries on which she was living were concerned. August 10. In the House of Commons Mr Cecil Harmsworth (Under-Secretarv for loreign Affairs) admitted that the French Government had represented that the British Anti-Dumping Bill was likelv to prejudice French exports, to which Great Britain had replied pointing out that France had recently introduced an increased tariff which was aimed at safeguarding French industries from countries having depreciated exchanges. Colonel Wedgwood said : “If an AngloFrench tariff war is threatened, let us publish all the correspondence. ' Mr Harmsworth stated that there was no prospect of a tariff war. NEED FOR ECONOMY. LONDON, August 9. A select committee on the Estimates found, in view of the present financial stringency, that the moment chosen to make large increases in salaries was most inopportune. The committee instanced the increase given to the Assistant Financial Secretary to the War Office to £3500 from £2300. August 11. Tn the House of Commons Mr Chamberlain moved the second reading of the Bill authorising the Duchy of Lancaster to realise capital amounting to £IOO GJO in order to meet deficits in the civil list since 1919. Mr Chamberlain said that during the war his Majesty was the most prominent pioneer in economy and actually succeeded in 1916 in effecting savings for the benefit of the Exchequer to the extent of £IOO,OOO. lie had refused to sanction any action involving a charge on the public funds and even suggested the diminution of the ceremonial which the Government advised his Majesty was not advisable. Stringent economies were effected, however, in the Royal household, and others were contemplated. The Bill passed the second reading. Mr Llovd George, before leaving England, intimated that the Ministerial salaries would be reduced shortly. SAFEGUARDING INDUSTRIES. LONDON, August 12. On the motion for the third reading Mr Asquith moved the rejection of the Safeguarding of Industries Bill. He said that he found himself in a difficulty to know whether the measure was a serious fiscal proposal or a political freak. It appeared to be directed more against France than against any other Power. Mr Chamberlain twitted Mr Asquith with having accepted the Paris Economic Conference’s resolutions, which were drafted by Mr Runcima-n. as a bit of bluff against Germany. Mr Asquith, in effect, now said that he had hoodwinked his colleagues over the resolutions. Mr Stanley Baldwin said that the fact that the British Parliament had passed such a Bill should be a warning to foreign countries that Britain was not going to juggle with their currency to the disadvantage of our trade. The Bill was read a third time by 176 votes to 54. The Speaker ruled that the Bill was a Money Bill, thus precluding the House of Lords from amending or rejecting it. Mr J. I. Macpherson stated in the House of Commons that 46.150 war pensioners had died since disability pensions were granted. Major Guest (Air Minister), replying to a question, said that the original cost of the existing British airships and material was approximately £1,575,CC0, exclusive of the cost of accommodation. Their “ scrap ” value was small. Tn the House of Commons a Bill was introduced providing that all poisons sold by chemists for private use should to labelled with an antidote for the particular poison sold.