BRITISH ELECTIONS

Hokitika Guardian, 12 October 1931, Page 5

BRITISH ELECTIONS

LABOUR V. CONSERVATIVES. (United Press Association.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) LONDON, October 10. “The Times" publishes a list of over 1220 candidates, as compared with 1 r3c who stood at last election. > 'I he Labour Party is determined to fight every possible seat . Mil THOMAS AND TARIFFS. LONDON, October 10. Mr J. H. Thomas, at a large meeting in Derby, secured adoption as a National Labour candidate. There were thirty dissentients. He said he desired to see free trade throughout the world more than anything else. He was prepared to use tariffs as a beginning lever. CANDIDATES STAND DOWN. LONDON, October 10. Mr Strauss, a Conservative, has announced that he would not proceed with his candidature for Huddersfield against a Liberal candidate, as he was unqualifiedly supporting the National Government. Sir Edward Grigg, Conservative candidate for Central Leeds, has withdrawn in favour of Mr Wade, the present Labour member. Mr Richard Denman is standing as a [Nationalist. LABOUR'S ALTERNATIVE, LONDON, October IQ. Mr Henderson says; The Labour Party have always. insisted on Import Boaids, in preference to tariff's, which would increase the cost of. the' workers’ here, enabling extensive purchases of foodstuffs to be made from the Dominions. The alignment of new Parties shows that since the National Labour candidates and the official Liberal candidates comprise a mere handful, the real fight lies between the Conservatives and the Socialists, with all the symptoms of a bitter - class struggle. SEAHAM CONTEST. MISS MACDONALD ON THE STUMP. LONDON, October 10. •Miss Ishbel MacDonald was warmly greeted when penning her father’s campaign at Seaham. She addressed a women’s meeting, which four hundred miners also attended, and they cheered her declaration that it was going to be a hard campaign, but it was going to be a victorious ■ one. Seaham was going to tell her father that he did the right thing. Mr MacDonald, who is week-ending at Ghequers -Co'a-rt, flies to Seaham on (Monday. Fleets of fast election planes have been organised to take candidates at any moment anywhere .either by clay - or by night.

THE CAMPAIGN. RUGBY, October 9. The erection campaign is likely to start in real earnest during the weekend. The Labour Conference at 'Scarborough ended yesterday, and Labour candidates headed for their constituencies, where their prospective opponents, who support the National Government, in most cases, are already at work. - The election promises to be an economy campaign in a double sense. Not only will national economy be in the forefront of the issues, but the funds and the avoidance in many constituencies of three-cornered fights., shortness of the contest, the comparatively low state of some oi the party wiijl doubtless reduce the electioneering expenses. Until nomination day, a weeic hence, the number of the candidates will remain uncertain. The British Broadcasting Corporation is making arrangements for the party leaders to have an equal opportunity to address the electorates. It is expected that Mr Baldwin and Sir Herbert Samuel will also speak for i the Government and Mr Arthur 'Henderson for the Opposition, while Mr f iLloyd George will explain his own standpoint through the microphone. \ THE TARIFF ISSUE. iSir Herbert Samuel, explaining his views on the tariff question in a speech last night, said that he thought that no single solution could •be found for the complex economic problems that had to be faced. T t anight be that there was need for some emergency measures in order to restrict certain classes of imports, although it would be equally foolish to assume on the one hand that taritfs irwere the only possible and effective 1 remedy, or on the other, that the old conclusions, to which the Free-traders had arrived, must necessarily suit the changed premises to day. Nothing must be ruled out beforehand, and if it should be found -bv impartial dnquirv and expert assistance that it ■was necessary to impose some restriction, they must not. say “we have our minds rigidly closed; to such a possibility. - ’ “But, in general,” said •Sir Herbert ..Samuel, ■•with regard to permanent tariffs as proposed for many •years past bv the Conservative Party, j :it may be right, or wrong, but the £ proposal is not directly related in the jLibe-al view to the present emergency.” MR MACDONALD'S INTENTIONS. The Prime "Minister is spending the w«ek-end at Chequers, but will leave ■for Seahran, his constituency, on Monday to conduct his personal campaign, fo-hich lias been begun in the conV* * .

stituenev by his daughter, Ishbel, and ibcal workers.

It 'is reported that fifty 'National Labour candidates, who will give their full support to the Prime Minister will stand for various constituencies. The Labour Party, under .Mr Henderson, announce that tiny will challenge the Government candidates wherever possible, and 500 Socialist candidates may he in tin: field. The Conservatives anticipate that about o.io of their candidates will contest the election in support of Mr MacPoir I s programme suppbment.d by the Baldwin manifesto. LIBERALS DISUNITED. The Liberal Party is disunited owing to the opposition of .Mr L'lovd George to the policy of the Liberal members of the Government in supporting the policy of a free band Blithe National Government, including possible emergency tariff's. It is stated that only about twenty of the Llovd George Liberals will stand as candidates. About thirty of the Liberal to!lowers of Sir John Simon, who have embraced his tariff policy, are expected to contest seats and, so far as js at present known, probably the same number o' National Libera] supporters of Sir Herbert Samuel will be nominated. GOVERNMENT’S POLIO Y. RUGBV, October 8. The dissolution proclamation was issued in the "London Gazette’’ last night. The Prime Minister, in a broadcast address, said that when it was formed' iff -August, the Government contemplated a brief life, finishing by the reestablishment of security and an inimpdiate return to normal' political conditions, The new situation created when sterling went off the gold basis made that impossible for some time fo come, and the Government had been compelled to ask the country for a mandate and support which could be weakened by no faction and by no opposition, either organised or disorganised.

Summarising the work before the Government, he safcl that- t first of all the pound must be stabilised, and in this the Government has to bear some of the responsibility. It must come to an understanding with other countries which have also gone off the gold standard. The work which the Government had in hand, though it had a kind of banker's appearance, was really the protection of the living of wage-earners from one end of the country to the other. Another goal they must strive to reach was to balance imports and exports. “To • do this," he said, ’■ “we shall adopt two kinds of action. We shall try to increase the exports, which is the best way, and to reduce our imports. Whatever the remedy is, the Government wishes to do > the most effective thing, and it asks the country to give it power to do so. While things are settling -down, the Government proposes -to watch continually how these changed financial conditions affect the standard of living of the people, and it will not hesitate to take every practical step to protect them against exploitation, Ewfui our economies must be watched, lest they liecome really oppressive, but it muse be clearjy understood that expenditure which hag to he met by loans, ana which 1 makes it impossible for the Chancellor of the Exchequer to balance the budget, nifty bo very gratifying at the moment, but it ha? to he paid for in the immediate luturp by deeper poverty and distress. “The Government will need to enter into ' international' conferences regarding the economic and financial situation of the world, and must use jts Influence to remove the impediments in commerce and finance which have contributed so largely to the present breakdown. We lif’P -still confronted, for instance, with the consequence of paying, or trying to pay, the Wfl.r debts and reparations, the uneconomic distribution of gold, the widespread freeing up of credits, and such like vital matters, and hi dealing with these great problems the Government . must clearly he able to work hi security as regards itself, and in harmony with the countries involved, so that the settlements will ty regarded as just and tolerable by them »U. The present Government and the present Parliament cannot enter upon such labours without a mandate in the form of a vote of confidence from the nation. The result of . this election is to prove to the world that -the pillars of State ire .'■tire, and although, with the rest of the world, we are hit hard, we l»iW» the v'll and the endurance to come through with our reputation enhanced.’’