BRITISH ELECTIONS

Hokitika Guardian, 16 October 1931, Page 5

BRITISH ELECTIONS

MR LLOYD GEORGE’S FEAR (United Press Association.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) LONDON, October 14. Mr Lloyd George telegraphed h s ‘wife, who is campaigning at Carnarvon Boroughs, as follows : -I am prepared to support this, or any oilier Government, which 1 Jeel convinced is doing its best regardless of party advantage to advance the interest 01 nation to extricate it from difficulties, but I decline to walk with my eyes wide open into a tariff trap.'’ 1300 CANDIDATES. ItUGBY, October 14. Rear Admiral Dewar, late of the. '“Royal Oak,” has been adopted Labour candidate for Portsmouth North. It is anticipated that about 1000 •candidates will be nominated on Friday for 615 Parliamentary seats, to be filled at the general election on October 27. This will represent a 400 decrease compared with last election in -May, 1929. On that occasion there were 470 ■single member’s constituencies, in each of which there were three < or more candidates. At present, there, are under 100 such constituencies, in which more than two candidates are contesting the seat.

THE I.L.P. LONDON, October 14. The Independent Labour Party has issued a list of nineteen of its candidates, stating they will contest the election, independent of any other organisation. MR MACDONALD. LONDON, October 15. Mr Ramsay MacDonald, speaking at Blackwall colliery, made his first confession of the strain. ’He admitted that he was feeding' weary after two years in harness. Now, he said, a fight like this was a tremendous test of not only mental, but physical endurance. He remarked ; “1,, wanted a Labour Government to remain in office and to face the facts manfully, but they would not. and I declined to run away.” LIBERAL SPLIT. : LONDON, October 14. Sir >H. Samuel’s supporters continue to complain of Conservative opposition to him at Darwen. The ILioeral headquarters have issued a list of one hundred and twenty candidates, excluding thirty-seven Simonities.

If they all stand, it will result in perhaps seventy three-cornered t contests, but the list may prove optimistic. Money is not plentiful and oh the J3iso deposit, may iirife be forthcoming in all cases. .. ' SIMONITES EXCOMMUNICATED, LONDON, October 14. Colonel Tweed, who is described as Mr .Lloyd George’s political adviser, stated that the Simonites, by their own action, have ceased to be members of the Liberal Party, and were to be regarded as Liberal Unionists. UNEMPLOYMENT CUTS. LONDON, October 14. Mr J. H. Thomas, said he had no hesitation in announcing that he would restore the unemployment cuts, which affected two million workers. The “Daily Herald” describes these as the meanest cuts of all. £ BETTING BY BROKERS. LONDON, October 14. Stockbrokers are again doing unofficial business in “election majorities,’ and the present, state of their market shows the expectation that the National Government will have a clear majority of 150 to 160 seats. PARTY RIVALS. RUGBY, October 14. Old party rivalries in some constituencies, however, are still so acute that the local organisations .resist the representations of the party leaders, ■who are advocating a Gnited front against the candidates opposed to the (National Government. They point out that at the last election, owing to the prevalence of three-cornered contests, more than half the members of the House were elected by a minority. In addition to Mr Baldwin last night, speakers on the wireless in a series .during the next ten days will be Mr dynes, Mr Lloyd George, Sir J. Simon, Mr P. Snowden, Mr W. Graham, Sir H. Samuel, Mr Baldwin, Mr Henderson and Mr MacDonald, , GOVERNMENT TACTICS. ’ | RUGBY, October 14. The number of seats with three-cor-nered contests is declining every da>, as the result of negotiations designed to avoid splitting the National Government vote. It is claimed that whatever the result of the election, the party with a majority of members will on this occasion also have a majority of the electorate behind it. In regard to the attitude of candidates representing the Lloyd George * w ing of the Liberal Party, it is stated that they will support the Government in deaPng.with a national emergency, except on a proposal for a gem era! tariff. ELECTIONEERING. RUGBY, October 11. Mr Baldwin; last night, was the first

of the party leaders to speak on the wireless. Mr Baldwin stated that the ‘National Government was called into being to carry out a task which ought to have been carried out, and could have been carried out, by the Labour Government. He declared that he and the Conservative Party would have supported the Labour Government, with all their strength, if it had had the courage to face, up to the troubles. He informed the Prime Minister, but the Prime Minister was deserted by Labour and most of his colleagues. He said that the confidence of the world would be shown in a National Government, pledged to sound finance. In an elecUon address, Mr Neville -Chamberlain said : “In connection with my colleagues, I recognise that no single remedy can be a complete cure, : but while T am ready to examine every proposal which seems likely to be helpful, I must frankly say that 1 believe a tariff levied on imported foreign goods will b> found indispensable." He declared his conviction that the ultimate -destiny M f he cou " h '- v . 13 hound up with that of the Umpire. ••The Rom:irons alone have the vacant space and kinship with ourselves which make them suitable as homes for people <>;’ the British race. U - be possible, with the aid of their goodwill, to pn pare the way tor developments which will restore prosperity to them, and offer new, hopeful outlets for our coming generation.