BRITISH POLITICS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1670, 9 February 1906, Page 2

BRITISH POLITICS.

telegraph, Presa 'Aos’u, Copyright London, Feb. 7. Tho Nationalist interpret the revocation proclamation aa tho proludo to ropeal of tho Oooroion Act. A numbor of Metropolitan momborH of tho Houso of OommoDs oro collecting data with u view to inducing tho Admiralty to placo contracts for cruißora at Thames ironworks, in tho intcrosta of unemployed mechanics. MR CHAMBERLAIN’B REPLY. WILL NOT BE CANDIDATE FOR LEADERSHIP. By, telegraph, Press Aes’u, Copyright ReceWod 9.7 p.m., Fob. 8, London, Fob, 7.

Mr Cbamborlain has written to Viscoun Ridley repudiating in any oiraumstanots beiog a candidate for the Unionist leadership. First, bocauso of close friondship with Mr Balfour; secondly, becauso it was agreed that the loader of a party of which sovon-tonths were Conservative ought to bo a Conservative. It was untrue that any ultimatum had been presented to Mr Balfour. They only desired tho party to meet to friendly discuss tho futuro policy. Different sections held three views regarding tariff reform. Those desiring it dropped for tho present a 3 an active policy forgot that if the question woto sholvod all the enthusiasm aroused would bo damped down and tho work of educating the country stopped. Buoh a position wa3 entirely inconsistent with Mr Balfour’s statement that tariff reform was tho first item of the constructive policy of Unionists, and a commercial union with the colonies the most important and urgent branch of tariff reform. The second suggestion that, while impressing tariff reform at present, Unionists should unite on the basis of the half-sheet of note-paper pro* grammo. It was not recognised that advanced tariff reformers thought the party right to frankly admit the probability of having to place a modorats duty on foroign corn in return for substantial colonial preference to British manufacturers. Mr Balfour, while- not objecting to the principle of such a duty, yet did not protest against the free fooders' statement that under no circumstanoes would they assent to a duty on corn. Tariff reformers

olbo believed that effective retaliation was impossible without a general tariff, Mr Chamberlain denied any attempt to exclude from the party all declining to accopt the whole programme of the Tariff Reform League.