The Daily News WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17. THE BRITISH ELECTIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8030, 17 January 1906, Page 2

The Daily News WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17. THE BRITISH ELECTIONS.

While to the average reader the issue of the British general elections in the return of the Liberals to power never seemed in doubt, the comparative rout that has been experienced by the Unionists in the boroughs 11 jver seriously entered into calculation. The results, so far as they have gone, would seem to show conclusively that the time is not yet ripe for fiscal reform. While the Liberal propaganda has not teen confined to a mis-named Freetiade v. Protection contest, tho Unionists have faced the elections presenting an apparently solid front on one subject—fiscal reform, and the only deduction that can be drawn, if the result of the first stage of the election campaign is to be judged from this standpoint, is that the bogey o the " dear loaf " still forms an effective bar to any material alteration being enacted in the fiscal policy. The rejection of the late Premier, Mr A. J. Balfour, by such a substantial majority, constitutes the most serious blow the Unionists could receive, although it is safe to assume that a seat will be found for him, and his services retained by his party.

That Colonial opinion on the Chinese labour question is substantially at one with that of the British electors -if Mr Harridge's estimate may be taken as an authoritative one - and that the vox populi is an endorsement of Lord Elgin's positive declaration against the 'ate Government's policy in this respect, seems reasonable, and as such .must afford the liveliest satisfaction in New Zealand. It cannot be doubted that the Conservative Government will, so far as circumstances permit, without violating existing contracts, discourage the importation of Chinese into South Africa, until such time as the people of the Transvaal have had opportunity under representative government of giving voioe to their own wishes on the subject. The Education Bill, we may almost be certain, will not for long be administered by the Liberal Government in its present form, and a radical change in the control of educational matters may be expected to form one of the earliest subjects of debate in the new House. The value of Ireland's jubilation over the defeat of the Unionists will depend very largely on the strength of Campbell Bannennan's majority. While the utterances of many prominent Liber als were certainly sympathetic to Irish demands, in no case did the promises take concrete form, and uness it happens that the [Nationalists in the new House are strong enough numerically to control the situation as between Government and Opposition, the most that may be confidently anticipated is the continuation of the late Government's Irish land policy—a policy that, although only on its trial, has aire idy done more for the alleviation of Irish discontent than any previously attempted. # * * #

Thb Liberals have a hard row to hoe in evolving a domestic policy that will alleviate the unemployed distress that at present is rampant throughout Great Britiin, for there remains no doubt that the tiukeiing of the late Government with the problem constituted one of the lurge contributing causes of its foreshadowed defeat. As Colonials and supporters generally of the foreign policy of the late Administration, wo are content to know that the policy of the Liberals in t.his respect differs only in matters of detail, and that . Britain's foreign relations aie not likely to suffer, but rather to be improved, by the accession to office of a Liberal Government. Opinions are divided as to the Colonial policy of tlio new Government, and so far it cannot be said that the confidence established betweon the Colonial Office and the Colonies under the late regime lias been extended by the change. Of that, however, it is too early to judge, and it may safely be assumed that in a Cabinet possessing •such a mass of talent, the importance of diawing closer the relations between Britain and her Colonies is in 110 danger of being lost sight of, and Colonial prestige and aspirations will not suffer. So far as the ultimate (result of the elections is concerned, , there is little doubt that the Union- - ist debacle that has set in will continue during the next three weeks, and the indication of public opinion so far given will be reflected throughout the whole campaign.