MOTHER COUNTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 December 1916, Page 5

MOTHER COUNTRY.

THE NEW CABINET. MR. ASQUITH AND THE LIBERALS. London, Dec. 8. The Liberals carried a resolution of confidence in Mr. Asquith. also peldgmg support of the Government. Mr. Asquith said his colleagues acted according to their own dictates, and , were not influenced by him. He em- . phasised the importance of supporting . the Government m order to win the war. The newspapers are busily speculating . as to the personnel of the Cabinet. Mr. Lloyd George has interviewed Lord Cur- ,- /.on, Lord Robert Cecil, Mr. Austen . Chamberlain and Mr. W. H. Long. . It is announced that Mr. Samuel has I declined an invitation to join the Min- , istry. It is rumored that Mr. Michael Saddler becomes Education Minister. Sir Albert Stanley, managing director of the London Tubes, Mr." Levin, Lord Devonport, and Mr. Hichcns, chairman of Cammell and Laird's, are among the , business men likely to be included. MEETING OF LIBERALS. < [ MR. ASQUITH DECLINES A PEERAGE Received Dec. 9, 5.15 p.ffiU i London, Dee. 8. ; Two hundred Liberal members of the House of Lords and House of Commons . met at the Reform Club. Crowds wit- . nessed their arrival and ovationed Mr. . Asquith, a few hysterical suffragettes . howling "Traitor!" One woman also . greeted Lord Haldane with cries of "Kai- • ser Haldane." They also created a con • r sidcrable disturbance over Viscount Grey, , whom the police escorted. The Westminster Gazette says it is. | believed that Mr. Asquith declined the ; King's offer of an earldom or any Garter. I THE MAN OF THE HOUR. The Spectator states that Mr. Lloyd George's own actions, the force of cir- ' cumstances, and the pent-up dctermina- ' tior. of the nation to win the war, have combined to place him in a position such ' as no statesman in our history occupied' 1 The whole nation is behind him. Those who distrust his methods- are as deter-. ' mined as those who believe he is the " man of the hour. They give him an un- ! trammelled chance. The ball is at his feet. ] A CABINET FORECAST. Newspapers predict the following Cabinet appointments: Prime Minister—Mr. Lloyd George. , Chancellor of the Exchequer—Mr. [ Bonar Law (with Mr. S. S. Lever as Financial Secretary to relieve Mr. Bonar Law of the chief part of his departmental work). . War Office—Lord Derby, j India Office—Mr. Austen Chamberlain. [ Admiralty—Sir Edward Carson. Colonial Office—Mr. W. H. Long. > Board of Trade—Mr. Albert Stanley. Munitions—Dr. C. Addison. Food Controller —Lord Devonport. Foreign Office—Mr. A. J. Balfour. Without portfolio—Lord Milner, who will be a member of the War Council A Renter message reports that Mr. Asquith states Mr. A. J. Balfour will be the Foreign Secretary, and that Lord Robert Cecil will remain Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs. Viscount Grey, speaking at the Reform Club meeting, said Mr. Balfour would be the next Foreign Secretary, Lord Robert Cecil retaining his position as a Minister. 1 He paid a high tribute to Lord Robert ■ Cecil's able, single-handed, and public--1 spirited devotion to duty, and added: ' "If Mr. Balfour becomes Foreign Minis--1 ter, I feel that the whole work of our relations with the Allies and neutrals • will be in able and sympathetic hands." - EX-MINISTERS THANKED BY THE KING. ! It is expected that Mr. Lloyd Georgo ' will complete his Cabinet to-night. Mr Asquith makes a statement in the House of Commons on Tuesday. One of the first matters will be pressure on the Government for the promised air service discussion. It is unofficially announced that Sir ' R. B. Finlay, the Lord Chancellor, and ' Mr. Asquith have received, a letter from ' the King expressing his grateful appreci- , ation of their long and distinguished ger- ■ vices to the State. ' THE ASGUiTH-LLOYD GEORGE NEGOTIATIONS. ' MR. ASQUITH'S POSITION . EXPLAINED. I Received Dee. 0, 5.50 p.m. L London, Dec. 8. ; ' An official report amplifies the negoti- , ntions that took place between Mr. As- ' quith and Mr. Lloyd George. It stales i that on Sunday Mr. Lloyd George tried i to accommodate the views oni which they i differed on the two points: first, in rela- . tion to the Prime Minister being on the , War Committee", and secondly, the War i Committee's personnel. Mr. Lloyd George wanted to exclude some and in- ; elude others, and there was a strong, ! sharp difference of opinion between them ; relating to these matters. Various sugr gestions were made with the object of , endeavoring to solve the first question, , but there was no attempt to solve the ! second. Finally, the following arrange- . ment was suggested: The Prime Minisi ter to have supreme effective control of the war policy, the war committee'? agenda to bo submitted to him and the chairman to report to him daily; the Prime Minister to be able to direct the , War Committee to consider particular topics and proposals, and all its conclu- , sions to be subject to his approval or veto The Prime Minister to attend the meetings at his own discretion. No agreement with Mr. Lloyd George was reached on Sunday, the matter being left over for further consideration. ; Mr. Asquith undertook to give Mr. Lloyd George a written communication on Monday, but the newspapers on Monday morning published a proposal to exclude Mr Asquith from the Committee. Mr. Lloyd George assured Mr. Asquith that he had no responsibility in connection with the publication, and this assurance was accepted; but the fact remained 'that the thing had become known, and Mr Asquith wrote immediately to Mr. Lloyd George that unless the impression was corrected lie (Mr. Asquith) would bn relegated to the position of an irraejjonaibl* Mutilator of the war, \1 he

could not go on the Committee, and Mr. Lloyd George accepted the suggested &:> rangeniont. Mr. Asquith then consulted his colleague?, and informed Mr. Lloyd George that the War Committee could not possibly be workable and effective un'.-'Si'liie Prime Minister was ils ehik-nian. Mr. !. l.ioyd George himself disagreed with this! and stated that if the Committee was reconstructed it must be on a smaller basis. Mr. Asquith considered that he j himself must choose the members. Viscount Grey, in paying a tribute to Mr Lloyd George's work, stated that hi* I relations with Mr. Lloyd George wen.j such that he did not believe it possible these attacks could have been made by , diose confessedly working for him. , STATEMENT~bTmIL ASQUITH. ' Renter Service. i Received Deo. :!, 5.45 p.m. London, Dec. 8. i Speaking at a Liberal meeting, Mr. - Asquith said there had been a carefully engineered campaign against Viscount ■ Grey and himself, but he acquitted any member of the Government of complicity ; therein. He received Mr. Lloyd George's i pioposal for a smaller War'Council'on i December 1, and replied the same day i stating that the Premier must preside over such a body. Mr. Lloyd George disagreed, .and on December 3 the Unionist Ministers intimated that unless, Mr. Asquith resigned they would resign. Mr. Asquith appealed to Mr. Bonar Law to remain, and wrote to Mr. Lloyd George ( .in December 4 stating he was not pre- • pared to remain in the Cabinet as a spectator. He outlined certain proposals that Mr. Lloyd George accepted. subjeeJ to the character and personnel of the War Council. Mr. Asquith added that : he consulted his friends, who felt that > the differences regarding the Premier • presiding over the War Council and as ■ to the personnel of the Council were irres concilable, so he resigned. He declined 1 to join the new Government, because he ■ felt he would be a source of weakness, ■ as attacks on him would continue, and , he felt it would be better if he gave independent support outside the Cabinet. .' A BROAD-MINDED APPEAL. In' a masterly peroration he ndvised them all to avoid recriminations'. Personally, ho gave each and all credit for I the best motives. "Above all," he saic., ■ "do all you can to facilitate the task ■ which has fallen into other hands." I LORD NOTHCLTFFE'S CRITICISM. United Service. Lord Northcliffe writes: "Mr. Lloyd , George is now head of the British, Can- . adian, Australian, New Zealand, and j South African war efforts, whereupon the winning, of the war primarily devolves. Distance and circumstances alone prevented the inclusion in the Cabinet of ; representatives of the Dominions, because the war quintuples the value of time. Mr. Lloyd George has been compelled to choose his colleagues with ,' lightning rapidity. He is just a little too kind-hearted, therefore he has cumbered ' his Government with fossils and "hasbeens." I am convinced that Mr. Lloyx George's Government will win the war, settle Ireland, and cement the Empire, but it needs pruning." OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. The Daily Chronicle says Mr. Balfour enjoys a European reputation. Mr. Lloyd George is fortunate in securing the ser- > vices of that great gentleman for the great office of Foreign Minister. Tho ravings of the Northcliffe press against I Mr. Balfour are a gauge of the ignorance ; of these journals. , The Daily Mail protests against the inclusion of Mr. Balfour. "We do not," L it says, "want Lord Haldane or his , friends lo meddle with the blockade or I peace negotiations. It was not very generous conduct on Mr. Asquith's part ! at a time of grave national peril to re- ' fuse Mr. .Lloj'd George the right.to draw members of his Cabinet from all parties, Several energetic young Liberals have , been prevented from serving Mr. Lloyd , George owing to the terrorism of the ! Haldane gang, but there are many distinguished Liberals in the new Governi men who care more for winning the war than they do for party tricks. The Haldane gang secured possession of the Liberal party funds and party machine by the expedient of maintaining Mr. As- , quith as the leador of the Liberal party, pretending that Mr. Lloyd George was no longer a Liberal. The Asquithites will fail miserably when the trial of strength comes in the House of Commons." The Daily News says the appointment i of Mr. Balfour and Lord Robert Cecil t will inspire confidence, not only in Britain, but in every Allied and neutral capital, in the conduct, of delicate negotiations. There has been no superior Cabinet. The Morning Post says the supreme ■ need of the. moment is to re-shape the ' whole naval policy, and that the conduct of the war must be entrusted to seamen The Foreign Office must not dictate the policy, but must obey instructions. Tho Navy must give Greece a lesson without any interference by the Foreign Office. • Viscount Grey has publicly acknowledged that the policy enshrined in the Declaration of London was a mistake. The Nation describes Mr. Lloyd George's advancement as a lea]) in the dark, and adds that last week. it wai ' prcposed to divide the Coalition Cabinet , into two parts, the first, and unimport- ! ant part, to consist of the Prime Minis- , ter and his colleagues, and the second, and vital part, to consist of himself and , three inconspicuous civil associates, \ charged with the sole direction of governing. Tin King was to yield to the reigning King, whose nominal veto would have gone the way of all vetoes, for it would have been used to fix Mr. Lloyd George's primacy, and place his late chief ■ at the mercj of a war directorate. The demand on Mr. Asquith was not onty I to depose himself, but to serve, shorn and blinded, in the temple of a real successor. The hand which made tho Coalition has struck it down, and now aspires to run its successor, with such help as it can command from its relies from the tremendous straddle between Tory Im- [ pcrialism and. Labor, and from the Pak; liamentary snipers, to whom Mr. Long has been signaller-in-chief. Mr. Lloyd George has not beaten the Germans, but ho has destroyed two British Governments and some liberties of the British people. His bustling vigor and adroitness have impressed themselves on the popular mind, in contrast with the Northcliffe press' hourly presentations of his colleagues as a mass of senility and incompetence. This falsity, with its I .quantum of truth, now stands for trial. RESTRICTING THE USE OF COPPEB. (A and N.Z. Cable Assn. and .Router). London, Dec. 8, The Minister of Munitions prohibits the' use of copper in r.ianufrtctures, the sale or purchase of coppr.r outside the United Kingdom, and reqinnu roniiufuoturors to deliver .return* «i iht'lr nocks i>r' ',.ft».v«««k», codiw,

A STARTLING STATEMENT. , regarding a peace intrigue ; only just stoppjl:. in time. . I Received Deo. 11, 1.30 a.m. London Dee. 10. 2'ic Financial News says Hint, ascording to city informution, Mr. Lloyd George was oilly just in time to stop a peace intrigue, which was very far advanced. If it had developed farther, it would have landed us in the most disastrous humiliation since the battle of Hastings. No Minister in living memory lias ever had behind him such a volume of public confidence and devotion. GOVERNMENT CONTROL OP SHIPS. Received Dec. 10. 5.50 p.m. London, Dec. 9. Rumors of the extension of Government control of shipping have caused an all-.routid decline in shipping shares. THE PREMIER GRATIFIED* Received Dec. 10, 11.30 p.m. London, Dec. 0. Mr. Lloyd George, in an interview, expressed himself as gratified with the result of the Liberals' which would strengthen the country in the great task that it -had undertaken. He did not intend to reply to the personal questions in Mr. Asquith's speech.