CABLEGRAMS

Colonist, Volume XLVI, Issue 10658, 5 March 1903, Page 2

CABLEGRAMS

[United Press Association— Bi'EiECTßio TfILEGBAFH — COPXBIGHX.I Imperial Parliament--1 London, March 3. In the House of Commona, Mr > Balfour, Premier, in reply to a question, said the Admiralty had care--1 fully considered the Chilian and Argentine battleships offered for sale, and had found them unsuitable to ■ our purposes, and it was therefore : not advisable to buy them. ' Sir R. Finlay, Attorney-General,; • moved the issue of a writ for the election of a member for Gal way, in I- the place of Lynch, now in prison for > treason. . 1 Sir G. Bartley, Government mem- '< ber for Islington North, moved an 1 amendment against the issue of a. writ for the present session. 1 Mr Balfour objected to any disf ran--1 chisement of electors with6ut invest- ■ igation by a Committee of the House, and declared moreover that controversies between the House and ! the constituencies had never been to 1 the advantage of the House. He supported the motion on the ground of reason and precedent. Lord Hugh Cecil, Conservative ' member for Greenwich, and Colonel » Kenyon Slaney, .Conservative member for Newport (Shropshire), supported the amendment, which was negatived by 248 to 45, 1 The motion was then agreed to. The Postmaster-General stated that notice had been given to the Penin- [ sula and Orient Company to terminate the mail contracts for India, [ the East, and Australia, at the end • of January, 1905. The Government departments were studying future re- ' quirements, and would give a dcci- ' sion at the earliest possible moment. Mr Balfour, speaking in the House of Commons on the question of the Galway election, said that if Lynch were admittedly a brave man his constituency was less blameable than others who had elected both traitors ' and cowards. The minority against the issue of the writ of election, included 34 Unionists , and two Liberals. The hew Motor Race Bill was read a third time. In the House of Lords, Lord Rosebery, speaking to Lord Tweedmouth's motion with reference to Venezuela, said the co-operation of Britain and Germany was unnnecessary, and the fact that coercion was resolved upon before approaching Colonel Hay, " United States Secretary, was not in accordance with the comity of nations. ■-•-.. - ; The motion was eventually withdrawn. Received March 4, 11.33 p.m. March 4. $In the House of Commons, when discussing the supplementary vote for Tthe 6 Colonial Department,^ Mr Aufffcin^Chamberlain replied to the allegations of the negative results of the Premiers' Conference in London. He said any contribution to the Imperial defence must be free and spontaneous. As to the resolution adopted by that Conference with regard to preferential trade within the British Empire, the snbject was receiving the Imperial Governments most. careful attention. jj- ..»"'.'." '5£ The London "Standard" declares that the self-governing colonies cannot be expected to merge their own preparations in a general scheme of defence, until they are convinced that the Imperial Army and Navy are being administered on a ! thoroughly scientific and comprehensive plan. '-'-^-T» V »r-V-- '- " : • - -**

try Mr, Wise, New South Wales |ittorne>-Geseralj, before*. the Australasian Chamber of Commerce;' Mr Wise treated the socialistic legislation of Australasia as unalarming. He declared no country offered greater se.etfjrlty 4o capital thafl N&w Soutii Wi)esj b§caiis& fiboS offered grea|§i gbl^iSal Industrial j stability.,. H# denied that She" 60s t of old ag£ pensions was excessive, and said no measure was likelier to ensure financial stability, since it gave workmen ft stake in the country. He said the Industrial arbitration legislation Works niost etfeativel^ for industrial peace, increases the stability or capital; arid secures industrial continuity. If; teaches the employers and emtolpi^d ihkt ihfeir diffe\rQnce<3 are not ftr&oncilatie,, enormously increases |he making of industrial agreements, $nd stopped -sweating. He said the jneideflfcof j£ei, exclusion pf the hatters ol Sydney hadbseii: exaggerated, and had proved a splendid advertisement for that new industry. The Exclusion Act, he said, was intended to prevent evils so conspicuous in the East End of London. It was grotesque to assert that the Act was jijilliical.to, the advent pf the right olasa of immigrants^ The' Customs tax levied upon mail steamers was not intended as differentiate against British shipping, but was purely a fiscal measure. He condemned the ludicrous charges against.Australian credit, and said repudiation was unthinkable. The colonies' debt was light compared to Great Britain's if the cost of railways, water works, and municipal works were added. He emphasised that Australians had not lost any essential honesty which was characteristic of Englishmen.