AN UNPARALLELED SITUATION.

Colonist, Volume LII, Issue 12769, 15 April 1910, Page 4

AN UNPARALLELED SITUATION.

SPEECH BY MR BALtfOUR. (Received April 15, 0.5, ; ) , ■ • ..- LondoiA, April 14. Mr Balfour, presiding lit the United Club luncheon, said the Parliamentary situation was unparallek*!. There had been noKing's speech in the sense of a speech announcing a legislative policy^ which had been carefully held from the'Housa of Commons, -anu only now blurted out by Mr Winston Churchill. The only -attempt at a King's speech was tha.fc offered by Mr Churchili on Tuesday -/night, ivhen he sketched a long series, of minor constitutional resolutions, ;the offepring of the: greater onto' "ho i and his frier.ds would endeavour to! carry. All tAlk about social reform on the part of the present Government: was a gross imposture.' Mr Bs-.lfour incidentally mentioned that he had not rejected the idea of a referendum, and/ declared that the Conservatives favoured the introduc-. ( tiori of an elected Element drawn from; the people. But /it ; would be folly* io make the second chamber wholly elective, for lie did riot desire to destroy the undisputed 'aupremncy of , the House of Commons. ! Mr Sidney Buxtoii informed Mr Norton . Grifliths -"that "the Government did not intend to appoint a Royal Com:mission on the, fiscal question.,. ITie four Australian • Dreadnoughts would be completed in-1913. The prelimin-; ary- work was being arranged beiore' the credits wore granted.