THE NEW COMMONS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 732, 3 February 1910, Page 5

THE NEW COMMONS.

LABOUR PARTY.

THE UNIONIST ATTITUDE TO THE

MINISTRY.

A LIBERAL GAIN IN SCOTLAND.

The feature of the three new returns to-day is that the Liberals win a Scottish seat from tho Unionists, increasing their majority over Unionists to four; and that two new Independent Nationalists are elected, making eleven: Independents in the total of 82 Nationalists.

• Tho stato .of parties, including to-day's results, now stands:—'

Lost. Gained. Retained. T'l. Liberal ..... 118 22 253 275 Unionist .... 17 127 144 271 Labour 15 , 2 37 39 Nationalist* 1 — 82 82 Total seats returned 667 Total seats In House 670 Seats not yet returned 3 'Including eleven Independent Nationalists. LABOUR'S POSITION, HOW THE COMPOSITE MAJORITY MAY WORK. PRICE OP LABOUR SUPPORT. IS COALITION A POSSIBILITY? London, l'ebruary 1. Mr. Ramsay Mac Donald, Labour member for Leicester,- and a leader of the Independent;labour party, stated in an interview that:-, the Labour . party, had | three possible policies: ... , . .•, ' . First, : to'.form: a; coalition Government with the-Liberals; Second, to demand certain measures from ' the, Government in . return for its support; ; ' '~ •. Third; to-remain -absolutely-independ-ont. : . ■ •' ■ If a coalition; were established, added 'Mr. .Mac Donald, it must be for a' specific purposo. ' , AN ANTI-LORDS PROPOSAL NOT SUFFICIENT. AN UNEMPLOYMENT BILL WASTED. (Eeo. February 2, 10.50 p.m.) London, February 2. In the, course of his interview. Mr. Ramsay- Mac Donal- Baid- that anyone assuming that the' Labour, party would simply be content with ' anything the Government might propose .regarding. the House of, I Lords -was much :mistaken. - Unemployment, had. been'".bo. exploited by the Unionist Tariff Reformers during' the eleotion that'the Liberals, if only for their party interests, must deal, drastically with' theisubjeot. ,Moreover, it was essential'that somebody in sympathy a drastic , programme should go to' the Board •of Trade.. . ; He did not consider that a coalition Liberal-Labour Ministry would suit either party. ; -S. ' ' [The Labour party- have - strongly condemned. Mr. John Burns's administration of the Board of Trade,' and particularly of the:unemployment grant.] •

THE LIBERALS' "BEST FRIENDS," THEY MAY - BE THE UNIONISTS. EMBARRASSMENTS 'OF A LABOUR ALLIANCE. , (Roo. February 2, 10.50 p.m.) London, February 2. "The Times," further discussing the results of the general election, says that Labour : is ? now a united parly in Parliament. ' Mr. Richard Bell .(formerly Labour. M.P. for Derby and secretary of: the Amalgamated Sociciy. of Railway Servants, and ono who .resisted the Labour partes discipline) has been driven out of Parliamentary life, and the Northumberland ! miners' members' (Messrs. Burt and Fenwick, ; who also refused,to take the Labour pledge) have been driven into tho Liberal party, ■>'.:

; Rlght-to-Work: Payment of Members. .'The .Govenunent, in the opinion of "The Times," cannot, unices they are supported by the Nationalists' and' the Unionists, disregard or; defy/the present compact Labour party. A serious rupture on the Labour: party's. Right-to-Work Bill (rejected by the: old House of Commons) seems inevitable. ■ The Labour party also demands a Bill- to get,, round, the. judgment of the Court in the Osborne case, which judgment declared it illegal to use .trade uni/yn funds'for the payment of the salaries of Labour members of 'Parlioment. .: '■ .

An Admission of.Tyranny. ■ , The acoeptaaoe by the Government oi snch a Bill would, -"The Times" argues, be "tantamount to the party's. admission that. Parliamentary . levies should; be forced on members of unions against their will. Inasmuch as the officials of unions are free ,to 1 collect voluntary levies for the payment of members/of Parliament, will : the Government'join in. promoting a system of tyranny?"

"Theso (adds "The .Times") are *ome of. their : -impending embarrassments.. It really i looks as if they . might find, theii: best friends , among the Unionists." LIBERALS WIN A UNIONIST SEAT IN ' SCOTLAND. nationalists 82, Including u INDEPENDENTS. • (Rec. February 2, 10.60 p.m.) . London, February 2. - The following are further results 'of tho polling at the General Election (the asterisk indicates member in last Parliament):— ' WICK BTJEQHB. ! Mr. ; Munro (L.) 1,537 "Sir Arthur Bignold (UJ 1,262 L. majority, 275 [Result in 1906: Sir A. Bignold CtT.j; 1362; Mr.'W. Thomson (L.), 1266; IT. majority, 96.1 >. CORK COUNTY-WEST. •Mr. Jas. Gilhooly (Ind. N.) ...... 2,155 'Mr. O'Leary (N.) 1,382 Ind. -N,. majority 773 [Rosiilt. in 1906: Mr. J. Gilhooly (N.). unopposed.] • CORK COUNTY—NOROT. Mr. Guiney (Ind. N.) 2,888 Mr; Barry (N.) 1,798 Ind. N. majority 1,030 [Result, in. 1906: Mr. J. O. Flynn (N.), unopposed.] [Tho above returns make a total of 82 Nationalists, 11 of whom aro O'Brienlte or Independent Natlonallßtß.l . MINISTERIAL CHANGES. | WAE OFFICE TO ADMIRALTY. (Reo February 2, 10.50 p.m.) London, February 2. The "Daily Telegraph" (Unionist) considers that there is a likelihood that the Secretary for War, the Rt. Hon. R. B. Haldane, may take tho portfolio of First 'Lord of the Admiralty, now held by the Ist. Eon. M"Kamia.

A LIBERAL CAMPAIGN IN AID OF FREE-TRADE. "THE LIBERALS WON ON- THE WHOLE." : BUT- A RALLY IS NEEDED.' ' London, February 1. . The "Daily Chronicle'' (Liberal) is opening a campaign fund for the defence of Free-trade and cheap food. It urgently appeals to. all Liberals for service and sacrifice, and announces that it will cooperate with the Froo-trade Union. "Free-trado," says the "Chronicle," "hits emerged triumphant from tho election, but if it is .to be successfully; defended there: must be no Blackening, but rather an increasing: in intensity of the Liboral propaganda. The Liberals won on tho whole, but in some parts of the country there has been a set-back. Freetrade scouts in every corner of the country,, are wanted." the polling at the General Election (the started a Gladstone League to propagate the' ideas of Free-trade- and reform. MINISTERS ABROAD. . . : London, February 1. Mr. John Burns, President of the Local Government Board, is in' Paris, in-, specting the relief work in connection with the floods. Mr.; Lloyd-Georgo, Chancellor 'of the Exchequer, is spending a holiday in Switzerland. WHAT LIBERALS WILL OFFER TO ALLIES.THE LORDS' VETO FIRST. ' . Whatever the inter-relationship^, ; between' Liberals, and Labour and Irish Nationalists may become, the Liberal policy would seem to be to unite them in tho first place in the. question of the lords' veto. This was indicated in the cablegram published yesterday as to the probable procedure in thb new House of Commons.. The Nationalists, even if the 11 Independent Nationalists be excluded,can upset either oi Liberal-Labour or a Unionist combination. Concerning the: Nationalist: attitude, the "Sydney Morning Herald", writes:— v

, "Mr. Asquith, leader of the Liberals, and Mr. J. E.' Redmond, leader of the Irish party, have both been giving their! respective parties, explanations of- what are . really their, reasons why the two should hold: solidly together. The Irish party.- all ',wants Home , Rule. Mr. Asquith.'has said, in. effect: TVe heartily approve of. Home Rule as the only solution for tho problem of Ireland—provided that by Homo Rule is meant only self-goyernment ,in' Irish , affairs. Bht it is-no. use our- attempting to pass. Home Rule or anything else of importance, because the Lords will throw it out.- We in-: tend to spend all onr efforts in abolish-' ing the' Lords' veto first. We are not going to think, of any other measures till. wo. have done jthat.. Then we will turn to, other things.' "Mr. J. E. Redmond -has told the Irish party_ in effect: /What Mr. Asquith . has said is good enough for us. We have'no chance of Home Rule so long as the Lords are thero. .But if once the , Lords lose their ' veto the first Liberal: Government that comes along with a majority, will give us the ,Home Rule Mr. Asquith speaks'of. And that is the Home Rule ,we want._ We. do not want separation.?, .■'•■ ■■.'ln spite of this'there seems to 'be every doubt' whether the O'Brienites in the Irish .party .will'not' refuse to follow Mr. Redmond and vote against Mr: Asqnith's Government if it is returned. Mr. Redmond says ■ the 'Irish -have th'o best chance / they ■ will ever; have. to get Home Rule, because thoy have a chance to abolish the veto, and once they do that Home' Rnle is certain. But those. Irishmen who wa.nt everything'at orice or . else nothing at.' all are quite' likely to oppose : the Liberals. The Conservatives are counting on'their doing so. That is.the'whole orux ot, the question as far as it can be seen at presont." . . ■