COALITION SPLIT

Taranaki Daily News, 21 October 1922, Page 5

COALITION SPLIT

UOn GEORGE RESIGNS. DESERTION BY MINISTERS. CALL TO BONAR LAW. CONSERVATIVES’ LEADER. PREPARING FOR BATTLE. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. London, Oct. 10. Mr. Lloyd George has resigned, and the King has summoned Mr. Bonar Law. The King gave audience to Mr. Bonar Law, who it is understood acceded to his request to form a Government. It is understood that Lord Peel, Mr. Baldwin, Sir A. Griffith-Bos-cawedOtolonel Leslie Wilson, Mr. L. cfw? Amery, Sir P. LloydGreame, and Sir J. L. Baird have resigned from the Government. Mr. Lloyd George made the first announcement of his resigna-

tion to a deputation from the Miners’ Federation, which called regarding an application fpr increased wages for the lower paid coal fields.

The deputation arrived shortly after Mr. Lloyd George returned from the Palace. He received it smilingly, announcing: “There is no Prime Minister. I have just been to His Majesty and tendered toy resignation, which he has accepted?” The miners said they would return to Downing Street when a new Prime Minister had been appointed.

CONSERVATIVE-UNIONISTS. WILL NOT FOLLOW LLOYD GEORGE: THE ISSUES DEFINED. Received Oct. 20, 7.45 p.m. London, Oct. 19. Mr. Chamberlain, Lord Birkenhead. Lord Balfour, Sir Robert Horne, Sir L. Worth inßton Evans, Lord Lee, and other Ministers have issued a declaration affirming their Conservative-Unionist opinions, but they were quite unable to inform Mr. Lloyd George that under no circumstances could he retain the Premiership after a successful election. Mr. Chamberlain, addressing a meeting at the Carlton Club, closely followed the lines of his Birmingham speech. He declared the old party issues were dead, and the real issue was not between Liberal, and Conservatives, but between those who stood for free industry and those who stood for nationalisation with all its inefficiences. Mr. Stanley Baldwin said: “The root of the whole difficulty is the position of the Prime Minister. He is a dynamic force, and from that fact all our troubles arise." It was owing to his dynamic force and re markable pensonality that the Liberal Party to which he belonged had been smashed to pieces, and in course of time he was convinced the same thing would happen to their party.—Aue.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

OPINION IN AMERICA. 3AD TIME FOR DISRUPTION. MANY IMPORTANT PROBLEMS. Received Oct. 20, 10.10 pjn. New York, Oct. 19. Commenting on Mr. Lloyd George’s resignation, the New York Times says: “The old English maxim that England hates a Coalition, which seems to have been falsified by events of the past six years, in the end emerges triumphant. The result ?s to confuse the political situation extraordinarily. The break-up of the Government comes when matters of the utmost importance are pressing for decision. In addition to the Near Eastern conference, there is the question of the Irish Constitu tion, which is about to be approved by the Dail Eireann, and its subsequent ratification by the English Parliament is necessary. All prediction concerning future events will be gratuitous until it is known what Mr. Lloyd George decides to follow The situation confronting him calls for the display of such mastery of the political art which even he has never before exhibited.” Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

PARTIES IN BRITAIN. STRENGTH IN PRESENT HOUSE. THE NEW PREMIER. The present House of Commons includes 360 Coalition-Unionists, 126 Coalition-Lib-erals, 9 Coalition National Democrats, 23 Unionists, 28 Liberals. Mr. Lloyd George was called upon, in 1916, to be at the head of the Coalitionists, though still re maining a Liberal; but subsequently the Liberals, under Mr. Asquith, put Mr. Lloyd George outside their ranks. Mr. Bonar Law will now lead the Conservatives, and Mr. Chamberlain the Unionists, or such of them as do not rally to the late Premier, who will probably lead the Liberal Unionists will obtain a working majority A general election will materially alter the figures all round, and it is unlikely the unionists will obtain a working majority owing to their Conservative tendencies. The new Premier (Mr. Bonar Law I was a Glasgow iron merchant, and a strong advocate of tariff reform. He entered the House in 1900, and almost immediately obtained office, subsequently becoming Colonial Secretary and afterwards Chancellar of the Exchequer. He succeeded Mr. Balfour » leader of the Unionists in November 1911, and was Leader of the House in 1918 reigning Cabinet office in March, 1921, under medical orders.