The Premier in Reply.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 8740, 14 February 1907, Page 2

The Premier in Reply.

liondok, February 13. Sir 11. Campbell-Bannerman, plying to criticisms on the King's Speech, said tho Government had followed Unionist precedents, in 1897 and 1902, in not referring to tho Colonial Conference. Referring to the Peers, he said lie fully realised flie serious nature of the task which he intended to'ask'tbe House in due time to undertake against the House of Lords, For twenty years the Lords had been quiescent and res4y whatever the Unionist Government offered. Tho House of Lords had been called the watchdog of legislation, but they had had twenty years of somnolence, .Now, however, cauio a period of ferocity and the Lords had become unblushingly aggressive. The Leader of the Opposition always had ready men not elected, blit born, to support him.

Continuing, the Premier said he was aware lie' was opening an enormous question, hut the Government would not shrink and he was not sure that the problem was not easier of solution than many thought. Anyhow settled it must he, for the present state of things was dangerous and demoralising. Referring to the Irish question, lie said like every self-governing colony the Irish were entitled to the management of their own affairs. There there' was a larger policy lie ixad previously referred to, but it may not be reasonable oi’ desirable to give all at once, hut Government hoped to remove the obviously objectionable features of the present system in sucli a way as to leave the larger policy open.

The New Hebrides affair had been discussed, re-discussed, and re-dis-cussed again with the colonies for five years, and no now policy had been sprung on them. The Government had had to make the hestqiossiblp fight y?ith a friendly foreign Power, arid at last ho had to fell the. colonies, ‘> Wo have prompted your interests as far as we can, bub we have come to a point when you will iiavo to take what you can get.” Regarding indentured labour, the Premier saicj we secured the host terms wo could got for the protection of cannibals. Government intended to proceed to further reform the procedure of the Commons.

Mr Redmond said lie regarded^the Government as pledged to deal with the Irish problem this session on

lines leading to complete self-govern-ment.

Mr Kcir Hardin suggested that Sir E. Grey ought to hint to the Russian Government that its methods of treating reformers should conform more to the methods of "Western civilisation than to the barbarism of by-gone ages. He complained that the Speech had not referred to old age pensions nor unemployed. The aged deserving poor, he contended, had the first claim on the expected surplus of five millions.