Beyond the Dominion

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 241, 12 March 1910, Page 3

Beyond the Dominion

SHORTER PARLIAMENTS. London. Mr. Asquith has announced that the resolution which he intends moving on the 29th inat. Will include proposals for the shortening of Parliaments. ' FREE TRADE NOT SECURE. London. Mr. Alfred Mond, M.P., treasurer of the Freetrade Union, interviewed, discussing recent tariff divisions in the House of Commons, declared the position of freetrade as Britain's fiscal policy could no longer be regarded as secure. If freetrade had the wisdom and courage to put Creetrade first, then freetrade was absolutely safe. GERMANY'S EVASIONS. Berlin. In the course of the navy debate in the Reichstag, Herr Lederer, a Socialist, charged Prince Buelow, exChancellor of the Empire, and Admiral Von Tirpitz, Secretary to Uie Navy, with quibbling with regard to England attempt to promote the limitation of armaments, and declared that England had made frequent, if informal, suggestions on the subject. Admiral Von Tirpitz, in reply, read a previous statement of Herr Von Schoen, to the effect that the English Government had avoided a formal proposal as to limitation. IMPERIAL DEFENCE. London. In the House of Commons, during the debate on the Army Estimates, Mr. Haldane (Secretary for War) stated that the Government was organising an aeronautical corps on the German pattern. At present, continued Mr. Haldane, there was a deficiency in the army of 120,000. The Imperial General Staff scheme was being developed, and General Sir W. G. Nicholson, Chief of the General Staff, was receiving weekly communications with regard to organisation. Mr. Haldane added that he hoped Lord Kitchener's visit to Australasia would bear practical fruit. General Sir J. D. French was going on a similar mission to Canada. NAVAL STANDARD. London. In the House of Commons Mr. A. Burgoyne, Unionist member for Kensington North, asked whether the Admiralty considered the Australian and New Zealand Dreadnoughts as part of the fleet for purposes of war in metropolitan waters, and included them in the calculation of the twoPower standard. Mr. McKenna, First Lord of the Admiralty, replied: "lam unable to answer a hypothetical question, depending upon what is the strongest Power when the second of the two battleships is finished." SUEZ CANAL. Cairo. A committee of the Egyptian General Assembly has examined the Suez Canal Convention report, which does not favour the prolongation of the concession. The Government, however, is able to disregard the Assembly's opinion. NEWSPAPER LIBELS. London. Ogston and Tennant, soap manufacturers, have been awarded £9OOO against the "Glasgow Daily Record" for defamation in connection with the recent libel action brought by Lever Brothers against the "Daily Mail." An action against the Associated Newspapers, another Harmsworth association, was settled by Ogston and Tennant receiving £4500 and costs. AFRICAN TEST MATCH. Pretoria. The South Africans won the rubber in the test matches by defeating M.C.C. in the fourth match with four wickets in hand.