BRITISH POLITICS.

Southland Times, Issue 14371, 18 March 1910, Page 5

BRITISH POLITICS.

ANOTHER ELECTION PREDICTED WITHIN A FEW WEEKS. By Telegraph.—Press Association. —Copyright. LONDON, March 17. Received March 17, 10,20 p.rn. Mr Redmond at Newcastle said he was perefctly sure that there would be a general election within a few' weeks. THE LOESS AND BEPOBM. LONDON, Mar. 16. The Primate, in supporting Lord Rosebery’S resolution, declared that the Government’s proposed sweeping departure from immemorial usage was not justified. He urged a commonsense readjustment of the difficulty. The Marquis of Salisbury supported the resolution, adding that there must be a process of selection giving some personal guarantee of the fitness of the peer for legislative functions. Lord Newton is now in favour of Lord Rosebery's view to admit election from outside. INTERESTING SPEECHES. LONDON, March 17. Received March 17, 11.20 p.m. Lord Curzon emphasised the feeling of respect wherewith the House of Lords was viewed In the colonies as a benign house where colonial cases were stated with experience, regarded sympathetically, and judged with authority. How much more was this the case in an ancient, aristocratic ' country like India, throughout which , the Lords were regarded with enormous veneration and respect. Lord Curzon added that onefourth of the members of the House sat as the result of their own honourable exertions. He had no sympathy for a popularly elected second chamber: but he favoured rooting the House deeper in democracy.

Lord Burghclere, also supporting the resolution, advocated a limit the veto.

Lord Cromer said that the Lords should retain their powers Intact. Lord Halsbury severely criticised Lord Rosebery’s resolutions, but said he was willing that they should go to committee. Earl Crewe and Lord Lansdowne continued the debate to-day. It is understood that the Lords will take the resolutions in committee next week, adopt the first two and consider the third after Easter. WHAT THE MINISTRY FAVOURS. LONDON, March 17. The Times’ Parliamentary correspondent states that the Ministry favours a second chamber-of 150 members. The method of electing senators is still under discussion. The present intention is that half the senate be elected for eight years and half for four. THE QUESTION OP SUPPLY. THE HON. C. C. BOWEN’S VIEWS. A representative of “The Press” saw the Hon. C. C. Bowen, Speaker of the Legislative Council, with reference to the attitude adopted by the Imperial Government in taking Supply for six weeks only, instead of five or six months, to cover the session, as is the customary practice. Mr Bowen showed some hesitation in dealing with the matter ; firstly, because it Is difficult for anyone, so far removed from the centre .of British political strife, and with only the more or less meagre information of Press cable messages to work upon, to judge of the expediency or otherwise of the Government’s action ; and secondly, because It is difficult to estimate the effect of the Government’s action in the absence of information regarding all the circumstances that led to the adoption of the Government’s attitude on the subject.-

“It appears to me,” said Mr Bowen, after having made these reservations, “that the pith of the matter is that the I Government’s action is a bit of sharp practice, designed by a dying Government to embarrass the Government who are to follow them. Evidently the suspicion is that the present Government are not strong enough to carry on the King's ply for six weeks" only, the intention is to leave the incoming Government without any money, and compelling them to put the whole financial position into the pot again—in other words, compelling the new Government to appeal to the country for funds. It, is not a vote of want of confidence, because the Government propose it themselves, but it shows that they feel that they are not strong enough to carry on the Government of the country. The long and short of it is that the last elections left the Government without a working majority, and the Government cannot get out of that position unless they can increase their majority in the House, and unless they can do tliis they ought to resign or ask for a dissolution. It appears to me that it would be a more straightforward thing if the Government asked for a dissolution at once, rather than carry on by the unsatisfactory adoption of half-measures ; it would certainly be more satisfactory to appeal to the country than to ask the King for guarantees, which means, practically, that the King would be asked to assent to whatever is done by the Government. With such a narrow majority, and with such very large questions at stake, it seems to me that the safest course would be to appeal to the country with a definite policy. With the Government’s small majority it will be difficult to carry on the work of the country properly, and the Government will exist only on sufferance.”