ELECTION ACTIVITY IN BRITAIN.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18084, 22 November 1923, Page 7

ELECTION ACTIVITY IN BRITAIN.

Triangular Fight Developing. SWAYING FORTUNES IN POLITICS. MANY CANDIDATES COMING FORWARD. By Cable—Pruss Association —Oopyrlfftit(Received November 21, 11.30 p.m.) . LONDON, November 20. Lord Robert Cecil denies the rumours of his resignation. He declares that as long as the Cabinet supported the League of Nations he would gladly co-operate. He had always been a Free Trader, but that did not mean that it was no part of his duty to assist in procuring fair treatment for our exports in foreign markets. The Government should be given the liberty ter produce its economic proposals. Mr Pilkington, a Westralian, is contesting Keighley, as a Liberal. So far it is a straight fight against Mr Let.. Smith (Labour member).. Mr Harney is seeking re-election for South Shields. Mr Newton Moore is not seeking reelection, owing to the pressure of business and the probability of having to visit Canada shortly after the poll, hopes before, long to visit Australia, but intends to seek to re-enter the House of Commons, at the first opportunity' thereafter.

CONSERVATIVES GAINING CONFIDENCE. Mr Balfour, Lord Derby, Mr Austm Chamberlain, and Sir Robert Horne were present ~at the Constitutional Club'on the occasion of. Birkenhead's first election speech. Lord Balfour exhorted all Conservatives to support the Government, because a bare majority would be insufficient to carry out the Unionise policy. Lord Derby believed himself aha Lord Birkenhead can acoomplish, a big task in securing a Conservative majority in Lancashire. Lord Birkenhead said he was. utterly indifferent whether he held office it the Government were re-elected. He dwelt on the prosperity of protectionist countries—America, France and Italy. Mr Austin Chamberlain said that the Socialist Party was not their most dangerous opponent, but the re-united Liberals. Sir Robert Home, speaking at Glasgow, said Mr Asquith and Sir John Simon, who has been retaken to Mr Lloyd George’s bosom, had been denouncing .the granting of any preferences whatever to the Dominions. Was Mr Lloyd George going to recant everything which in the war’s gravest moments lie had solemnly agreed n. with Dominion Ministers. Sir Robert Horne refused to believe it. Continuing, Sir Robert pointed out that Mr Bruce had disclosed attempts by other countries to make reciprocal trading arrangements with Australia. Could Britain afford to risk the chance ot losing the preferences received from the Dominions? Britain would never support a Party which failed to do justice to the Dominions, or flouted our Imperial destiny. - Colonel Buckley declares that me offered to stand for his constituency (Waterloo) as a Conservative free trader, but the local Association refused and is selecting a new candidate. LIBERAL MANIFESTO ISSUED. PARTY’S POLICY OUTLINED. BY CABLE—UTfV-s A.SSN.—COPYRIGHT. LONDON, November 20. ‘ The Liberal manifesto, signed by M. Asquith and Mr Lloyd George, on be half of the Party, declares that the Government elected a year ago on a programme .of five years’ tranquillity, suddenly decided to plunge the country into the turmoil of a general election on the unproved and improvable allegation' that the tariffs would cure unemployment. 1 The manifesto condemns the precipitancy of the Government’s action, which was solely' due to the signal and disastrous failure of their conduct of foreign policy in great matters essential *to our livelihood. ’The Government’s blindness, indecision and impotence had been such that it ceased it, exercise a guiding influence in European affairs. The same applies to the Eastern policy. The shameless Treaty of Lausanne surrendered all securities of British commerce in Turkey, and a similar fate threatened the valuable markets in the Far East. The Liberal’s policy is the prompt settlement of reparations, coupled with consideration of inter-Allied debts, an earnest effort to co-operate with America, and the re-opening of full relations witn Russia.

The manifesto declares that a cap* tnl levy would be disastrous, and demands the improvement of development in Britain and the Empire, for e> ample, transport, nfforestntion, cheap power and the development of Imperial resources, especially in the Crown Colonies, railway buildings in the Dominions and Tndin, the facilitation of oversea settlement and the cheapening of the means of inter-imperial transport. "OUR FUTURE PRIME MINISTER. BY GABLE —A RSN-■■-GOWVRTCfTTT LONDON, November 20. A large crowd farowelled Mr Ramsay MacDonald, who is going on a provinial tour, sang “Tho Reg Flag" and cheered “our future Primo Minister. Mr MacDonald said tho election would decide whether Labour was to bo tho subordinate or governing political power. Britain wanted ran-* than Conservatives and Liberals wove offering. Labour alone could give it international peace. Homo development co-operation, and brains with muscle. That was tho platform Labour stood for, and was therefore going to win.

FLOODS OF ORATORY. BIG GUNS OF PARTIES GETTING INTO ACTION. BY CABLE —PRESS ASSN.—OOPYRIGL, (Received November 21, 5.6 p.m.; LONDON, November 2u. The outstanding event of the Lay was a luncheon to Lord Birkenhoau symbolising the re-union of the Conservative Party. The great part which Lord Birkenhead will take in th,a elections is show., by the announcement that ho has already agreed to addpess • fourteen meetings including one at Cardin, Leeds, Oldham, Liverpool, while tlmic will be women’s meetings at Newcastle, Manchester and Pnfston. Meanwhile the Liberals with a view to emphasising the. end of the schism in their ranks, arranged for the Committee of the National Liberal Club to meet on Wednesday and rescind a resolution which ; relegated Mr Libya George’s portrait firorn the dining room to the cellar. There was no speech by Mr Lloyd George to-day addresses great Liberal meetings at the Queen’s Had, tomorrow afternoon. Lord Birkenhead’'® speech was in the best form of his F. E. Smith days. He could not understand why the LiberalParty was angry .about the election, considering they had said it had reunited them. He emphasised that iie would fully support- Mr Baldwin’s programme. On th.e other hand he claimed full freedom for the expression o. his opinion on public affairs. , He confessed personally he would have preferred Mr Baldwin to have included the whole of Mr. Joseph Chamberlain’s agricultural programme. Was Britain to reconcile itself to a million and ahalf unemployed. It was said that M, Baldwin’s policy was imbecile. If so. every other country in the world except Britain was ifnbeoile. Another interesting development was Earl Balfour’s frank declaration at Lord Birkenhead’s luncheon of hi,-, personal attitude, concerning which there is some speculation. Lord Balfour made it clear that he is as convinced a tariff reformer as , twenty years ago. He said that it is, stated that the situation justifies Tariff Reform because if -was worse than when last proposed. That' it .is worse agree, but some of us say that it is worse because we did not accept'Tariff Reform twenty years ago. I think if we could have checked the rise of the tariff walls against us, our present position would have been much more solid than now;. ■

Mr Baldwin, on Tuesday night, addressed a .meeting at Reading. His speech was. wirelessed to other, pub;, halls in the town, and so was heard by 20,000 people. Mr Baldwin’s electoral programme speeches are being closely studied in France.

Le Temps admits the obvious sincerity of the Prime Minister, but complains that Mr Baldwin had abandoned indefinitely the hope of stabilising the European exchanges. He advises his countrymen to build a wall and hide themeselves behind it, leaving the European Continent to welter in chaos. The consequence will be that ihe Continental Nations will be forced to unite more closely.

Mr Asquith opened his own election campaign, addressing a large meeting at Paisley. He aroused loud lauglitet by describing Mr Baldwin’s tarin scheme as not merely a case of “waii and see,” but a case of. “vote and see.” . Discussing the. European situation, Mr Asquith said tliat instead of standing as a detatched impotem spectatator, Britain, on her own initiative, should ask for the . combined action of the Great Powers and. the smaller States to clear away the incubus of sectional interests which p-ero impoverishing the world, so as. to banish the common curse of competitive armaments.

Lord Robert Cecil in a farewcv speech to his constituents at Hitch on. said he was riot going to resign fro,-, the Government or turn down hastih any proposal to give greater powers- to negotiate with foreign countries. Regarding tariffs, he said it would be a step towards free‘imports if preference were given to the Dominions. Britain has in the Empire a gigantic potential market. Personally he would not recommend anything in the nature of a bargain with- the Dominions. Commercial bargains between members of a family are apt to diminish family feeling, rather than increase it, but the Government’s policy of preference had no suggestion of this: Mr Ramsay MacDonald continuing his motoring tour in the West, addressed meetings at the Slough, Reading, Gloucester and Cirencester.. At the latter place, he 'was interrupted by students 'of the Agricultural College, whom Mr MacDonald described as “Hobbledehoys.” Mr Austin Chamberlain, in an election address, at West Birmingham, said Mr Baldwin’s objects were identical with those of Mr Joseph Chamberlain in 1904, including: Firstly,'giving such security to the Home market as will enable our producers to produo. with confidence and with best advantage ; secondly, to obtain the effective power of bargaining for more favourable treatment for our manufacturers in protected counpries; thirdlyj to develop the productive resources of tin. Empire, and promote inter-imperial trade.

Lord Islington, speaking at Launton, addressing a Liberal meeting said: “1 do not depreciate or ridicule the modest preferential arrangements, made at tlnTmperial Conference. I should be the last to laugh at tinned salmon and currants. When we have a scheme of Empire preference, without disability to people of these Islands I should look upon the proposal with a favourable eye.” Mr Simpson (Liberal candidate for Taunton) hastened to explain that ns was not in entire agreement with Lord Islington’s remarks.