IMPERIAL POLITICS

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12868, 2 January 1906, Page 5

IMPERIAL POLITICS

THE PLATFORM OF THE . LIBERALS;- -• < ' V • : NO HOME-RULE^43E ? P^^N!feUnited Press Association—Per Electric Telegraph—Copyright. • • _ . LONDON, December 31.. Sir Edward Grey, speaking at Belmont, said that the Liberals, were fighting tliis election on freetrade. There would be mo JBffl wit&otit another special BElafidafe froiii tfee . t . .- The Duke of bivonshire, in a letter to the Hon. A'rfchttr 'Elliot-, says it is highly improbable that .the Government willrisk the introduction in the next Parliament of a measure for the establishment of an Irish legislature. If.therfc is stall danger to the Union, it is in the.r emote future. Received 11.59 p.m., Ji&uaiy Ist. ■ - LONDO&, Janttßiy 1. The Duke of" Devonshire's letter farther states that the issue of freehold or protection was .paramount. Under cover of Mr Balfour's appeal to the party to sanction' some undefined departure from the existing system, the Tariff League :was vigorously Agitating for more extreme measures, intended not merely to draw the' colonies . closer," but avowedly to protect the Home manufacturers' workmen from foreign competition. In fact, after Mr Balfour's/ admission at- Leeds, his followers were justified in. resisting those features of protection which Mr Balfour himself never accepted. He urged Unionist freetraders to take such action as would. prove that the Unionist party, whether in office or in opposition, was still not committed to a retrograde plicy by whomsoever proposed. ' UNITED IRISH LEAGUE., HOSTILE TO THE UNIONISTS. . LONDON, December 31. The Executive of the United Irish League of Britain recommend the Irish' voters to do their utmost tt> secure the discomfiture of the Unionists and to support the Labourites if they are Home Rulers. PREFERENCE AND HOME RULE. SPEECHES BY MR CHAMBERLAIN, LONDON, December 3i. Mr Chamberlain, speaking at Birmingham, said that Sir H. "Campbell-Banner-man's policy was the old Newcastle programme, omitting his reference, to the House of Lords. Mr Chamberlain suggested that Mr Redmond had been squared, and' that he had consented to put Home Rule on the shelf if the Irish'party were granteda Catholic University, and if Ireland were ' allowed to deal , as she pleased' Vwijth. -rthe' i loyalist minority, and to have control of the • Irish, police. It- was a political prime issue t : come to hastily and prematurely.. - Continuing, Mr Chamberlain said ..that with a despatch like the Earl of Elgin's, ■ which was so loosely and vaguely, worded s it was impossible to understand it. iWhatl ever the merits of the Chinese labour ques- » •**«? tam, shoUid d«eld* ; - jftiilesS - the. . jffiprcial ■ VT * we will <Sily allow Jjrbu. t<J ! SS . accordance %lth our prejudices I -Z" ideas." Thi^fc/would prove a .fatsd i & -A and would involve the .loss of South Africa. If the Government meant to leave the colonies to decide., then thewas a mere; electioneering' hand-bill. | _ Mr Catvmberlain said .that, he ' 'gre'j.tl'v - teared "ilie. fiscal question: would "b> complicated -with numberless irreleVSfat. iesuei 1 Thefree importers were the ?£al . protefr jriste, the design being , to. proteei foreigners in our markets.. -I3i-1884 our itn .ports irbm Germany, Hollatfd, and, Belgian Iwerfe 29£ millions, and. our*exports 31 mil Ifafi"? in 1904 our imports were 52£ mifiions anil Exports still 31.millions. - That wns ith Bismarck's highxforiffs ex

d Germans both the German and British ma ' kets. Mr Chamberlain: said that he did n* d desire protection, but the. restoration of tl equality of conditions. British trade wit v the colonies during a decade had increase a by six millions and foreign exports to tb e colonies had increased by 30 millions. ] would be better for us to accept a colonic ; offer of reciprocity. Mr Chamberlain, in supporting Mr Coi lard's candidature fpr East Bradford, state that two shillings a quarter on foreign cor only would not be a.heavy price to pay fo t preference -on Bradford manufactures - which the great colonies could give securit - for, as the wooten trade would comman' c their ever-growing markets. 8 CANADA AND PREFERENCE. . LONDON, January 1. It is semi-officially stated at Ottawa tha the arrangement tariff retains preference fo Britain with similar concessions to- Ney Zealand, South Africa, and with Australia if the Commonwealth reciprocates. Mr Alfred Mosely, speaking to the <Ja nadian dub, said Sir Wilfred Laurier hac informed him that Canada was prepared t( increase her preference on British, mttnufac tures, provided Britain gave preference tx agricultural products. POLITICAL HONOURS. LONDON, -December- 31., The following political honours- have been conferred Lord Edmond Fitzmaurice, Mr, Arthur Hayter, Mr. Philip' Stanhope, Mr Charles Hempthill, Sir James A Joicey,, Mr-C. H. Wilson (Commoners), and Sir W.~ H. Wills have been raised to the Peerage. Mr Edmund Robertson, Mr Thomas Brunt, and Mr Henry Labouchere are among eight new Privy 'Councillors.