BRITISH POLITICS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume L, Issue 16349, 5 February 1924, Page 3

BRITISH POLITICS.

THE LABOR PLATFORM. MESSAGE TO THE DOMINION. (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn., (Australian aud Iv.Z Coble Association., LONDON, Feb. 4. Mr. Davies, Under-Secretary for Home Affairs, speaking at Leeds, enumerated the things which the Labor Government could do. For example, it cou.d eusct probation for first offenders, instead of gaol; the abolition of capital punishment; pensions for widows and mothers of families of killed coalminers : extension of housing: educational facilities; and abolition of the gap in unemployment pay. (Reuters Telegram.) The balance of the Ministerial appointments is now announced as follows: Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, William Graham, Frederick Hall, Thomas Kennedy, and John Robertson. MORE ABOUT HOUSING. L 4 list mlinn mid NZ ('able Association.; (Received February 5, 9.5 a.m.) LONDON. Feb. 4. Mr. Stewart, Under-Secretary for Scot- • land, speaking at Glasgow, announced that flie Glasgow Corporation would not be allowed to build houses in excess oi twenty-four to the acre when clearing slum areas. He added that the Labor party intended that people should occupy I the houses they built at fourteen to fifteen pounds per annum. The State would have to bear a burden of forty millions ; per annum for housing, which was not much considering the war debt. Labor would ask Parliament to give powers to make the trusts sell materials at reasonable prices; otherwise the Government would produce the material themselves. i LABOR'S FOREIGN POLICY. ' DISCLOSED BY MR. SNOWDEN. | (.Sydney Sun Cables.) (Received February 5, 10 a.m.) PARIS, Feb. 4.

The Matin has published extracts from an article which Mr. Snowden wrote for the Vienna Neue Freie Presse, allegedly alter he became Chancellor of the Exchequer, in which ho says: "The peace treaties have strengthened the causes of international discord. British Labor favors a complete revision of treaties as essential to the peace of Europe and restoration of economic prosperity. Labor is opposed' to the French invasion of the Ruhr, also to France's aim to encompass the political destruction of Germany. Labor demands an immediate settlement of reparations on generous terms, and would reduce Germany's" total reparations to the cost of reconstructing France's devastated regions. It would reject unreasonable claims by small States. Labor favors the reciprocal cancellation of interAllied'' debts. r

NEW LABOR PEERS. t THREE APPOINTMENTS ANNOUNCED. (Keuter's Telegram.) (Received Feb. 5, 12.30 p.m.) LONDON, Feb. 4. Labor peers are announced 'as follows : Sir Sydney Oliver, Brigadier-Gen-eral Thomson, and Sydney Arnold. Sir Sydney Arnold was Labor M.P. tor Holmfirth Division of West Riding, later Penistone Division, 1912-21 ; Parliamentary private secretary to the President of Hoard of Education, and to Financial Socretarv to the Treasury, 1914. Sir Sydney" Oliver. 8.A., " LL.D., K.C.M.G. cr. ISO 7. C.B. 1917, C.M.G. 1898, entered the Colonial Office in 1882. Later he filled various other official positions, including that of Acting-Governor of Jamaica, lie was Assistant Comptroller and Auditor of the Exchequer 1917, and retired in 1920. He is the author of a number of publications and the witer of magazine and review articles! on Socialism.

WELLINGTON, last night, Tho following telegram has been u'cceived by his Excellency the GovernorGeneral from the Secretary of State for the Colonies on taking office as Secretary of State for the Colonies: "I would ask you to assure your Prime Minister of my earnest desire to preserve and strengthen the system of consultation and eo-opei.-v lion between the several Governments on all matters of mutual concern. My first aim will always be to promote the interests of the British Government, and I feel sure I can count upon receiving from yourself atid your Prime Minister the same measure of assistance and advice extended to my predecessor.—(Signed) Thomas."

The following reply has been forwarded by Mr. Massey through the GovernorGenera!: "On his return to New Zealand my Prime Minister desires me to thank you for the message contained in your telegram of January 24, and to convey his congratulations to you on your assuming seals of the Colonial Cilice lie states thai ho feels sure that the harmonious relationship which has existed heretofore will be continued during your tenure of office and that it will afford him the greatest pleasure to co-operate in all matters having for their object, the common good of tlie government of the Empire."

ROYAL HOUSEHOLD APPOINTMENTS. 1 LONDON, Dec. 19.—What Mr Ramsay MacDonald will' do concerning appointments to His Majesty's household is a question which the public is asking. There are eight such officers—lord chamberlain, lord steward of the household, treasurer of the .household, controller of the household, vice-chamber-lain of the household, captain of the gontlemen-jut-arms, captain of yeomen of the. guard and master of the hoi's*;. In addition there are six lords-in-wipt-mg.

These appointments are of very ancient origin and spring from the oldtime fear that the sovereign might be surrounded by private advisers opposed to the Ministerial policy. Such .officers in the present era- arc usually held by amiable members of the party in power who are more or less nonentities, or by aspirants for responsible offices who must wait -a chance for preferment. The' lords-in-waiting take turns attending the King personally. The present holders of office range in age from 8 to 50 years or thereabouts. Tho curious British constitution provides that tho lord chamberlain should have the licensing of stage- plays under his control. It is a literal fact that tho wouldbe producer of a new play takes his manuscript to St, James' Palace- and there deposits it, with the customary fee for examination by the lord chamberlain. The vagaries of the department in adjudicating on plays is notorious. It is suggested that Mr. MacDonald has an ideal lord chamberlain to hand in Mr. Bernard Shaw. Certainly nobody etse< in the Labor party knows more about stagecraft and Shaw himself .has suffered as much as any playwright at the hands of previous lord chamberlains. Mr. MacDonald may weli feel perplexed in finding a master of the horse, especially when tho King, like everybody else, mostly uses motor-cars nowadays.

|lt was announced yesterday that Messrs. Griffiths, Parkinson and Davidson had been appointed to three of the offices.]