BRITISH POLITICS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 824, 9 April 1910, Page 3

BRITISH POLITICS.

London, April 7

Mr Hamilton Benn moved in the House of Commons “That fiscal reform is necessary, owing to foreign tariffs hindering British trade and aggravating unemployment.”

Mr A. Storey seconded the motion, and declared that all petty constitutional squabbles were worthless compared with the failing of British manufactures and the miseries of chronic unemployment. He predicted a change would come through the combination of tariff reformers and British trade unions.

Sir J. Kemp moved and Mr A. Simon seconded a free trade amendment, which was carried by 235 to 202. The Nationalists abstained from voting.

[A motion on tariff reform was moved against the Government in the House on February 24th, and the Government succeeded by a majority of 31 out of a total of 539 votes.]

In the House of Commons the Hon. R. B. Haldane, Minister of War, moved the first of the Government’s veto resolutions which are in committee. He agreed that it was unfortunate to have to introduce written provision into an unwritten constitution, but when a breach of such magnitude was made, without the Lords’ assurance that it would not be repeated, members of the House of Commons would be unworthy of their traditions if they failed to deal with the situation. If the Liberals failed to establish a real revising Second Chamber, the Conservatives, under the guise of reform, would strengthen the hereditary principle.

Mr Austen Chamberlain replied. He said the Liberals’ reform of the Lords was a sham, and was only referred to in order to give Sir Edward Grey and Mr Haldane the shadow ot an excuse for retaining office.