HOME POLITICS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14659, 29 January 1912, Page 6

HOME POLITICS.

BRITISH LABOUR CONFERENCE. DISCUSS . IMPERIAL QUESTIONS. Press Association—By Tel.—Copyright. LONDON, Jan. 26. The Labour Conference at Birmingflara passed a resolution domanding An amendment to the Insurance Bill on the grounds that tho contributions are unjustly heavy, and the Bill will injure tho Trade Unions. Tho Conference condemned tho foreign policy of armaments and militarism, and favoured ;ui inquiry into how far a. general strike in tho countries concerned would tend to avort war. Tho Oonfcrenco also urged the establishment of the principle of the right to work in order that a reduction of armaments may not involve unnecessary hardships on workers. The Labour conference adoptod the Health Committee's report in favour of the nationalisation of tho public health administration under a Minister of tho Crown.

MACDONALDISM and tariff iIEFOOL Mr Ramsay Macd-onald, presiding at a public meeting in the Birmingham Jown Hall, appealed to the Labour leaders to go forward until the red flag ot liberty of the Socialists superseded tho skull and cross-bones of tho tariff reformero. THE IMPERIAL CONFERENCE. Mr Hareourt, speaking at Bacup, said that no one at the Imperial Conference suggested that tho fiscal system should bo altered for their profit to tho injury of the working classes. H Britain was in dager of losing tho colonies without a tariff, then she would loso them in any case, because w hat-over causes of friction might exist "Kith tho colonies—aud he knew of none —they would bo increased u- hundredfold by haggling between the States Stato trado and about trade Empire, through, conflicting interests.

FEMALE FRANCHISE. Mrs W. P. Roovea. in a letter to

tho "Times/' combats Lady Glasgow's statements published in the '•'i'-mes" that women's sutlruge in New Zealand 13 iii many ways harmful, and had not. helped to solve social ami other qwes- j' tioas. Lady Glasgow said that the Iriiiicliise in Britain wuuid lw infinitely more disastrous than it is in New Zealand, and that a. majority of women in Britain, as in Is'cw Zealand, did no;< want to vote. There were dramatic scenes at the Birmingham. Labour Coniercr.co when t the miners' delegates opposed the j jjuiErago resolution on the ground that-« they did not intend to refuse manhood j suffrage merely because women's suffrago was not included. The miners were defeated by [>19,000 votes to 680,000. A Buli'ragist deputation interviewed Lord Harcourt, at Wn-terfoot, Lancashire, and stated that thoy were dissatisfied Ti-itli his opposition, to wornori&k franchise, nnd promised to mate his life miserable. WESLH DISESTABLISHMENT. Mr MeKemia, Minister for Home Affairs, inaugurated tho Welsh d:.v [ establishment campaign in tho Queen's j Hall. ITe announced that subject to! existing life interests the Government | proposed to disendow to the extent of j £lS0,O;j0 per annum, and devote tho I money to national pitrpcses. SnfFra- ■ gotten frequently interrupted him and , were expelled. j