THE BRITISH ELECTIONS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 202, 5 December 1910, Page 5

THE BRITISH ELECTIONS

RESULTS TO DATE. By Cables-Press Association—Copyright Received 5, 12.30 a.m. London, December 4. The following are the results summarised so far:— LIBERALS. England 47 Scotland 4 Wales 5 Ireland (Redmond-ites) 5 UNIONISTS. England 58 lreiand 4 REPLtf TO LORD ROSEBERY. UNPALATABLE ANCIENT HISTORY. London, December 2. Lord' Morley, in a speech at Darwen, recalled the fact that Lord Rosebery and himself were the only surviving members of the 1886 Cabinet. Lord Rosebery never cried out against American dollars then. The Conservatives ■were watering, down, not abandoning, the hereditary principle. Fantastic, ill-con-sidered, and ill-informed talk about the referendum would destroy" the parliamentary system. THE REFERENDUM QUESTION. FROM VARIOUS VIEW POLNTS. Vienna, December 2. The Fremdenblatt considers the referendum implies the greatest revolution ill England since Magna Charts, but fears it would expose the country to a perpetual party struggle and to the enfeeblement of Parliament. London, December 2. The Opposition papers taunt Government supporters with opposing the referendum because it will destroy the system of groups and tie coalescing of factions, as witnessed in recent years. Sir K Grey, speaking at Portsmouth, aid that Mr. Balfour's declaration was the counsel of desperate men, and was much like jettisoning tariff reform. Home Rule for Ireland was an unfit Bubject for a referendum to the whole' of the United Kingdom. If tihey were going to submit a constitutional question to the country, let it be the question of general devolution.

LLOYD-GEORGE AS A "STAR." MUSIC-HALL ENGAGEMENT OFFERED. London, December 2. Messrs. Cohen and Harris, music hall proprietors, of New York, have offered Mr. Lloyd-George £IOOO weekly to promote a Transatlantic campaign against **e Lords, speaking twice daily on the lines of the Limehouse speech. A QUALIFIED APPRECIATION. London, December 2. The Hon. Neil Primrose (son of Lord Rosebery), speaking at Wisbech, said be was not a Home Ruler. It might be possible for the Irish to manage a few more of their own affairs, but he would never give them full management. JEWISH CANDDDATES. London, December 2. There are 36 Jewish candidates, 20 of them Liberals and 16 Unionists. In two London constituencies the candidates are all Jewish. Owing to the absence of the Socialist candidate and the impossibility of correcting his nomination paper, a threecornered contest at West Salford will be avoided. A PALATABLE DISH PROMISED. OR THE CHEF RESIGNS. Received 4, 5.15 p.m. London, December 3. Mr. Austen Chamberlain, at Darlington, declared that if a Unionist Government were in power it would frame a tariff reform which, if the electors disliked and «aid '"No," that would be a signal for his retirement from the Government. TRISH AMERICANS' HELP. "SUBSCRIPTIONS FROM EVERYWHERE." Received 4, 5.5 p.m. New York, December 3. The American United Irish League sends £2OOO to the Nationalists in their fight in Great Britain. Subscriptions are arriving from everywhere in the United States. THE FIGHT AT JTS HEIGHT. TWO SPEECHES PER NIGHT. A NEW CREATION.

Received 4, 5.5 p.m. London, December 3. Mr. Winston Churchill, who had spoken at Cheshire earlier, took a special train to Grimsby, and spoke till midnight. Relays of motors carried fragments of Mr. Balfour's speech to enable Mr. Churchill to reply. He said the House of Lords reforms were supposed to create a new heaven and a new earth, and very likely a new something else also. They might he thoroughly democratic, and thoroughly impartial, but also thoroughly Tory. MR. BALFOUR AT GRIMSBY. Received 4, 6.15 p.m. London, December 3. Mr. Balfour addressed an assemblage of 10,000 at Grimsby on behalf of Sir George Doughty. He said that men of moderate opinions were coming over to the Conservatives. If the Liberals' proposals were carried, the time when the House of Commons would be a place of free debate would be gone for ever. The Government meant to give one-chamber rule, and that chamber would be working under a gag. The actions of the House of Commons under the group system may not'in the least represent the people's settled will

AWAITING THE RESULTS. Received 5, 1.10 a.m. London, December 4. Dense and eager crowds in many centres of London, in drizzling rain, awaited results until long after midnight. UNOPPOSED RETURNS London, December 2. The following members have been returned unopposed:— BIRMINGHAM WEST. Rt. Hon. Joseph Chamberlain (U.). SWANSEA DISTRICT. Sir D. Brynmor Jones (L.). [At last election the voting was: Jones (L.) 84S8, R. Campbell (U.). 2415.:] ASTOX MANOR. Evelyn Cecil (U.). [January, 1910: Cecil (U.). 7369, Allen (L.). 1922.] CITY OF LONDON (Two Seats). Rt. Hon. A. J. Balfour (U.). Sir F. Banbury (U.). [January, 1910: Balfour (U.) 17,907, Banbury (U.). 17,302, Sir H. Bell (L.) 4623.] MORPETH. Rt. Hon T. Burt (L.). [January, 1910: Burt (L.) 5874, Ridley (U.) 3009.] BIRMINGHAM (BORDESLEY.) Rt. Hon. Jesse Collings (U.). [January, 1910: Collings (U.) 9021, F. Hughes (Lab.) 3453.] DOVER. Rt. Hon. Geo. WyiKlham (U.). [January, 1910: Wyndham (U.) 3330, Bradley (L.) 1572.] MANCHESTER (SOUTH). A. A. Howarth (L). Mr. Howartjh was elected unopposed, as Mr. Gaelrook (U.), his opponent, mistaking the time, arrived six minutes too late to be nominated.

[January, 1!)10: Howarth (L.). 8121, Jackson (U.) 5669.] WELLINGTON (SOMERSET). Rt. Hon. Sir A. F. Acland-Hood (U.). [January. 1910: Sir A. F. Acland-Hood (U.) 5216; King (L.) 4150.] WIMBLEDON. [Rt. Hon. H. Chaplin (U.). [Sat since 1902.] WANSBECK. C. Fenwiek (Lib. and Lab.). [January, 1910: 0. Fenwiek (Lab.) 10,873; Percy (U.) 4650.] OXFORD UNIVERSITY. Sir W. R. Anson (U.). Lord Hugh Cecil. [Unaltered.] DUBLIN UNIVERSITY. Rt. Hon. Sir E. Carson (U.). [Sat since 1892.] Rt. Hon. J. H. M. Campbell (U.). [Sat since 1903.] ST. AUGUSTINE'S (KENT). Rt. Hon. A. Akers-Douglas (U.). YORKSHTRE (BARNSLEY). Joseph L. Walton (L.). WATERFORD.

Jo!hn Redmond! (N.). [ln January, 1910: John Redmond, unopposed^] MANCHESTER (SOUTH-WEST). Needham (L.) 3590 Colifax (U.) 3331 [ln January, 1910: Colifax (U.) 3111, Needham (L.) 3004, McLachlan (Lab.) 1218.] ROCHESTER. E. H. Lamb (L.) .... 2609 Ridley (U.) 2456 [ln January, 1910: Ridley (U.) 2075, E. H. Lamb (L.) 2543.] READING. Sir R. D. Isaacs (L).. 5094 Wilson (U.) 4995 [ln January, 1910: R. D. Isaacs (L.) 6264, Renton 5057.] WEST NEWLNGTON. Cdpt. C. W. Norton (L.).. 4038 Brookes 2498 [January, 1910: Capt. C. W. Norton (L.) 4350, Brookes 3038.] ASHTON-UNDER-TYNE. Aitken (U.) 4044 A. H.' Scott (L.) .... 3842 [ln January, 1910: A. H. Scott (L.) 4039; H. J. Whiteley (U.) 3740, Gee (Soc.) 413.] MANCHESTER (NORTH-WEST.) Kemp (L) 5559 Law 5114 [ln January, 1910: Kemp 5053, W. Johnson Hicks (U.) 5147.]

DARLINGTON. H.. Pike Pease 4881 Maddison (L.) 4775 [January, 1010: Lincoln (L.) 4815, H. Pike Pease (U.) 4586.] GREAT GRIMSBY. Sir G. Doughty (L.U.)... 7903 Wing (L.) 7205 [January, 1910: Wing 7772, Sir G. Doughty 7450.] KING'S LYNN. Ingleby (U.) 1705 Borles (I. Free Trade)... 1065 WARRINGTON. Harold Smith (U) 5102 A. H. Crossficld (L) .... 4910 [ln January 1910: Crossfield 5250; R. Pierpont 5013.] BRISTOL EAST. C. E. H. Hobhouse (L) .. 7229 Hannan (U) 4203 [ln January 1910: Hobhouse 0S04; Batten (U) 4033; Sheppard (Lab) 2255. Batten (U) 4033; Sheppard (Lab.) 2255.] NORTH CAMBERWELL. Dr. J. T. MacNamara (L) 5028 Goldsmith 4050 [ln January 1910:MacNamara 5593; Goldsmith 4571.] CAMBERWELL (PECKHAM). Richardson (L) 5027 Gooch (U) 4896 [ln January 1910: H. C. Goooh 5330; Richardson 5247.]

EXETER. Saintmaur (L) 5786 Duke (U) 4782 [ln January 1910: Duke (U) 4902; Saintmaur 4877.] WESf HAM NORTH. Masternvan (L) 6657 Wild (U) 5760 [ln January 1910: C. F. G. Masterman (L) 7023; E. Gray (U) 6133.]

BRISTOL NORTH. A. Birrell K.C., (L) .... 6410 Magnus 5021 [ln January 1910: Birrell (L) 6805; Woods (U) 5459.]

WIGAN. Neville (U) 4673 Twist (Lab) 4110 [ln January 1910: Twist (Lab) 4803; Neville (U) 4293.]

SALFORD SOUTH. Barlow (U) 3660 Russell (L) 3429 [Tn January 1910: Belloc (L) 3592; Barlow (U) 363.] UPSHOT OF LAST ELECTIONS. LIBERAL LOSSES. The main issues at the General Election of Januray 'last, as defined by the

leaders of the two great parties, were (1) the Lords' Veto and (2) the Budget and the policy of Tariff Reform, which Mr. Balfour had stated was the only alternative. The election produced four distinct and important changes in the composition of the House of Commons, which may be set forth as follows: — (1) It deprived the Liberal Government of an independent majority. (2) It reintroduced an Opposition of normal Parliamentary strength. (3) It retrenched the numbers of the Labor party. (4) It brought about a definite and substantial cleavage in the ranks of Irish Nationalism. These results are shown numerically in the following comparison of the strength of parties before and after the Dissolution:— BEFORE THE DISSOLUTION. Liberal .., 373 Labor , 46 Nationalist 83 Unionist 108 AFTER THE DISSOLUTION. Liberal 275 Labor 40 Nationalist 71 Inde. Nationalist 11 Unionist 273 The Liberal party (says a Pall Mall Gazette writer) sustained a net loss oi 98 seats, which turned its net majority into a minority of 120. The Liberal and Labor members together were in a minority of 40 as against the rest of the House, while they were a majority of 42 over the Unionists if both the Nationalist parties were to abstain. Liberals, Laborites, and Nationalists of both sections, combined against the Unionists, were in a majority of 124. WHERE THE LIBERALS LOST. The reduction of the Liberal party's strength was effected almost wholly in English constituencies, since its net losses amounted to only two seats in Wales, none in Scotland, and two in Ireland. The net Liberal losses in England were 40 borough seats (including 11 in London) and 55 county divisions. The English boroughs returned in all 111 Unionists (33 in London), against 95 Liberals (26 in London), 19 Labor members (two in London), and one Nationalist. The English counties returned 123 Unionists, 96 Liberals, and 15 Labor members. England as a whole returned 239 Unionists', 191 Liberals, U Labor members, and one Nationalist.

The most notable among the satisfactory features of the election for the Government was tihe stability of its position, not only in Scotland and Wales, but also in the Northern English counties. Taking Northumberland, Durham, Yorkshire and 'Lancashire, which may be said to form a solid indstrial block returning 133 members, the net losses of rtihe Liberal party amounted to no more than two seats. UNIONIST GAINS. Turning to the converse feature of the case—which is the augmentation of the Unionist party by 105 votes—we find, of course, that its progress was most notable in the districts other than those described above* None but a Unionist was returned for any seat in Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, Hereford, or Huntingdon, while there was only one exception each to their monopoly of Middlesex, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, Dorsetshire, and Shropshire. Hampshire returned 10 Unionists out of 12, Staffordshire 10 out of 15, Worcestershire six out of eight, Berkshire four out of five, and Kssex seven out of nine. LABOR CHANGES.

The losses of the Labor party were disguised somewhat by the coalescence with them of the majority of tihe miners' members, which came into effect by resolution at the close of the late Parliament. They were the poorer, however, by six members, their strength being a round forty, and the centre of gravity in their organisation was shifted both by the presence of the miners and by the moral effect of the reduced polls recorded for many of their unsuccessful candidate in constituencies where they had already measured their strength in 1906. Numbers of electors who formerly voted Labor found their aspirations satisfied by the increased robustness of tihe Radical programme on this occasion. THE DISUNITED IRISH.

The Nationalists lost numerically but a single seat, but they lost something Which was far more important, and that is their unity. There were two distinct Home Rule parties . returned, each embittered asainst the other by tihe fresh wounds of a recent and envenomed struggle. Instead of 83 votes, Mr. Redmond ■commanded only 71, while the eleven O'Brienites and'independents had their raison d'etre in a violent repudiation of his authority, and found their chief in spiration in the impulse to condemn his policy and thwart his intentions at every torn.