BRITISH POLITICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 February 1924, Page 2

BRITISH POLITICS.

LATEST CABLE NEWS

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. IMPORTANT REFORMS. LONDON, February 4. Mr Davies, Undcr-Secrofftiy for Home Affairs, speaking at Leeds, enumerated the things which the Labour v / Government could do. He mentioned foi example, the granting of probation tor first offenders, instead of sending them to gaol. Then there was the abolition of capital punishment. They could provide for pensions lor widows, mothers and families of killed conk miners; for the extension of housing and educational facilities, and for the abolition of the gap in unemployment Pay.

FINAL CABINET APPOINTMENT^ LONDON. February 3. The balance of tin- Ministerial appointments are now announced as follows : - Lords Commissioners of the Treasury. Messrs William Graham. Frederick Hall. Thomas Kennedy, and John Robert soil. emigration affairs LONDON. Feb. 3. Mr Sidey Low. in an article in tbe “Dispatch,” commenting on Mr MacDonald's appointment of Mr J. H. Thomas to the Colonial Office, describes Mr Thomas as probably “the most energetic and capable of the genuine Labourites.” ' y'' “His appointment.” be says, “will help lo bring home to Labour and to the English and Scotch working classes generally a deeper and wider consciousness of the meaning and character of the Empire, for whose governance and guidance they now are largely responsible. The attitude of the majority of the labouring people towards the outer Empire has been distrustful. The words “Imperial” and _____ “Empire” stick in their throats! There is till a. good deal of prejudice against overseas (expansion, which lias been handed down from the early Victorian times. The Nineteenth Century Radical and Liberal did not much like the Empire. To them, it boro the- taint of monoply of privilege, and of militar-

He goes on :—“Wo are not peopling the vast, potentially rich Britainnic areas beyond the seas fast enough for their safev, or for ours. This failure is partly due to the prejudice of the Trade Union leaders and orators, a prejudice inherited from their Radical progenitors. They lmve not been thusiastic over the state-aided or anthropic emigration schemes. Sometimes they have suspected them of being fhn mere devices of the well-to-do for the shipping of the poor and the ill-paid to distant lands, instead of properly providing for them at home. Mr J. H. Thomas, as fi Trade Union Colonial Secretary, may do much to counteract this. He will have an opportunity of convincing his followers that Britain cannot endure the steady increase of her insular population. The surplus must go abroad or sink into miserv. 1 believe that if the British people are still to play a part politically and industrially on the world’s stage, they must have a larger island than this of ours. There is a larger island readv for them-- Australia, which stands to Asia as Britain to Europe. Australia is the Greater Britain of the future, if wo don’t put off the future too long, till the others ralw it from us.”

THOMAS'S MESSAGE TO NEW /F ALAND. WFI.I.IXTGON. Ecb. L

The following telegram has been i eived In His Excellency the GovernorOuural,’ from ihe Secretary. Vrf State far tho Colonies (lit. Hon J. H. Thomas): — C:r tahinv office at. Secretary of State for the Colonies. T would ask you to assure your Prime Minister of my earnest desire to preserve and strengthen tho system of consultation and co-operation between the several Governments on all matters of mutual concern. My first aim will always bo to promote the interests of the Bntisli Commonwealth, and T feel sure I can count upon receiving from yourself and your Prime Minister the same measure of assitanec and advice extended to my predecessor.” (signed) J. H. Thomas. The following reply has been forwarded by Mr Massey, through the Go-

vernor-General: — “On bis return to New Zealand, my Prime Minister desires me to thank you for the message contained in your telegram of .Tan. 24th.. and to convey his congratulations to you on your assuming the Seals of Colonial Office. Ho states that he feels sure that the harmonious relationship which lias existed heretofore will be continued dining your tenure of office and that it wil afford him the greatest pleasure to cooperate in all matters having for their object- the common good of the Governments of the Empire.’

LABOUR’S HOUSING SCHEME

(Received this dav at 5.30 a.m.) LONDON, Feb. 4

Mr Stewart, Under-Secretary for Scotland, speaking at Glasgow, announced that the Glasgow Corporation would not be allowed to build houses in excess of twenty-four to the acre when clearing the slum areas. Ho added that the Labour Party intended people should occupy the houses they built at fourteen to fifteen pounds per annum and the Stat*» would have to hear the burden of forty millions per annum for housing, which was not much considering t)Ge war debt. Labour would ask Parliament to give powers to make Hie trusts sell materials at reasonable prices, otherwise the Government would produce the material themselves-Jp^