BRITAIN.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 January 1916, Page 5

BRITAIN.

PARLIAMENT AND THE WAR. .TRADING- WITH ENEMY BILL. ! i' ~: '■■ Loudon, Jan. 21. Tn the House of Commons Mr. Cave, in moving the second reading of the Trading with the Enemy Bill, said .nianv enemy businesses were' still carried oil in Britain, accumulating profits which would benefit the enemy after the war. As an example, two enemy subjects forming a company could own ships and have all the advantages of British trader? and accumulate prolts during the war. The Board of Trade has power to terminate and wind up enemy businesses, <He bad no desire to confiscate enemy property, but as British property was treated in a high-handed manner by Germany it was desirable to hold enemy property in Britain until we knew how the British would be treated and compensation be claimed therefor if necessary. MUNITIONS ACT. . DILUTION OF SKILLED LABOR. -i* Received Jan 22, 5.3 p,ra. London, Jan. 21. Mr Asquitb, in the House of Commons, said that the Government was convinced that the dilution of skilled labor was the only way to securing sufficient munitions to enable the speedy and successful conclusion of the war. He regretted the progress hitherto was lamentably short of national requirements, and the Government proposed to apply the Munitions Act to dilute labor immediately, in accordance with the agreement with the representatives of masters and men. PRIME MINISTERS WARNING. Received Jan. 23, ii.fi p.m. London, .Tan. 22. An outstanding incident to-day in the House of Commons was Mr. Asquith's highly important announcement that, despite the arrangement made with trade union representatives, the progress of munitions work was far behind national requirements. Newspapers state that the Premier sprang a surprise on the House 'by his grave words. THE COMPULSION BILL. PROMSE TO MINERS. Received Jan. 23, 5.5 p.m. London, Jan. 22. Mr. Asquith informed the Miners' Federation deputation that the Cabinet did not intend to apply industrial compulsion, and he promised to re-draft the Bill, if necessary, to remove any lingering suspicions. ONLY ONE TASK. MR. HENDERSON'S VIEWS. Received Jan. 2:), 5.5 p.m. London, Jan. 22. Mr. Henderson, in a letter to his constituents, defends his conversion to compulsion on the ground of absolute military necessity. lie. says he has not reached this conclusion lightly, but he. cannot put his opinion against that of Lord Kitchener. There is only one task •for all; that is to win the war. TRADE AFTER THE WAR. London, Jan. 21. Lord Rosebery, in a speech at Edinburgh, said that vast new avenues of trade would open to the Empire after the war, as Austro-German trade would be crippled for many years. We should be victorious, but exhausted, paralysed, and almost bleeding to death from such debt and taxation a-, ,the world had never seen. Our preconceived opinions of tariffs must be reconsidered, We hoped that Prussian Germany would be utterly ruined, otherwise nothing would be gained, but he hoped that the Christianity and civilisation of Germany would not be crushed between the impregnable wall of the AngloFrench in the west and the torrent of innumerable Russians in the east. Received Jan. 22, 5.5 p.m, London, Jan. 21, Lord Sydenham, presiding at a luncheon to Sir G. H. Reid, said that the first landing at Gallipoli was the finest feat of arms he had ever read of in history. Sir G. H. Reid may well be proiid to represent the men who had taken a place among the heroes whom the world would never forget.' "We are determined, said Lord Sydenham, that Germany after the war will never recover the position or the commerce which she had held in the past. Lord Sydenham suggested that attention should be drawn to double taxation, which was unjust and bad, and the policy was opposed to the fundamental principles which ought to" prevail in the Empire. SATISFACTORY FINANCIAL POSITION. London, Jan. 21. The Times, m a financial and commercial review of 1912, says that, with strict economy, there need not be any doubt of our financial resources standing any strain.. Our commercial operations, despite restrictions, are satisfacf°ry - " ' „ ' AN ALIEN APPEALS. London, Jan. 21. The King's 'Bench refused an application under the Habeas Corpus Act on behalf of an interned naturalist-.! fttitisher. The Attorney-General explained the Crown's rights under the Defence of the Realms Act. Prisoner's counsel declared that when the Act was passed not a single person party to it« passage imagined that the liberty of Englishman was being restricted, so that they could be imprisoned without a trial. The Court held that the Act conferred the widest powers to secure the safety of the nation.