BRITISH POLITICS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10015, 11 April 1910, Page 5

BRITISH POLITICS.

1 LORDS AND COMMONS. MR ASQUTTH IN ANSWER TO CRITICISM. United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph Copyright , LONDON, April 8. J In the House of Commons, the Prime Minister, Mr Asquith, replying to criticisms regarding the Government's intentions, made it clear that unless the House of Lords' decision on the veto resolution was satisfactory, the Government did not intend to waste the time of the House of Commons in discussing a Bill. THE BURDEN OF DEFENCE. SHOULD BE MORE EVENLY! BORN. Received April 10, 5 p.m. LONDON, April 9. Hon. R. B. Haldane, Secretary of State for War, addressing the Royal Economic Society, drew sympathetic attention to Professor Joseph"Shield Nicholson's contributions on the question of the defence of the Empire, wherein was sketched a system of defence by medium of contributions collected by import duties levied on a common scale throughout the Empire. Mr Haldane added: It is through the intelligence and will of the Empire as a whole that the perplexing question of defence contributions can bi solved. It is not right that taxation for Naval and Military purposes should be enoimously greater per head in Great Britain than i'n the colonies. Tne reason was that Britain had to maintain a force which wtnt overseas wherever the Empire was assailed. The burden shoul i in the coarse of time be more evenly borne. When the Prime Ministers at the last two Imperial Cunr'erences avoided the abstractviews, and saw the real l'vmg purpose, the difficulties \vhi«:h seemed almost ins superable vanished like magic. This might be the case in regard to larger questions, which Professor Nicholson had discussed. "Perhaps, said Mr Haldane, "the Navy might have an Imperial General Staff before long." THE ASSURANCE ASKED OF THE KING. MODERATE LIBERALS STATED 10 BE OBJECTING. WHEN THE CRISIS WILL ARRIVE. Received April 10, 5 p.m. LONDON, April 9.

The "Spectator," "Standard," and other newspapers state that there are indications that the moderate LiD> erals are objecting to the King, on the eve of a dissolution, beinz asked to give an assurance that he will create Peers if the Liberals given the victory at the elections. The Master of Elibank (Hon. J. Murray), speaking at Manchester, declared- that a crisis would arise from the hour when the Government was notified of the Lords' rejection of the first veto resolution. The shelving of the matter on any other subterfuge would be equivalent to a rejection. Both the veto and the Budget were essential.