BRITISH ELECTIONS.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume XXIII, 23 November 1923, Page 6

BRITISH ELECTIONS.

CAMPAIGN COMMENCES. PER PRESS ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGHT J jON DON, November 21. 'The floodgates of election oratory are agape and the constituencies ai. being swamped with arguments pro and anti-Tariff, and pro and anticapital levy. There is also plenty of literature. The Unionist Central Office alone has already despatched thirty tons of election matter to the constituencies.

Mr Baldwin at Reading, Sir Robert Horne at Glasgow, Mr Austin Chau berlain and Colonel Amery at Burningham, will be the principal advocates oi Tariff Reform on Wednesday.

Mr Lloyd George, from the Opposi tion standpoint, had the day practically to himself.

Mr Lloyd George’s Queen’s Hall address was a reply to Mr Baldwin’s speech on the same platform. The great hall was packed to the door. The speech was very of Mr Lloyd George’s platform oratory. In rapid illustration, amusing analogies, stinging satire, perhaps the most original being the demand that Mi Baldwin should explain what he thought would cure the shell-shoekcu. patient if the mine was blown up under his feet. Mr Lloyd George added: “When a ship has sprung a leak from the terrific explosion, it is not a tinkers’ job.” Mr Baldwin had doiu nothing but talk, talk, talk. Not single act. “What we want is someone who will tackle the job. 1 am not an applicant. Peace is the real remedy. We want a man who will pursue the problem peace with a single and dauntless heart.” Mr Lloyd George's eleclion itinerary has been published. He leaves Euston on Friday morning for Glasgow, thence goes to Paisley to assist Mr Asquith. He goes to Newcastle on Monday thence to Hinderhind for the evening meeting. He will h<* at. Leeds on Tuesday, .ho following two days will be spent in Lancashire, and the weekend in North Wales, his own constituency, where Mr Austin Jones (Conservative) is opposing Mr Lloyd George. On Monday 3rd December Mr Lloyd George will be at Norwich, on Tuesday in South Wales. Mr Baldwin, speaking at Reading, was greeted by a crowded meeting singing: “Keep the Home Fires Burning.” Replying io Mr Asquith's charge lha-. the election was being pushed, he said Mr Asquith had evidently forgotten 1910, when lie gave the electors only three weeks io decide a most important matter. In an illuminating passage, Mr Baldwin explained the reasons the Government had decided not io tax essential articles of food. The country having become under Free Trade, an Industrial country, Britain was unable to leed her own people, and so prices of food might rise. Mr Baldwin said that secondly there had come from the Dominions no offer of preference, which would involve the imposition of a food tariff in this country. If an extremely advantageous oiler were made in regard to our manufacturers. and if an oiler was a reasonably good one, with regard to our export trade, it might be possible to lay it before the country, but at present there was nothing of the kind to justify the. Government taxing food supplies.

Mr Ramsay MacDonald (leader tn the Labour Party), motored from Bristol to Gloucester. His first big speech was made at the Forest of Dean where a thousand miners were waiting him. Mr MacDonald appealed fo* some arrangement with the Dominions on migration. If some enterprising skilled men must go to the Dominions,

they should agree to take some secondgrade men. The crowd at Newport, towed Mr MacDonald’s car through the streets to the hall, where five thou., and gathered. Mr MacDonald and the Labour candidate were hoisted on the shoulders of their supporters and carried into the hall.

Mr H. G. Wells, who is standing lor the London University, attributes the tragic unemployment to the decadence of Central Europe, through the obstinacy of M. Poincare and the empty weakness of Mr Baldwin’s Gov ernment. He says the Labour Party attacks the problem of developing the Home market by a system of high wages through a capital levy, and proposes boldly to attack the concentration of spending powers in the hands of a small minority of private individuals. This is ieally a levy on excessive private ownership. Mr Wells demands the fundamental reconstruction of the League of Nations. There were rowdy scenes at Mr Churchill’s first, meeting at Leicester. Owing to the lack of police, the mob rushed the hall so the ticket holders' seats were taken. When Mr Churchill appeared is was evident that a big hostile element was present. He described the election as an “ambush election.” In three hours Cabinet had decided to make this wild plunge. Lt was a good thing for Mr Baldwin's reputation as an honest man that he did not realise how sharp were the tactics his Party were employing. If the Conservatives come into power, there would be a desperate fight over tariffs and lobbies crowded with re presentalives of various industries.

Amazing scenes were witnessed at Lady Astor's meeting at Plymouth. The meeting was. held in a hot Communist quarter of the town, though it was supposed to be only a small ward. Al the meeting, the crowd,was so dense, that Lady Astor had to climb through a window to enter the hall. The Plymouth “Imperial Conservatives” are not opposing Lady Astor, though it issued a manifesto describing her as a nominal Conservative, whose views and actions render her politically unacceptable to a large number of life-long Conservatives.

The General Committee ol the National Liberal Club, unanimously without discussion, rescinded a, resolution of 1921 forbidding the hanging of the portraits of Mr Lloyd George and Mr Churchill.

| Mr Lloyd George in his Queen's ' Hall speech, replying to Mr Baldwu,, , said that the Tory Party, when worried always took to tariffs, as some people took to alcohol. Credit had declined in Britain since Mr Baldwin took up the job, and the only country where wages were on a level of those ol Britain was Free Trade Holland. Free Trade had given British commerce, trade and finance such vitality that British credit alone in Europe had been restored, and live imports were keeping Britain alive. To change the fiscal policy *n order to keep the Home tires burnil> n would be like a drunkard breaking up lhe furniture and flinging it into the lire. “Restore peace in Central Europe,” Mr Lloyd George insisted, “and trade will look after itself.” LONDON, Nov. 21. Dr Addison, former Minister of Health, is supporting Labour at the elections on the ground that he believes dial the Party is more resolute!' intent on providing houses than any other party. Dr W. A Chapple (the New Zealander) will re-contest ths Dumfriesshire seat as a Libera] Free Trader. The Women’s section of the Labour Party have issued a manifesto condemning fresh taxes in the name of Imperial preference on foodstuffs, salmon (the workers’ luxury), and apples (the children’s joy). The manifesto argues that traders would increase the price of Home and Dominion products to just about the price of foreign products, plus the duty.