IMPERIAL POLITICS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13647, 15 July 1908, Page 5

IMPERIAL POLITICS.

'rill") NAVAL VOTE. THE FIRST LORD'S REI'LV. V4,.,.i •Vss.iciation -l'.y LOXDOX, .Inly 14. ]„ the U<)«M' of Commons. '" Committee of: Supply, tin- shipbuilding vote was agreed to..ail-r a. «leb:ite largely eoiieern'inj, .the inevitable increase of exp.-ndiiure iu the fill-lire. Mi- Lee. lilt'" member for Farehain. warned ill'" Government, lhat if they failed ,„' liillil .Hi.'- l'le«l W - yiv.n in March, (lie. .oumry- woiilil show- them .that ii would stand no i rilling w'uh the navy. The' reply by Mi" Reginald McKenna. Fii-si J.ord" of the Admiralty. did not r.nry the qnestion beyond Mr Asiiuiih's declarations made in March last. lie ai-niu-d that Britain hy 1911 would have ei.i-ht- Dreadnoughts anil four now greatcruiser.**, compared with Germany's, neven Dreadnoughts and two Invincible*. He admitted' that, tiif- preponderance was insufficient if Britain had nothing- els.- io rely upon, but- bor 'superiority ..in battleships of the' Dreadnought type was incon test i hie. • Ho added that) ' what' was essential was .absolutely complete security. and it- wan mere, waste to go an inch beyond f hat. . . H<; promised that if the Admiralty were satisfied tile new ships should be Vaid down exceptionally early in 1900. 'l'heir plans were ready.

ROYAL--GARDEN PARTIES. THEIR EFFECT OX. STATESMEN. Received 11.20. p.m., July 14th. LOXDOX, July 14. Mr G. It. Raines, member for Glasgow, speaking ai-iPortheawl, and referring to the Hardie incident-, said. that lie never attended . the King',s garden party. He believed- that- atiy ' Labour leader attending such functions was made ' softer and less efficient. . EXTENSION .'.OF PENNY POSTAGE! . ~ THE LOSSES .TOO GREAT. Received 12.10 a.m..' July 15th. '.LONDON,- July 14. Mr Afcfjuiih, wlio was accompanied by : Mi- Lloyd George and Mr Sydney Buxton, informed a deputation of Commoners, that financial considerations prevented,, the. adoption- of .penny -postage with France. The initial loss would be £82,000 a, year, and. an extension of the penny ; pc/?t ..to other European countries, which would "inevitably follow, would involve a loss of £320,000 a year.