IMPERIAL POLITICS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10683, 1 February 1913, Page 7

IMPERIAL POLITICS.

< 6 THE TARIFF. SPEECH BY MR AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN. United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. (Received February 1, 10 a.m.) LONDON, January 31. Mr Austen Chamberlain, speaking at Redditch, said that the Unionists proposed roughly a 10 per cent duty on manufactured goods, but less where the good "wore a prime necessity or where they were in tho first stages of manufacture, and more where -they were luxuries or carried the last stages of manufacture. They proposed to give colonial preference on every duty charge. That preference would be useful to any part of the Empire, but J if food duties were sought the party would seek a fresh mandate. SIR STUART SAMUEL'S SEAT. The House of Commons referred the question of Sir Stuart Samuel's seat to the judicial committee of the Privy Council. INDUSTRIAL LEGISLATION. The Trade Union Bill was read a third time. , Mr Bonar Law agreed that the Osborne judgment had placet! trades unions in an invidious position. It was only right that there should be liberty to engage in politics, and it was not true that the Unionists wero opposed to trade unions. The latter's efforts in the House of Commons to improve social conditions and wages had been a lamentable failure, so bad that the Socialists had captured the organisation. Trade unions could only be successful if the men acted as a solid union. Owing to tho differences of political views among the members, it was not desirable that ti-ade unions shoiild be identified with one party. Sir Rufus Isaacs denied that the Labour Party bad secured ment of the wages and conditions.