BRITISH AFFAIRS

Southland Times, Issue 18858, 25 June 1920, Page 5

BRITISH AFFAIRS

IMPERIAL RELATIONS. DOMINIONS AND THE MOTHERLAND. SPEECH BY SIR JAMES ALLEN. (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Reuter’s Telegrams.) LONDON, June 23. (Received June 24, 9.25 p.m.) Sir James Allen, speaking at a Victoria League meeting at the Guildhall, warmly repudiated the suggestion that New Zealand does not welcome British wives of New Zealand soldiers. He hoped Britain would send an equal number of men to marry New Zealand wives. Ho reminded Imperial statesmen that the relations of the dominions with the Motherland had materially changed since the war. New Zealand was now grown up. Her signature to the Peace Treaty, and her membership to the League of Nations, amounted to recognition of New Zealand as a separate entity. There were in the future possibilities of separation and independence, although probably less in New Zealand than elsewhere, but Sir James Allen urged closer co-operation to maintain and strengthen the unity of the Empire. Lord Forster eulogised the Victoria League's work in Australia and the other dominions. INCREASED PRICE OF COAL. CHALLENGED BY MINERS. LONDON, June 22. The miners’ delegates attending the Labour Conference considered the GovernI meat's statistics explaining the increase of 14s per ton in the retail price of coal and challenged the accuracy of the figures. They declared that the increase was unjustifiable and decided to recommend the impending Miners’ Conference to demand a big sharp of the increase. Probably the demand will be 5s a week. AUSTRALIAN BORROWING. QUESTIONINGS OF INVESTORS. LONDON, June 24. (Received June 24, 10,10 p.m.) The 1 immeial News says: "The question of the Queensland leases is being thrust into : considerable prominence. There is reason :to Ivlicvo that this thorny problem is a : contributory factor in producing the rift . brtwe' n ?b Watt anti Mr Hughes, which left the Australian loan negotiations where idahoinet's coflin is reputed to hang, that is in the air. In connection with the New Smith Wales loan prospectus, stock in which I will not be subject to any taxes in New South Wales, English investors are asking themselve- whether it would be competent for the New South Wales Government to disregard this provision anti impose say income tax on the interest payable to the holders. As the British Empire is worked i under a flexible constitutional system, the ! Dominion legislatures can do practically i anything if Ministers obtain a majority. We j should like our Australian kinsmen to consider that a bargain cannot be altered without the consent of both parties,” COTTON GROWING. EMPIRE COMMITTEE'S INQUIRIES, LONDON, June 23. (Received June 21, 9.45 p.m.) Mr J. M. Hunter, Agent-General for Queensland, giving evidence before the Bri- ' tish Empire Cotton Growing Committee with . reference to Queensland's resources, pointed ! out the import’'nee of securing a. guaranteed price for a definite period of years in order ito justify the expense of the preliminary l outlay. | DIVORCE LAW. j BILL PASSED BY THE LORDS. J (Reuter’s Telegrams.) | LONDON, June 22. ! The House of Lords, after a protest by the Archbishop of Canterbury, carried the third reading of Lord Buckmaster’s l)i- ---| voree Bill by 153 to 107, extending the I grounds of divorce to cover habitual drunk- ! enness, insanity and desertion after three J years. The Bill will now go to the House j of Commons.