BRITISH POLITICS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 3597, 8 October 1920, Page 5

BRITISH POLITICS.

DEFENCE OP COALITION. MR LLOYD GEORGE INTERVIEWED. LONDON, October 6. The first issue of a monthly magazine entitled "Lloyd George's Liberar Magazine," contains an interview with Mr Lloyd George, wherein he defends the Coalition. The only alternative to Coalition when the Armistice was signed he says, was reversion to the old party strife, making it impossible to pass many effective measures, as the Coalition has done. Take Irish Home Rule, for instance, the position would have been worse than now. If they had reverted to the otd Liberal Government and re-introdnced Home Rule, Unionists would have resisted with the full power of their old hostility, and we would have been further from settlement than to-day. If the Asquithian proposal to give Ireland Dominion Home Rule was adopted we must give Ireland full control of her own military and navy. If Ira"and were given control of taxation one must expect that she would not accept her share of the war debt. There were businesses in Great Britain that could be trusted to pay six shillings income tax, while businesses in Belfast paid two shillings. Workmen in England would pay eight shillings a pound on tobacco, against the Irishman's sixpence. It woufd be different if someone were entitled to speak for Ireland, who could bind her to take a full share of these obligations, otherwise Britain would be placed in an impossibfe financial position. .Ireland would become a privileged country, while we would still be responsible for her defence to posterity. Whatever the merits or demerits of Dominion Irish policy, he did not believe the Liberals in their hearts had the smallest assurance that they could carry, it even if they had a majority in the House of Commons. Referring* to the Labour party, Mr Lloyd George said the policy was not merefy the nationalisation of mines and railways, but. amounted to nationalisation of the. whole processes of society. The Liberal party was quite as rootedly opposed to this policy as Coalition, perhaps more so. Liberals had.accused him of bringing back a reactionary peace from Versailles, but the peace signed was the minimum France would accept. He did not believe Liberals would have advocated breaking with France and making a separate peace with Germany .

: - There would be no effectived League of' Nations until America and Germany joined. The latter should be aflowed in once she proves that she will respect Treaty obligations. He believed America would also join after the Presidential ejections. He believed the temperance question should be settled provincially, because each part of the Kingdom desired a different settlement. He did not believe the nation woufld profit by nationalising the railways and mines. He was not pledged to it. Directing minds were required in the industry. Russia's effort by her commissaries became a perfect fraud. Now after bloodshed and horror she was striving to return to a saner system of industrial guidance.

Mr. Lloyd George, concluding said he consideed the CoaTition still meets the needs of the day, and he saw no present alternative.