Mr Ben Tillett.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 8776, 11 March 1897, Page 2

Mr Ben Tillett.

London Papers of January 25th contain the followingMr Henry Broadhurst, M.P., who in the House of Commons on Tuesday last called the attention of the Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs to the recent imprisonment of Mr Tillet in Belgium, and expressed the hope that the Government would insist upon ample reparation being made, h?s received the following letter from Mr Ourzon “ House of Commons, January 21st. Dear Mr Broadhurst,—l am sorry to have lost the opportunity the other day —owing to my not having seen you in the House when I rose to speak— of replying to the observations that you had made about the unfortunate case of Mr Tillett. I should have assured you, as I think you must already have known, that the attitude of the Foreign Office had been in no wise affected by social considerations connected with Mr Tillett’s position, but that believing that the Belgian authorities had exercised their undoubted right of expulsion with small regard for the convenience, and I am afraid with unfortunate results upon the health of Mr Tillett, we had addressed to the Belgian Government a strong remonstrance coupled with a request for compensation. To that request the Belgian Government had not returned the favourable reply that we should have desired, and it is under the consideration of the Government in consultation with their legal advisers what further steps they can properly take in the matter. Hoping that Mr Tillett may benefit by his sea voyage, I am, yours very truly, George Ourzon.”