IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 11663, 23 January 1902, Page 2

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

THE WAR DEBATE. MR CRAWLEY'S AMENDMENT LOST BY A LARGE MAJORITY. thrived Press Association —Per Electric Telegraph—Copyright. Received 9.19 a.m., January 22nd. LONDON, January 21. Financial business precedes reform in procedure in the House of Commons. Viscount Cranborne, Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, announced that prior to the Spanish-American war several Powers had suggested in a joint note to the United States that Great Britain should ascertain America's wisheg. They joined in hoping for a peaceful settlement, with guarantees acceptable to America. During the war Britain refused to join in proposals for putting pressure on America by offering an opinion on America's attitude. Viscount Cranborne stated that £28,380 compensation was, paid for the detention and search of German vessels at South African ports. Mr Brodrick, Secretary of State for I War, said 'that 2000 burghers constituted the Burgher National Scouts, and that they were doing excellent service. In the House of Commons, Mr Frederick ICawley, member for Prestwick, in a proBoer speech moved his foreshadowed amendment to the Address-in-Reply. I No Liberal leader had risen "when Mr Chamberlain, Secretary of State for the (Colonies, brilliantly replied, vindicating the humanity of the Government and the British Generals. He twitted the Radicals with urging the vigorous prosecution ( of the war, while approving of the resti- ■ tution of independence to the Boers. He hoped the si!»?porters of his Chesterfield policy would not do the country the disservice of voting ■with the Opposition. The war would long have been ended if the care of the women and children had not been undertaken. Excepting Miss Hobhouse, every visitor to the concentration camps acknowledged the care and humanity shown. While he would not be deaf to the reasonable overtures of any responsible authority, lie denied that the Boers would now receive the terms Botha refused in March, which though the same in spirit were subject to modification in detail. The credentials of Boer representatives must be closely examined. Mr Kruger and'his entourage had lost the confidence of the Boers in the" field, and it was doubtful who was now able to speak in the name of all the commandos. A solid, lasting peace was required, and the foe must recognise that they are beaten and make an unconditional surrender. This did not mean extermination. The severe measures taken up to the present did not equal the precedents of the Canadian rebellion. Nobody had been shot for treason. Extremely light punishment .had been awarded for treason, and no general confiscation of property was intended. The people were promised "equal rights and privileges, and he did not believe the Boers would I be permanently alienated. The Government refused to be drawn away through weakness and vacillation, and they had not withdrawn the proclamation of August 7th. A very, large measure of amnesty would be granted military offenders. Ordinary crimes would be punished, and others would suffer; the withdrawal of the franchise. The claims of the colonies, which had nobly assisted, would ba heard in the final settlement, and would certainly be allowed, despite the protests of a small section of the Opposition. Cape Colony wag paying £200,000 a month towards the war, an enormous contribution. Mr Chamberlain concluded : " We have the affection and support of. the colonies in an unprecedented degree, and mean to keep them." The speech was received with cheers. Mr John Dillon moved an amendment to Mr Cawley's amendment, denouncing the systematic devastation of the exRepublics.. The amendment was negatived by 283 votes to 64 votes. Fifty-seven Nationalists and four Radicals were included in the minority. Received 10.33 p.m., January 22nd. January 22. In the House of Commons Sir Michael Hicks-Beach, Chancellor of the Exchequer, said v?r had cost £46,300,000 from April to December last. Received 12.30 a.m.. January 23rd. LONDON, January 22. In the House of Commons, Mr Balfour said that he was disgusted with the attacks which had been made nn the War Office, whose administrative performances were unequalled in the history of the Empire. He attributed the extraordinary dulness of the debate to Mr Chamberlain's speech knocking everybody out of time. Mr Balfour bantered Sir W. Vernon Harcourt for devoting three-fourths of his speech to proving that he was not tied to Lord Rosebery's chariot wheels. Unconditional surrender was only meant so far as political arrangements involving the incorporation of the ex-Republics were concerned. There

delayed because Great Britain refused independence. He appealed to tlie Opposition to abstain from party fights calculated to encourage the Boers to prolong the war in the hope that the Government would be displaced. Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman said that the devastation policy was a gigantic political blunder, and the concentration camps were an offence against civilisation, and a military mistake. To avoid political disaster he urged that there should be a generous magnanimous peace. Mr Cawley's amendment was negatived by an overwhelming majority. The Nationalists, a few extreme Radicals, Mr Lloyd-George and Mr Labouchcre, abstained from voting. The minority included Sir H. Campbell-Bannermnn, Sir W. Vernon Harcourt, Mr John Morley, Mr Bryce, and Mr Fowler. The Liberal-Imperialists abstained from taking part in the debate, on the ground that Mr Chamberlain's speech left no wide divergence of principle. Sir Edward Grey, Mr Haldane, Mr R. C. Munro, and others did not vote. Mr Asquith was ill. Sir W. Vernon Harcourt in the course of his speech said that the impious insist on unconditional surrender, and that the Government policy gave no promise of durable peace. He denounced the proclamation of martial law and the suspension of the Cape Constitution. An amendment which was moved by Mr Lloyd-George simply affirmed two contradictory propositions. Apparently a section of his 1 party had been captoed by Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman and had stripped himofallprinciples.