UNIONIST CRISIS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1649, 16 January 1913, Page 7

UNIONIST CRISIS.

i -—* MR BONAR LAW'S REPLY. LEADERSHIP RETAINED. , BUT RESIGNATION PREFERRED By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright ' . London, January 14. In reply to the memorial from,the members of the Unionist party asking him and Lord Lansdowno to retain tho leadership of the party, but to modify the food tax proposals, Mr. Bonar Law says: — "Tho. memorial asks lie to retain tho leadership wliilo altering in one very important particular, not indeed tho policy of Imperial preference, but the method whereby it can be most effectively harried out. The modification requested concerning a oolonial conference docs riot in- : volve' any principle preventing us from loyally supporting the majority's desires; nevertheless it would havo been inoro agreeable to ourselves and more for tho party's .interest that the changed method should have been accompanied by a chango of leaders. The memorial, however, signed by both those desiring modification and those preferring' that the method should remain unchanged declares that a change of leadership would be fatal to tho best interests of tho party and the country, and-we feel, in view of such an expression, that it is our duty to comply with tho request, and this we aro prepared to do." ; THE NEXT UNIONIST BUDGET. London, January 14. -Mr. F. E. Smith, Unionist M.P. for the Walton Division' of Liverpool, in his speech at Cricklewood, said the first Unionist Budget would : enact a general tariff on foreign goods. Tho peoplo would bo told in clear, intelligible language before tho election what the ■ proposals would b«. ' •