BRITISH POLITICS.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 8769, 22 March 1907, Page 2

BRITISH POLITICS.

;; ''' : "'~A''-Ne>v--Prp : pQsai.. v ■■'■" Press :',;: London, March 21. . Sir:. JEeury , Canipbell'-Bannernjan will propose in tlie' House of Commons that all Bills, with few exceptions, after the second readings should be automatically refeired to the same standing committees. ,V 111© Shipping Conference. /. Vit/is reported that the preliminary .con;-" sulfations of :the Board, ofjTrade with British shipowners and seamen's representatives have smoothed many difficulties ,e.onapcto.d,witli,,.Australian.and New. Zealand' navigation' legislation, and are likely.to...shorten., tho,work of the,Shipping. Conference., ' ''■.?■ , Breach of Privilege. The Speaker, in reply to Mr J. J. MacNeil, said that if anybody, believed that Mr Balfour, when reCeiving.a deputation tho day before, in using the words "fraudulent and criminal legislative conspiracy " intended to impute that the conduct of Ministers was capable of being indicted it was obvious , that a breach of piivilego had . boon committed. Ho held, however, that no mala iides was imputed. They knew that hi the at dour of political contest words were often com sidcrably strained. Ho felt confident that thoro had been no breach of |>m-il,ege. ■ Flogging in jhe Army. An all night'flitting' of tlie House of' Commons continues, discussing a proposal that flogging and all corporal punishment in tho Army be abolished in war time.