BRITISH POLITICS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9071, 23 April 1908, Page 5

BRITISH POLITICS.

THE NORTH-WEST MANCHESTER ELECTION. NATIONALIST VIEWS. _ Received April 22, 8.8 a.m. LONDON, April 21. Mr J. Redmond, leader of the Nationalist party in the House of Commons, is considering Mr Churchill's Home Rule statement before finally advising the Manchester electors. The "Times" says the Dublin Nationalist party arrived at a decision some days ago. The majority including most of the younger and abler members, took definite sides with Mr Churchill. The Irish League's standing committees will doubtless contrive to save Mr Redmond's face. He made a serious misconception regarding the party's views when he spoke against Mr Churchill's candidature. Received April 22, 9.14 p.m. LONDON, April 22. Mr Lloyd-George, speaking at Manchester, predicted old age pensions within twelve months. He denied that the Liberals were abandoning the programme for advanced social reform in order to win back, according to the suggestion which has been made, the confidence of the country. If they did that they would win the contempt of the country. The defeat of Mr Churchill would be a blow to Free Trade. Mr George added: Free Trade is the Alpha not the Omega of ' the Liberal po'icy. He emphasised the need of courage to combat the monopoly of privilege and obstructiveness of vested interests, whether with regard to the education question or the liquor trade.

MR BALFOUR CONFIDENT. Received April 22, 9.51 p.m. LONDON, April 22. Mr A. J. Balfour, in a letter to Mr Joynson-Hicks, one of the candidates for the North - west Manchester seat, predicts that he (Mr Hicks) will win. Mr Balfour says the fact that the President of the Board of Trade should find his own powers insufficient to defend the seat, and the new Chancellor of the Exchequer driven to come to his assistance is an unwilling attribute to Mr Hicks' eloquence and the party's enthusiasm, which any candidate might envy. The more the members of the Government explain their use of political power the less likely are they to retain it. Commenting on the attitude of the Free Traders, Mr Balfour adds that such divisions are wasting maladies to great organisations. The evil they are doing will be increased by any attempt to disguise the resolve of the vast majority of the party to deal with the fiscal question. "My hopes of the complete unity of the Unionists," says Mr Balfour, "are based upon the growing conviction that they will ultimately see the fiscal system broken down at every standpoint. Then the alternative proposals will have a fair hearing from the small section of the Unionists who are still dreading the changr, though these may meanaloof."