BRITAIN.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 March 1916, Page 5

BRITAIN.

MR. HUGHES AT HOME. VISITS HIS OLD SCHOOE. REMINISCENT REMARKS. ... ) London, March 21. The Edinburgh City Council is offering the freedom of the city to Mr. W. M. Hughes, Commonwealth* Premier. Mr. Hughes and, his. wife visited the Rurdett-Coutts school at Westminster, where lie was a pupil in his youth. He was accorded an enthusiastic reception, the children cheering him. Mr. W. H. Burdett-Couris, M.P, in welcoming Mr. Hughes, said that iheir guest had been an ordinary boy, with probably less advantages than most others attending the same school. He went to Australia, unaided and friendless, but by indomitable perseverance had reached the highest goal of any man's ambition, and had become the head of a nation by that nation's choice. His speeches were to-day electrifying (lie Empire, and he was destined to become a great constructive force in the Empire. Mr. Hughes said he never obtained a conduct prize, but often sallied out with exercise books in his stockings to protect his shins in a fight with the boys of a neighboring Wesleyan college. The sight of the Thames hail fired Ms youthful imagination, and he frequently visited the East India Docks. Finally, with "a schoolmate named Payne, now living close to the Federal Parliamentary buildings, he decided to go to Australia, that land of wide spaces and glorious sunshine, where there was a chance for everyone, and which had produced some great men and some fighters of whom she was proud. (Cheers.) * He remembered himself as a nervous, white-faced wretch of a choir boy when he rang St. Stephen's bell. The schools to-day gave widening opportunities, unlike the crabbed cramping system of his schooldays, when teachers received payment by results. Matthew Arnold was inspector of schools when he, Mr. Hughes, was a teacher, and first guided him into the paths of good literature. In concluding, he exhorted the children to tell as few falsehoods as possible, to live simply and honestly, and not to do anything mean or petty.

EMPIRE TRADE. BRITAIN'S HANDICAPS. London, March 23. Sir Thomas Mackenzie, speaking at the Early Closing Association, at the Mansion House, said the conditions in New Zealand in 1873 were better than in many parts of London to-day, Unless we won the war, all social reforms would be useless. Adequate Imperial defence must be the first consideration and the next in importance was the organisation of national resources. It should not be possible for the products of the Dominions to be landed more cheaply in Germany than in Rvitain. Exports to Germany had the advantage because of the cheap Stateowned railways compared with the high rates in England, also exports from Germany had the advantage of being carried abroad in subsidised steamers. These handicaps to British trade must be removed.

BRITISH FINANCE. •PRESENT BURDEN NOT TOO HEAVY. London, March 23. Sir George Paish, lecturing before the Royal Statistical Society, said that Britain's annual income has increased by 600 millions since the outbreak of the war. The total was now 3000 millions. The nation had nearly succeeded in maintaining its productive power despite the withdrawal of approximately four million men from its industries. Allowing for the increased gold stock the nation would be able to meet virtually the whole of the war expenditure out of income without needing to draw upon accumulated capital. An official calculation showed that the new taxation imposed to the present wa s 197% millions, and it was estimated that taxation for the coming year would roach '450 millions. On the whole the burden was light considering the circumstances and compared with that of the Napoleonic wars. The national debt before the war, was TO7 millions and would be 2400 millions by the end of March. If the war continued another year the debt would be not far short of, 4000 millions. AUSTRALIAN SHIPPING SPACE. "SELFISH FOLLY" London, March 23. Fairplajr, the shipowners' organ, refers to the selfish folly of the Australian 'wheat farmer in insisting on having his crop carried at any cost, regardless of the claims of other members of his community or the interests of the United Kingdom. The journal hopes that Mr. Hughes will realise that his Government cannot take up the position of Lord Higli Requisitioner without injurious results to the Empire. Tonnage is scarce for genera] cargo to Australia, and exorbitant rates are offered without attracting tonnage, because owner* know that the Australian Government is waiting to pounce on British tonnage coming along and compel the owners to take about half the freight to which they are entitled compared with other business offering. Thus pie Australian farmer is depriving the entire community of a thousand and one articles required from Britain and America, or, if he eventually gets them, pays through the nose for freight. Mr. Hughes is much too sensible not to see the disadvantages of the present policy and, granting that the wheat problem is serious, Fairplay is sure that Mr. Hughes will be the first to recognise that it must always be subservient to Imperial interests. •MR. 'ASQUITH TO VISIT PARIS, London, March 23. Mt. Lloyd George, in the House of Commons, announced that Mr. Asquith .will attend the conference in Paris next >•*•• " ' ' '"'" "* "" ~" "' """ ""

THE PARIS CONFERENCE. POST-WAR TRADE RELATIONS. (Received March 24, 8.50 p.m,- ¥ London, Mareli 23. In the House of Commons Mr. B. E. Peto gave notice of motion that delegates to the Paris conference should be Justructerl that the Government was prepared, in concert with the Allies, to penalise trade with the Central Powers, and also to establish closer trade relations with the Allies, subject to preferential treatment with the overseas dominions. BRITAIN'S REPRESENTATIVES. Received March 24,. 8.50 p.m. ■London, March 23. Mr. Asquith, Sir Edward Grey, and Lord Kitchener are attending an Allies' vi'ar conference at Paris next week, for the secret consideration of the conduct of the war, simultaneously with the inter-Parliamentary conference. A third Paris conference will be held on April 15, to deal with post-war trade. OPINION IN PARLIAMENT. MR. LLOYD GEORGE'S VIEWS. ONLY A BEGINNING, Receievd March 24, 9.30 p.m. London, March 24. In the House of Commons, on the motion for adjournment, Sir R. L. Dalziel urged the Government to reconsider 'its decision to send delegates to the Paris conference merely as observers. The Government was missing an opportunity to strike a blow which would have the effect of stopping the war. The delegates should have the power to say that never in the future could the trade relations with Germany be as they were before the war. He urged that Mr. Hughes be included. Mr. Ellis Griffiths said we must be careful that we did not punish ourselves piore than Germany. There were certain materials only obtainable from Germany, and it would he ridiculous to deprive purselvea of them. Mr. D. Mac Master urged that if Mr. Hughes was allowed to attend representatives from all overseas dominions should be present. Mr. Lloyd George said that it was undesirable that a declaration should be made regarding the instructions the Government gave its delegates. This was obviously a -ease wherein we must trust our delegates to a very considerable extent. This was the first conference of the kind, and lie would be surprised and disappointed if it were the last. If we were to organise trade for generations tc come, it would have to be done deliberately and carefully. It was not so greatly the question, of tariff; there were much bigger questions, such as our relations with Russia and France, where opportunities for trade were almost infinite. At first the conference would he wise to feel its way, and the first object was to bring the war to a successful conclusion. When considering the question of trade the first thing to do was to obliterate any idea of revenge. Let them do what is best fol' the millions oF people in the United Kingdom, but he did not think they could ever have the status quo ante-bellum. Mr. Lloyd George continued: "I do not mean to say that you should set up a system of tariffs or rival commercial .federations, which would simply perpetuate the war spirit; but we have discovered that Germany has craftily built up many industries, not with the view ot trade, but of war. We were almost dene for because we were without them, but we have built them up, and it would now be a fatal blunder to let them go down."

£ BYE-ELECTION. Reecived March 24, 11.40 p.m. London, March 24. The Market Ilarborough byc-cloction resulted:—Harris (Coalitionist), 7830; Bowles (Labor), 3711. Mr. Harris's father was a Polish refugee and an early settler in New Zealand. He is described by Sir Thomas Mackenzie as one of the Empire's builders. THE DERBY SCHEME. MARRIED MEN'S GRIEVANCES. Times and Sydney Sun Services. London, March 23. A deputation cf London attested married men urged Lord Derby to see that single men, working in munition factories, should go into the army and the married men replace them. Lord Derby assured the deputation that he was doing his utmost to secure every single man for the army, but his powers were limited. Unfortunately the Kaiser would not wait, or he (Lord Derby) might be able to concede some of the demands. 2TTERNED GERMANS. London, March 23. In the House of Commons Mr. Tennant stated that 38,292 German civilians were interned in Britain and 4000 British in Germany.