BRITISH POLITICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 18 February 1924, Page 2

BRITISH POLITICS.

POPLAR POOR LAW. .MR ASQUITH’S CHALLENGE. (“Sydney Sun” Cables). LONDON, Feb. 15. Mr Asquith’s challenge to the Government has become a first class political sensation. Mr Wheatley rescinded the order made in 1922 which was intended to check the extravaganco of the Poplar Guardians in giving pauper relief on a scale exceeding trade union wages. The Guardians ignored the order and spent £93,000 in excess of the scale. They arc now spending eleven thousand weekly, thus relieving thirty thousand persons.

The Liberals, instead of throwing out the Government claim to have discovered an alternative, and it is understood that when a full dress debate is staged in the Commons Mr Asquith will propose to make a clean sweep of the poor law system by a Bill acceptable to all parties, taking relief out of an atniospehre of pauperism by the new administration fornfing committees consisting of employers and employees functioning under the borough and county councils, tints preventing wasteful overlapping. Single families will not exceed the father’s normal trade union wages. An instance is mentioned of eight different bodies now furnishing relief to the same family.

The Government is issuing a While Paper explaining the case for Poplar before the debate. BRITISH PARLIAMENT. DEBATE RKSF.MKD. LONDON, February If. On the House of Commons resuming the debate on the Government's policy, _Mi Austen Cliamheilniii supported Mr Aiquith on the Poplar Pool Law i-sue. lie requested the Premier to make his position regarding the resignation clearer. He also asked Mr MacDonald to define his attitude on the capital levy. Speaking as regards imperial Preference, Mr Chamberlain said Mr Lloyd George and Mr Arthur Henderson were bound to support those proposals which consisted of a induction on the present duties, as they both liad concurred in a resolution to that effect in the hnpr rial Conference of 1917. As regards the preferences requiring new duties, ho appealed to the Government to put In these preferencs, and simultaneously to reduce the unties on ten, sugar and tobacco sufficiently to compensate the JLilish consumers for the new preferences.

I! was si matter of transcending party quarrels he said which should be kept out of their dealings with Dominions, just as they put out the scheme l of foreign policy. It was worth while adjusting their food duties, so as to stibseivc tlie great interests of the empire.

.Mr .MacDonald stated that the Committee of Imperial Defence was exploiting; tlio whole problem of defence in a muon wider sense than hitherto, not merely from the viewpoint of the strength of the army, the navy, and tlie- air force, although those questions v.eii under consideration: but from tlio viewpoint of civil, foreign, and international policy. Continuing the premier assured the House that the estimates were to be si i idinlsed with rigid care by the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr Snowden) who was a rigid economist, and who would have charmed tlie heart of Glad stone or 1 lafcohrt.

Regarding flic question of the Gov (” ninent's resignation, Mr MacDonald said the Government would not remain in office live minutes after a division of the house had deprived it of its sense of dignity. He promised personally, to lock into the matter of pensions for Liu rankers, and he declared, amidst M'lTstcrial laughter, that “The Capital Levy is in the same position as protection, namely, it cannot be enacted by the present Parliament.” Nevertheless, lie would not he happy until the National Debt was reduced by holiest means. He was determined to reject all dishonest means, like those of repudiation, or inflation. The Premier said that he did i prop.se to deal with the tariff preference question, because that question would come up in its proper place when the resolutions were submitted to the House. Seeing that a day has been set apart foj the 'discussion of the Poplar issue, Mr MacDonald said he did not dcsiro to discuss its merits, but he thought .Mr Asquith had inadvertently misled the House on tlie question of the surcharge. He hoped that the House would not treat this question as a party question. I.Ord Curzon asked if the Government would consider the* Dominions lie 1 ore reaching a definite conclusion regarding national defence. Mr MacDonald replied :—“The hope ha.s now grown up, and justly, that the Dominions must bo consulted. We are in dose contact with them on all tin? questions concerning them.”

Discussing the question of the com pensation claim from Russia, with regard to the treatment of British fisheimen, the Premier said that Russi; ; ow was anxious to meet the British Government’s wishes in all outstanding questions, in view of its recogni-

t it n. The debate oil the Government's declaration of its policy concluded with out l lie Government being challenged

A LIBERAL CENSURE MOTION LONDON, February 15

After a meeting of the Liberal Party to consider what steps should Tie taken in consequence of Mr Asquith’s spiech in regard to the Poplar Poor Law relief, a Liberal M.P., Air Frank Briant (North Lambeth) condemned Mr Wheatley's action and urged a reform of the November case.