BRITISH POLITICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 4031, 16 June 1931, Page 24

BRITISH POLITICS.

BRITISH LOTTERY LAWS. RUGBY, June 8. An earty statement in Parliament on (he subject of whether an amendment of 'the law relating to sweepstakes was necessary or desirable, which is receiving the careful consideration of the Government, was promised by the Home Secretary (Mr J. R. Clynes) in replying to a question in the House of Commons. June 11. In the House of Commons the Home Secretary (Mr J. R. Clynes) stated that the Government had given careful consideration to the suggestions that an inquiry should be held into the lottery and sweepstake laws, but it was not satisfied on the present information that the balance of opinion in Parliament or the country was in favour of revision of the existing law. DOMESTIC SERVICE. RUGBY, June 9. The House of Commons to-day granted a private member leave to introduce a Domestic Service Bill with the object of Setting up a commission of five members, of whom the chairman and two others will be women, to review comprehensively the conditions of employment of domestic servants and improve the status of th* 3 occupation. It is claimed that the measure will be in the interest of ser vants and their mistresses, and that th-.-commission could draw up a charter making general such standards of work and wages as existed among good employers. THE GATESHEAD BY-ELECTION. LONDON, June 9. The Gateshead by-election, which was necessitated by the death of Sir James Melville (Labour), resulted:— H. Evans (Labour) 22,893 C. Headlam (Conservative) .. 21,501 The figures at the general election were:—Sir James Melville, 28,393; I. L. Orr-Ewing (C.), 11,644; J. Fennell (L.), 10.314; J. L. Watson (Ind.), 3688.

SUEZ CANAL DUES. RUGBY, June 9. Replying to a parliamentary question, the President of the Board of Trade (Mr William Graham) said that the Britisn Government had from time to time supported in the general interest proposals for reasonable reductions in the Suez canal dues and in particular had tent its support to proposals for a reduction of the present level of dues. Regarding the precise provision of the 1883 Sot canal agreement, which, his questioner stated, provided for a reduction of the dues to five gold francs when the canal dividend reached 25 per cent., Mr Graham pointed out that the agreement appeared to have been concluded between the association of steamship owners trading with the East on the one hand, and the Suez Canal Company on the other. The Bri tish Government was not a party to the agreement and any question of securing compliance with its terms would seem tt» be a matter for the shipowners concerned BRITAIN’S UNEMPLOYED. RUGBY, June 11. The Parliamentary Labour Party held a special meeting to-day to consider the first report of the Royal Commission on unemployment benefits. The Prime Min ister and Mr Arthur Henderson both made statements. Several questions were answered, and the meeting expressed con fidence in the way that the Government was dealing with the matter. In Parliament this afternoon the Prime Minister answered in the negative a ques tion whether it was proposed to call a three-party conference for further consideration of the whole question of unemployment insurance now that the interim report had been published. Miss Margaret Bondfield (Minister of Labour), answering a question, said the amount of the Treasury advances to the unemployment insurance fund to date was £85,620,000, leaving an exhausted balance of borrowing powers of £438,000. This was likely to be exhausted early in July, and further provision would be necessary before that time. LAND TAX PROPOSALS. RUGBY, June 12. The leaders of the Liberal and Labour parties met to explore the situation which has arisen over the Liberal Party’s amendment to an important clause in the land taxation proposals in the Government’s Finance Bill. The deliberations will probably be continued during the week-end. The newspapers . express the belief that accommodation is likely to be found and that the crisis anticipated in Mr Lloyd George’s Edinburgh speech may be avoided. At to-day’s conversations the Prime Minister was accompanied by Mr Snowden, who is in charge of the Finance Bill, and Mr Lloyd George and Sir Herbert Samuel attended on behalf of the Liberals.

The situation that will arise this week in the House of Commons when the Liberal amendment to the land tax proposals in the Government’s Finance Bill will be discussed was described by Mr Lloyd George in a speech at Edinburgh as critical. The Liberals propose that the tax shall fall exclusively on undeveloped land by conceding to owners the right to deduct from the land tax the amount paid on the same land as income tax.