THE ASQUITH MINISTRY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 11249, 14 April 1908, Page 5

THE ASQUITH MINISTRY.

RE-ORGANISED LIBERAL MINISTRY (Press Assn.— By Telegraph.- Copyright.) LONDON, April 13. , The new members of the Government have been officially announced as follows : MEMBERS OF CABINET. Mr H. H. Asquith, Prime Minister, and First Lord, of the Treasury. . Mr John Morley has. been made a Viscount; but retains his office as Secretary of State for India. Sir Henry Hartley Fowler also becomes a Viscount; retaining, the ofliee- of Chancellor of: the Duchy of Lancaster, o The Earl of Crewe (formerly t,prd President of the Council),;: becomes , Secretary for the Colonies (replacing the Earl of Elgin). o Mr David Lloyd George , (President jof the Board of Trade), becomes Chancellor of the Exchequer (replacing Mr . H. . H. Asquith).

Mr Reginald McKenna (President: of the Board of . Education),; becomes First Lord of the Admiralty (replacing Lord Tweedmouth).

Mr Winston Spencer Churchill formerly Parliamentary Under-Secretary, for the Colonial Office) is promoted tb the Cabinet, arid becomes President of the Board of , Trade : (replacing ; Mr Lloyd George. -, ■'/'■■ 7 '

-' Mr Walter Runciman (formerly '.' Financial Secretary of the Treasury), lias filso been promoted to the Cabinet, arid takes the office . of President of the Board of Education (replacing Mr Reginald McKenna).

, Other members of the Cabinet remain as at present: Lord High Y Chancellor, Loid Lorebum ; Lord, Priyy Seal, Marquis of Ripon; Secretary* for Home. Affairs,, Mr Herbert Gladstone;. Secretary for Foreign Affairs,. Sir Edward Grey; Secretary for . War, Mr R-. B. Haldarie ; Secretary; forV Scotland, >Ir John.' Siricia'ii* ; YClii&f , Secretary ,\'to : ,-the ;Lbrd 'Lieutenant- of. Irelarid, . Air Augus,tineYßiri*e!l-; : PostmasteriGeriei-al;': MrSydney' Biixtpn ;-,:. President; of.theißpardof- -; Agriculture, Mr. ' Jphn ; Burns- ; - , -First ;Coinhiissibner>of 'Works, Mi* ;LeVis .Vernon Haicourt. ' '■"■■:, ■.- ,<Y., 7 y7s(yr/yrx. THfyi CABINET. : Y o'L'prd. .Liicas becomes , Under-Secretary for'.'the' Colonies. -, . Y,.

■ .'Barttri vAiicklarid lias /been . appointed -Undpr-'Secretary for ;,War. ' --. ; '■:>■;. -7 /Financial Secretary 6i -the /Ti^easiiry, Mr oTlioriias ; Ryhurn'BuchariHh o'(Firiaiicial Secretary of i Army.;Coiiricilj/. ■}'' '7:77 . ; , / .The Urider-S^cfet^ry "of .State for vlndia (filled ; by Mr/O. .E/Hobhouse); has riot been mentioned.- It was expected.- Mr Hobhpuse >: would- betome Financial Secretary'.to'the'Treasurer.' o. ' l * X ■/■:

, Mr "McKenna require to vacate . his, Ystegit''.''"' 0 .. ■ "..

o 'Mr Herbert L. . Sairiuel '• declined promotion, • preferring .. to pilot . theY Children's Bill., .-'/ .7, Y ■■',-.'' ,; .MY Morley informed his constituents that his health compelled him to choose between resigning office or withdrawing from . the House 0 t Commons. He chose the latter at the instance of his colleagues.

Mr Churchill, iri. a .fighting manifesto, appealed to hie constituents for. a renewal of their confidence.. He/reiterated his adherence to 'freetrade, arid promised a railway to the Victoria and Albeit Lakes for the op'ening.up of the cotton potentialities of Uganda. .He indicated that all social reform and commercial efficiency waited on the passage! of the Lie:; ensing Bill in its integrity. He declared the Government was perfectly ready to consider, amendments to the : Education Bill, provided schools wereY maintained byjpublic funds, arid were amenable to puhfic control and had -State-paid ,i teach-! ers who were not subjected, to , religious tests. He 'admitted.;: that -Catholics' and Jews needed a special ; type -of schools. !

(Received April 14, 8.29 a.m.) LONDON, April 13: .-•' The Chronicle states, that apart '.. from, the less of Sir H. oCampbell-Bannerman the reshuffling of offices in the introduction of new blood: have aindoiibtedly strengthened the Government.,

The Times states : The Cabinet is distinctly stronger and mope; compact. ■ ! TheYEaa-l of Crewe's appointment tends to secure JiaiTOoriious relations, witli'/the colonies, but since' he is unsible td make concession for prefereritial treatriient«his tenure of office is unlikely to be a conspicuous success. Mr Churchill has yet to,: 'win the confidence of business m&i, sine, brilliant rhetoric does .not gp. Tar./ v.-; The Times states, that Lord .Elgin: declined a . Marqiiisate. ' X 'i ,/ "/ J7 Vi -. YXThe Earl of 'Crewe .-leads the Horise of Lords. ■ y ' ■■■:■'-,- -.-...• '.'•'Tlie Telegraph states': "Mi* Asquith 'is no* Little Eriglander, but lus. uricptnprpmising Cobdenism will bar the way .with regard to the paramount problem df oversea nations with tlie Motherland""

'- Tlie Daily News , states.: "Mr Asquith has a gieat opportunity, but needs great ■courage." , '■■;'... 1. .YY , ;■/'

'-': Tlie /Daily Mail- states that YMr /Mc-. Kenna's promotion has aroused a' storm of critioism, .even in Liberal circles. He is -supposed to bea "Little Navy" man.

XThe.Mail thinks the Earf of Crewie is likfely to act ori. fairly safe: arid cautious (Lines. ' , / /'•...' .-.//,. ; Tlie Standard rejoices at Jlr *CJiurcli; ill's removal from tlie Colonial Ofliee, since he contrived to irritate the states* trierii of every self-governing colony | except two, which lately fought against their sovereign. Y'j;Mr.A«mith will introduce the Budget.

fP THE CHILDREN'S BILL. //0-he :Biit; which; Mr Herbert Samuel, Under-Secretary for the Home Office, blurred to apply his energy to rather thalri accept, promotion, is the Gpvernuifetiit Juvenile Protection Bill, : which has/ passed .its second reading in the House of Comriions. This is -a comprehensive 'measure. The Bill defines .V child as being under 14 years oof age, and a young person, as of from 14 to 16 years pf age. .'• • The ; Bill ! is. divided into fjye parts, as follow : ; .1, Protection pf. infant life: Embodying arid 'Unending the Act, of 1897; to stop the evils of ; baby-farming and protect infants put out t_. purse. ; 2. The overlying of children— by which 1600 infants lose tlieir, lives, every year —is to be made an offence, with a light penalty, except where drunkenness is proved. Many childreri, also die from burns and scalds, arising frorii unguardr ed fires. Parents are to be punished similarly for this, unless, reasonable pre; cautions have been taken. '■' > / -

3. Measures against juvenile smoking: Sale of cigarettes and cigarette papere td children , under 16 to ; . be prohibited, arid smoking by persons under 16 in the streets to be prohibited, with a fine after the first offence. Boys' tobacco to.be confiscated by the police. Automatic machines supplying cigarettes to be dealt with, i* ./... ...

. 4. .Consolidation of. the Jaw relating to reformatories '. and ; , industrial \ schools : Among many other points dealt with,any, "home for children," supported by public contributions, must ... submit tei Home Office inspection. Fraudulent in* stitutions will thus, be detected. ,

5. The establishment of. children's courts :" These courts, by which juvenile cases will be kept quite, separate from others, are to be established throughout the country. .In London a special children's, magistrate : .wiU .-visit in. turn a circuit of courts. Special places of detent tion to be provided for children. Parents are to be made to feel more responsible for the wrong-doing of their children. The hnprisonment of their children is' to be abolished altogether.

: The rise of Mr Asquith (says tlie Lytr telton Times) has ; been quite the, most notable development of Imperial politics during recent years. He is young, ias British statesmen go, being still only iri his fifty-fourth year, arid his Parliamentary career i has been, comparatively short. But then he had made a -name for himself at the Bar before be -was given an opportunity on the Treasury benches. In the days when labor agitators had very few friends in high places, he conducted a masterly defence of Mr John Burns and Mr CunninghariieGraham, who had been charged with holding an unlawful assembly ; and he made a brilliant junior to Sir Charles Russell in the proceedings before , the fariious Parnell Commission. He had entered Parliament in 1886, and had. sided at once with the Home Rulers^ It was a period, of course, at which young men on either side had - exceptional opportunities for distinguishing themselves, and Mr Gladstone appears to have marked

out the young Yorksliiremnrl for early promotion. With the returns of the Liberals in 1892, Mr Asquith was given the Home Office, although he had heen but six years in: Parliament, and had occupied no subordinate Ministerial position. He went out with Lord Rosebery in 1895, iind for ten years bore his part .in the dreary work of' opposition. The Boer M'ar threatened to separate him. from the official Liberals, because he subscribed to Lord Rosebery's Liberal Imperialism, nnd when he- and Sir Edward Grey 1 elected to remain outside the party cauciis ! it was commonly agreed that the party was losmg two of its most brilliant -members. Happily, Lord Rosebery had patriotism enough not to provoke a permanent split. Withdrawing alone to a convenient hilltop, he left;,his lieutenants to return to the old. camp, where they identified'them. selves entirely , with the party, arid won fresh honors in the victorious campaign of two years ago. Mr Asquith is credited by mai)y shrewd observers .with the most brilliant intellect in the "present House of Commons.