THE OLD COUNTRY.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLI, Issue 24, 9 December 1908, Page 7

THE OLD COUNTRY.

A graving dock is to be constructed on the Clyde of sufficient size to take the largest battleship afloat. Over 500 assisted emigrants, with capital, are sailing in the steamers Mamari, iVVakanui, and lonic for New Zealand. A large and influential committee has been formed, irrespective of party, to oppose the extension of the franchise to Women. The Metropolitan Hospital Sunday Fund has received between £600,000 and [£700,000 under the will of the late. Mr. (George Herring. It is rumoured in London that Mr. ■Lloyd-George (Chancellor of the Exchequer) contemplates an ad valorem tax on dealings in securities. It is reported that the British India, [Federal, Houlder and Shire lines have arrived at an agreement in connection with the new direct mail service to Queensland via Torres Straits. Mr Horatio W. Bottomley, Liberal M.B. for South Hackney since 1906, and a prominent city financier, has answered a summons to appear at the Guildhall on a charge of conspiring to defraud the public in connection with the operations of the Joint Stock Trust, and Finance Corporation. Death of a Millionaire. The death is announced of Harry Barnato, founder of the firm of Barnato Brothers. Mr. Barnato left a fortune of five millions, and bequeathed a-quarter of a million to charities. Tariff Reform Win. The election for the Chelmsford division of Essex, due to the resignation of Major Sir F. Came. Baseh, has resulted in the return of Mr. ITeltyman, a tariff (reformer, the polling being: — 1 Mr. Prettyman (C) 6142 \ A. 11. Druce (L) 3587 j Majority for i’rettym.sn 2555

Compared with Germany. Mr. W. C. Steadman, Liberal and Labour member for Central Finsbury, after visiting Germany, reports that Germans work longer for lower wages, but are better cured for and get infinitely more out of life than Englishmen, who drink and gamble more. Old Age Pensions. The number of applications for old age pensions in Englund is 367,197, in Ireland 193,138. iji Scotland 67,785, and in Wales 23,950. The total originally estimated was half a million, a number which is exceeded by 152,070. Protection of Children. The House of Lords has passed the Children’s Bill previously passed by the House of Commons. The Lords introduced from the dead Licensing Bill a clause prohibiting children entering the bars or licensed premises. A Reckless Chauffeur. A chauffeur named Dailey, who was convicted at Guildford of the manslaughter of a lad whom he ran over while driving a car at excessive speed, has been sentenced to a year’s imprisonment with hard labour, ami he is then to be deported. More Passive Resistance. Following upon the rejection by the House of Lords of the Licensing Bill, Dr. Clifford ( President of the Baptist World Union) has come forward with an ex-

tension of the “passive resistance” scheme. He projects a Teague of taxpayers who will refuse to pay the income tax until Mr Asquith introduces a measure to deal with the House of Lords for its action in what Dr. Clifford describes as thwarting the will of the people. Abandoned. It is officially announced that- the Education Bill has been abandoned. Cabinet’s decision was practically unanimous, and was due to the impossibility of arranging contracting-out terms. A Valuable Library. Great prices were realised at the final sale of Lord Amherst’s library. A first volume of the Mazarin Bible fetched two thousand guineas. It is believed that Mr J. Pierpont Morgan bought the famous sixteen Amherst Caxtons. [Last week it was announced that owing to the alleged defalcations of Charles Cheston, a London solicitor. Lord Amherst lost £250,000, partly trust money, and this may account for his sale of his most cherished possessions. At the time of the former sale it was announced that his Lordship had lost heavily through misplaced confidence.] To Reform the Lords. The report of Lord Rosebery’s committee has been published. It recommends a remodelled House jf Lords, to consist of three peers of the blood Royal, peers nominated by the whole of the peers of the realm for one Parliament, 130 qualified hereditary peers, 10 spiritual peers, and five lords of appeal. The committee recommended that the life peers should nut exceed 40, and that only four be created in any one year. A Deadly Machine. Sir Hiram Maxim, in the course of a speech, asserted that the aeroplane was a very important military weapon, enabling the bombardment of towns from a great distance, and creating a revolution in warfare equal to that resulting from the invention of gunpowder. Riotous Suffragettes. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Lloyd George, was announced to speak upon womanhood suffrage at a meeting of the Women’s Liberal Federation in the Albert Hull. A demonstration from the militant -ection of the suffragettes was anticipated, and a la ’god orve of steward© engaged

for the purpo-c of suppressing any disorder. The building wa> crowded. and it was quickly evident that the militant suffragette* were there in large force. As soon as the Chancellor attempted to speak pandemonium broke loose in various parts of the hall, women shrieking the suffragette war cry. “Votes for Women,” and refusing to give the Minister a hearing. The stewards seized and carried out dozens of women, who struggled and fought until ejected. A number of others, adopting tactics used outside Hie Premier’s residence and in the galleries of the House, chainedthrm.selves t<> the pillars and chairs and kept np their fin* of interjections. Finally, Mr. Lloyd-George was compelled to abandon bis attempt to address the meeting. The uproar was tremendous, and sometimes twenty scrimmages were proceeding simultaneous!v in different parts of the hall. A number of women who have served terms of imprisonment for causing disturbances at earlier suffragette demon st rat ions, dramatically threw their cloaks aside and appeared in prison dress. Several of the interrupters were very badly handled by the stewards during the process of ejectment. Between the bursts of interruption Mr. Lloyd-George succeeded in stating that the Government would draft an electoral Reform Bill, which would enable a private member to introduce a clause ex tending the franchise to women. Tf such a clause were carried by the House, the Government would accept the responsibility of carrying it through the remaining stages. They were unable to introduce a bill themselves, because a sincere and powerful minority of the Cabinet was opposed to the extension.