BRITISH POLITICS

Otago Witness, Issue 3662, 20 May 1924, Page 21

BRITISH POLITICS

THREE PARTY SYSTEM. LONDON, May 13. Mr Lloyd George, speaking at the National Liberal Club, said that Mr Winston Churchill’s attempt to make Liberalism a wing of the Tory bird was unlikely to attract many Liberals, on account of the inherent irreconcilable antagonisms of the two parties. He went on to refer to Labour’s emphatic refusal to listen to the suggestion for co-operation in lh: Parliament of the country, and de dared that the only course for Liberalism was a minority, standing alone and forming its own Government with a vigorous policy. Its watchword should be 11 Liberty,” which was assailed by the Conservatives on the one hand and the Labourites on the other. THE BUDGET DEBATE. LONDON, May 13. Mr Baldwin’s motion of censure on tlve Government was rejected by 317 votes to 252. The House of Commons was crowded to hear the debate on Mr Baldwin's vote of censure. Air Baldwin said that British motor cars known on the Australian marwere superseded by American cars during war time, and it was still doubtful whether we could recover that market. This decision would make it still more difficult. Furthermore, Canada had benefited by the preference given her under the Al’Kenna Duties, and the production of Canadian motor cars had increased largely, aided by American capital invested in Canada to get the benefit of preference. He feared the Government had dealt a blow at Canadian trade, which, coupled with the Government’s action in regard to Imperial preference, would make the dominions less responsive to any idea of reciprocity. He suggested an Imperial inquiry into the question of the M’Kenna Duties. Mr Philip Snowden (Chancellor of the Exchequer) declared that the motor trade had ample notice to change the conditions, which had aroused much opposition. He asked what good the duties had done the motor trade, seeing that 75 per cent, of the British manufacturers specialised in the British type to the exclusion of American competition. The British motor car trade would find that it did not wantprotection when it got rid of its watered capital, and had put its affairs on a sound financial basis. There could be no compromise over the withdrawal of the duties. Nine Liberals supported the motion. No Labourite voted against the Government. TRADE FACILITIES BILL. LONDON, May 13. The Trade Facilities Bill has been read a third tirfie in the House of Lords. ANTI-SOCIALIST CAMPAIGN. LONDON, May 15. Mr Asquith, at a private meeting of the Liberal Party of the House of Commons, held in connection with the forthcoming anti-Socialist campaign in the country, outlined the policy he intends to enunciate at Brighton on the 23rd inst. Mr Lloyd George appealed to members to support the campaign in the;r constituencies. THE GOVERNMENT’S POLICY. LONDON, May 14. Defining his Government’s foreign policy at a Labour women’s demonstration in the Albert Hall, the Prime Minister declared that he was a convinced and unbending Nationalist He respected national traditions and characteristics It would be a very bad day for the world if the diversification of humanity, created by so many variations of race, creed, and clime, became sand-papered into one feature. But neither was it his ideal to run Nationalism so hard that it would become a pest- to anyone trying to make peace. Nationalism was not" aggression, but selfrespect. Therefore the Labour Government’s foreign policy was to bring about a great peace union. He appealed to all European nations, no less than to the Great Powers, to come in and make possible the advancement of the policy of disarmament. THE OPPOSITION. LONDON, May 16 Mr Ramsay MacDonald, speaking at the opening of the Parliamentary Labour Club, said be was tremendously pleased with the Opposition, who were behaving splendidly. They were compelled to admit the justice of Labour’s Budget. Although they had blundered badly they had not got out of hand, but showed incapacity in criticising discreetly, by starting a cry that the removal of the M’Kenna duties would kill the motor car industry. They asserted that this would throw a million men idle from an industry which was actually employing only 200,000. The mathematics of protection were just as bad to-day as in 1905. The British manufacturers by crying “stinking fish’ from the housetops, and newspapers destroyed their own markets by telling the people that the industry must fail. LAND TAXATION. LONDON, May 17. Mr Phillip Snowden (Chancellor of the Exchequer), speaking at Colne Valley, said he hoped in the present year to establish a well-equipped Land Valuation Department, and at the first opportunity ho would submit financial proposals for the taxation of the unearned increment of land. He thought the sum obainable from this source would be very substantial.