HOME ELECTION BATTLE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 245, 16 October 1931, Page 7

HOME ELECTION BATTLE

A WEARY PREMIER LLOYD GEORGE’S STAND FEARS A TARIFF TRAP t P, Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright] Received Oct. 15, 11.45 p.m. LONDON, Oct. 15. Mr Ramsay MacDonald, at Blackball Colliery, made hit first confession of strain. Ho admitted that he was feeling weary after two years in harness. A fight like the present was a tremendous test of not only mental but physical endurance. “I wanted the Labour Government to remain in ofiico and tacs tho facts manfully; but they would not, and I declined to run away,” he said.

The Samuel supporters continue to complain of the Conservative opposition at Dai well. Liberal headquarters has issued a list of 120 candidates, excluding 37 Simoniccs. If all stand it will result in perhaps 70 three-cornered contests, but the list may prove .iniistic. Money is not plentiful and the £l5O deposit may not bo forthcoming in all cases. Colonel Tweed, described as Lloyd George’s political adviser, stated that the Simonides, by their own action, had ceased to be members of the Liberal Party, and were regarded as Liberal Unionists. The I.L.P. issued a list of 19 candidates, stating that they will contest the election independent of any other organisation Mr Thomas, at Derby, said that he had no hesitation in announcing that ho would restore unemployment cuts which affected 2,000,000 workers. The Daily H?rald describes these as the meanest cuts of all. Rear Admiral Dewar, late of the

“Royal Oak,” has been adopted as the Labour candidate for Portsmouth North,

Air Lloyd George telegraphed his wife, who is campaigning at Carnar von borough:

“lam prepared to support this, or any other Government. I fee] convinced that it is doing its best, regardless of party advantage, to advance the interest of the nation to extricate it from difficulties. I decline to walk, with my eyes wide open, into a tariff trap.”

CONSERVATIVE SPEECHES. MR. CHAMBERLAIN’S VIEWS. [ Per Press Association. 1 RUGBY, Oct. 14. It is anticipated that about 1300 candidates will be nominated on Friday for the 615 Parliamentary seats to be filled at the general election on October 27. This will represent a 400 decrease compared with the last election in May, 1929. On that occasion there were 470 single member constituencies in each of which there were three or more candidates. At present there are under 100 such constituencies in which more than two candidates are contesting a seat and the number is declining every day as the result of negotiations designed to avoid splitting the National Government vote.

Old party rivalries in some constituencies, however, are still so acute that the local organisations still resist the representations of the party loaders, whq are advocating a united front against the candidates opposed to the National Government. They point out that at the last election owing to the prevalence of three-cornered contests more than half the members of the House were elected by a minority vote. Such a state of affairs in any case is being avoided on the present occasion. Whatever the result of the election the party with a majority of members will on this occasion, also have a majority of the electorate behind it.

Stockbrokers are again doing unofficial business in " election majorities,” and th e present state of their ‘‘market” shows an expectation that the National Government will have a clear majority of 150 to 160 seats. Wireless Broadcasts.

Mr. Baldwin last night was the first of the party leaders to speak on the wireless. Other speakers in the series during the next ten days will be Messrs Clynes and Lloyd George, Sir John Simon, Mr. Philip Snowden, Mr. ’V. Graham, Sir Herbert Samuel, Messrs Baldwin, Henderson and MacDonald. Mr. Baldwin stated that the National Government was called into being to carry out a task which ought to have been carried out and could have been carried out by the Labour Government. He declared that he and the Conservative Party would have supported the Laliour Government with all their strength it it had had the courage to face up to the troubles. He informed the Prime Minister was deserted l>y the Labour Party and most ot his colleagues. He said that the eon“donee of tho world would be shown in a National Government pledged to sound finance.

In regard to the attitude of the candidates representing the Lloyd George wing of the Liberal Party, it was stated that they will support the Government in dealing with the national emergency, except on the propsoal for a general tariff. Mr. Chamberlain’s Speech. In an election address Mr. Neville ( hamberlain states: “In common with my colleagues I recognise that no single remedy can be a complete cure, but, while I am ready to examine every proposal which seems likely to be helpful, I must frankly say that I believe that a tariff levied on imported foreign goods will be found indispensable.” He declares his convention that t - > ultimate destiny of the country is bound up with that of the Empire. ‘‘The Dorn in ins alone have vacant spaces and kinship with ourselves which make them suitable as homes for people of the British race. Tt will be possible with the aid of their goodwill to prepare the way for developments which will prepare the. way for developments which will restore prosperity to them and offer a new and hopeful outlook for pur coming generation.