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Chester races. 1 May 12. 13…

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CHESTER EDUCATION COMMITTEE'…

MR. YERBUROH AT BOCGHTON.i…

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MR. YERBUROH AT BOCGHTON. T ——— RADICAL LEGISLATIVE FAILURES. COUNTRY'S GROWING DISTRUST. In the course of a round of visit.s he is paying to the Unionists in each ward of the city, Sir. Robert Yerburgh on Slonday evening addressed a crowded and enthusiastic meeting in St. Paul s Schools. Boatghtoi:. Sir. W. II. Churton took the ohair. and was supported by Mos=rs. F. E. Roberts, T. Gibbons Fiost, R. T. Wiokham, W. A. V. Churton. A. S. Dutton, G. II. Dutton, W. MoLellan, J. E. Haswell, W. Johnson. C. J. Harrison, H. Banstow, W. Jackson, Eii^ waide, C. II. Glassey (agent), etc. Before the opening of the meeting patriotic songs were given by Mr. A. Greenwood and Mr. II. Bairstow. Mr. R. Thomas accompanying. The Chaiiman, after congratulating Mr. Yer- burgh upon his restoration to health, said that gentleman was quite ready for the fray, when- ever it canie off. (Cheers and a Voice: "It won't, be long.") Wo had a Government in power which seemed to pioduee- measures for destruction instead of reform. Tliey were not satisfied with amending our institutions, but were determined to desticy them. They were dot.e,-niiiicd to force the Licensing Bill upon the country, whether it was wanted or not. One would havo thought that a gentlem an occupy- ing the position of Mr. Asqtnth would have had the commonsen.s'e and piudcnce to endeavour to bring about a friendly conclusion, and not to use tyrannical force. The people of Ibis coun- try midlt, led. but they would no4 be driven. (Hoa.r ,hear.) LICENSING FALLACY. I Use Radical party were fond of saying that the I Government, and the magistrates ought to re- sum:) the power of dealing with liccnces which they we> said to have lost; that was to say, they ought to nave the absolute power to refuse the renewal of licences for any it-ason, if they thought, fit. That argunumt was based to a, certain extent upon a fallacy. From the year 1830, when the Bee: houses Ac-t was passed', until 1869, beerhouses did not require any authority or cortiif-cate from th? justices for the renewal of their licences, which depended solely upon the- Excise authorities. As long as a man oould produce a certificate of character a.nd a certificate of the value of his house signed by tho tssisi-atit oveis-oer. and paid three guineas, Ixi could always get, his licence, and could always be sure of holding it. In the year 1869 beerhouses were for the fiiet time subjected to the authority of the magistrates, but as showing that there- was a vested interest in those licences, it was provided that their renewal could not be refused except upon ccit-ain specified grounds, the principal grounds being repeated of misoonduot on the part of the tenants. Super- fluity in the number of licences was not one of the specified grounds. It was absolutely untrue to say that- up to the year 1904 t'heT0 was any authority to refuse the renewal of a beerhouse | licence except, upon one of the four grounds mentioned in the' Act of 1869. Sir. Yerburgh, who was received with loud ehocrs and musical honours, said the enthusiasm of the aiidieiwo shewed that the Unionist party in Chester was by 110 means a dead party. From frequent visits to the city he knew that they weiip longing tot ry conclusions again with the Radical party. "I do not know," Sir. Yerbuigh proceeded, "that the time, will bo so very far off." (Hoar, hear.) A gentleman who has just bexMi added to the Government CMr. Maser- man), one' of the rising hopes of the- Radical party, writing to the "Nineteenth Centuiy of January this year, says of his own Government: "No one desires the destruction of the Govern- ment. but no one would greatly regret its de- parture." If that is all a Radical can say on behalf of his Government, it seems to me an of the phrase "damning with faint praise." (Hear, hear.) Then wo dis- cover an interesting c < I Vic-IV of the sii na- t.ion in tlio "Baptist Times," which 011 the 24th January this year says that the Government is evidently very much alarmed by what is taking place Ï-:1 the country; and it calls upon the Government io take care what it is doing, to read the signs of the times. The "Baptist Times" says the Government must study these signs, and says that since they oaroe into power "the cost of living has increased, trade in general is stagnant, and there are certain ug!y facts of unemployment very manifest. In another number this paper contrasts the atti- tude of the two parties with logard to this s ituation. It says that both parties realist? the difficulties of t.ho situation, but they appioach the solution in a different way. It acknow- ledges that the Unionist party I)ai a remedy, though not one of which it appiove-s; but cf it6 own party it. say?, "All that. the Liberal party has to offer arc maxims of political economy." (Laughter and hear. hear.) We may be sure lrom its character that that paper is all out-and out supporter of the Government, because we know that this Government was returned to power largely by the unflinching and enthusiastic support of the Nonconformists. This paper gi ves the Unionist party the highest I 00rtificate of character we could ad; for, be- cause it says that we do nccognise the present I position, although It does not accept our remedy; while Its own party, TOtnrned! to power with an unexampled majority, when asked for bicail can only offer a stone of stale economic doctrine. Could wo have a stronger condemna- tion of the Government'. yon wonder tJMt the UNIONIST TIDE IS RISIG. and submerging Libei al strongholds one after another? (Cheers and a Voice "There will bo another at Dundee.") The Unionist party in Dundee will be filling up their cups and cans aml drinking good-bye to the traveller from Manchoetei'. (Hear, hear.) I do not know how long the Government aie going tc stand the blows which are being delivered against them; but what interests n-ik- very much is that all their supporters in the Piess are shewing signs of alarm. They are beginning to realise. that tlio country does not want the measures that the Government are introducing. Take the Education Bil!. They biought in a Bill in 1906, which went before the House of Lords, who inserted certain amendments. The Government refused to accept them, and withdrew the Hill. If they had lopies-entcd the vieVs of the coulltry they would have gone io the country and asked' for its support of tiic, Bill. (Hear, hear.) They dared not do so because they had basely thrown over their Roman Catholic supporters all over the country. (Hear, hoar.) Their Bill was denounced in tlio stiongcfit terms by every Roman Catholic ecclesiastic in the country. We have now another Bill before the country, and how is it being received? It pleases nobody. The two newspapons that. represent in London tire great Radical party both declare that the Bill cannot possibly be a final settlement of the education question. Under that Bill the Church of England is penalised in every village in the country, and both Anglicans and Roman Catho- lics are penalised in the towns, while the Goyermncut introduce what- is known as con- tracting out. The great merit of Mr. Balfour's Act of 1902 was that it gave all schools the same advantages, and gave the whole elementary edu- cation of the country a corporate life. Neveu' would the Radicals hear of contracting out in 1906, yet they now introduce a Bill in which ooniracting- out is recognised, thus taking a course which was bitterly opposed by such re- ligious bodies as tho Roman Catholics a.nd the Cliureli of England. I think we shall find that Bill will also be withdrawn. Now they are driven to propose a round table conference to settle, tlhe religious question; and it is proof, if we want. any. that the Government does not represent thei country on the education ques- tion. (Hear, hear.) The Unionist party have always stood for absolute equality between all denominations, and tjio inclusion of religious teaching within school horns. Turning to the subject of the Licencing Bit!, Mr. Yerburgh said the Government contended that the licences belongeel to the State, which ought to take thoir monopoly. So far as he knew, the feeling of brewers and others was that they would bo quite prepared to hand their property over to the State provicfeed they were paid a fair priec for it. (Hear, hear.) Why should they rob the [ brewer and the publican more than any other members of the community? SIR, GLADSTONE AND LICENSING. If the late Mr. Gladstone had been in Parlia- ment, they might be suw that he would have raised his voice most strongiy against a Bill of this character. Speaking on a Bill introduced by the late Sir Wilfrid Law,on, Mr. Gladstone said: "I should have been better plea-scd with the in-atter of the resolution if my honourable fiTiend had included in it some reference to the principle of equitable compensation. I do not want my honourable friend to commit- himself upon the point, but I want a frank recognition of the principle that wo are not to deny rhe publicans as a class the benefits of e-rjual treat- ment. because we think their trade is at so many point.s in contact with, and even sometimes pro- ductive of great, public mischief. Considering the legislative title they have acquired, and the recognition of i,hc i- jxwition in the proceedings of this Ilous-e for a long wrie-s of years they ought not io be plaoed at a disadvantage on account of the particular impression we may entertain, in many cases but too justly, in rela- tion to the mischiefs connected with the present licensing system." There Mr, Gladstone, with all his high authority, took a view directly oppositfi to that taken by the present Govern- ment. Air. John Bright, a typical representa- tive of a sturdy, honest Englishman, refused to support a Local Veto Biil on the ground that if such a power was given to a 1,wo,t,hird majority of tho people injustice would follow. He declared that he would never be a party to tho sweeping awav of a licence without proper compensation being given to the person fiom whom it was taken. With such great names as t'hosf on the Ùdf) of equitable dealing with the trade, how weiu they going to satisfy themselves that the proposal made to-day by a new loader was i ight and propei ? (Hear, hear.) Unionists might take to themselves the consolation that they were on the right side if they had with them the authority of those great men. Mr. Gladstone and Mr. Bright. The Licensing Bill wa" NOT A TEMPERANCE SIEASURE. I but a mere political movement to punish these who were opposed to the Government. In the House of Commons the Solicitor-General gave- away the whole case by saying that every puulic-houso was a Tory committee-room. The Government, were opposed to the employment. of barmaids, but. had not t.he oourage io deal with the question themselves, and handed it, over to t he licensing justicefe Then they thought people wcitid not, be thirsty enough if they walked only trec mill's in the country, so they wanted them to walk six. (Laughter.) Was that the kind of legislation Englishmen were in the habit of submitting I.)Y If the public did not want beer and whisky they would, take care they did not have it; but. people yet behevfd in temperance in aJJ things, and the country was not yet Prohibition; (Hear, hear.) There was a familiar couplet very applicable to this question: "There is a little public-houso that everyone can elcee; it is the little public-houso just, ullderneat,h your noee." illea r, hear.) In aid these matfers there was a great, deal of political humbug, and he did not, chink political humbug appealed to the average Britisher. In spite of their huge majority the Government were calling in loud tones to all their friends to keep up their courage They declared they were not. going to be bullied and diciated io by the brewing interest. Those were signs that the Government's courage was oozing out of their boots, and after a. few more tshrewd blows like the Unionists had dealt them at. Manchester and elsewhere, they would be thinking the best thing they couid do was to put- their for- tunes to the issue and if they could once more delude the electors of the country, tcheers.) Something more significant than all, however, was that Mr. Winston ChurchiK, a-fter the Manchester election, said that the next elec- tion would be dominated by Fie<: Trade. At that election, he said, there was no clear issue, but at the next, election the glorious banner of Free Trade would be hoisted, and under that they would march to victory. Shortly aftier I thito' prÜIlO1ll1('o(>men( we found a very old alJ) respected member of t,hü Radic party (Sir John Brunner) calling upon the Prime Minister to abandon the Slanchcster school and initiate a saiie and SENSIBLE TRADE POLICY. What did he mean by that? He could only eonclude that Sir John Brunner meant that the people of this country were beginning to u nd ere tan d that, they did not really possess what was called Free Trade, and that «h> y required revenue for various things, but. had no sources from which it could be deriveet. (Hear, hear.) The removal of the coal tax had opened their eyes, for they saw it was rather foolish to pay taxes themselves if they could gvt foreigners to pay them. In their blind worship of the goddess of Free Trade tho Government took off the coal tax; and the effecL had been to increase the price of coal and fctimuiate the enterprise of our foreign competitors. In face of this were the present Government fit, to be entrusted with the trade future of the country, and to carry out the came trade policy which Sir John Brunner advo.-ued ? The Coail Mines llouns Bill was another instance of their want of capacity, and the Home Secretary had admitted that the effect of that Bil!, if it became law, would be to curtail the output and so raise the price. Manufacturers in every department said the Biiu would seriously affect the trade cf the country. Colonel Wright, speaking at Swan- I sea. on the 10th Slaich, said the effect of the Bill wou?d be to increase the prie? of tinplates by 6d. a box. There were 25,000 men employed in tne trade, and the home consumer t-cok 5.100,000 boxes, and the result of the increased price would be that the home consumer would have to pay on those boxes a furt her eum of £ 127,500 Foreign markets, he added, would be cloeeel to u, and our marker. would be opened to the foreign manufacturer of tin- plates, and the extra cost would enable the Germans to capture our markets. As to the shipping industry we were toid that the addi- tional cost of cx--il used in the bunkers of thips would mean all 1 he difference between profit, and lose, with the result that there would be more steamers laid up. Sir George Livcf-ey iii??re stearnei- .s laid up. had said that an increase of Is. 6d. a ion on 000.1 wonJd mean an increase of 2d. per 1,000 (eet, in the price of gas. Shortly before the Government, came into clfio? there were 15,122 men and boys employed at Woolwich Arsenal. Tli-is year the numbers had fallen to 11,643. Wherever there were Government works men of great experience and abilily were being die- oliarged. Since 1905 the number of men em- ployed at the Government dockyards at Ports- mouth, Pembroke, Devonport iii(I Chatham had fallen from 31,270 to 27,548. In one of the Socialist papers on tho 27th March there was a note to the effect that on the 28th February this year there were 64 men idle in every 1,000 skilled workers, as against 39 in the flame number of workers in February, 1907- the greatest number for the last ten years. This is the Government they returiieki to office on the strength of its promises to do everything possible for the working-classes; yet trade was diminishing, unemployment increasing-, and the Government were dealing with our industries in a way that no practical person would toler- ate, while their own supporters, like Sir John Brunner, were calling upon them to adept a fane trade policy. DISGUISED PROTECTION. I The one measure above all others that was giving satisfaction to the country, and which even the Radicals plumed themselves upon viz., the Patents Act passed by Mr. Lloyd George—was really founded upon the know- ledge and skill of Conservative members of Parliament. That Act, which undoubtedly was going to do great- good, was denounced by a Heading German newspaper as being: a rank measure of Protection carried out under the mask of Free Trade. Was it not extraordin- ary that the one matter upon which the Govern- ment oould plume themselves was in direct contradiction to all their pledges, promises, vows and statements made at the general election on the question of Free Trade? (Cheers.) The next election would be fought on the trade position of our country. Mr. Balfour had made it perfectly clear that the issue upon which they would go to the country would not onlly be the shortcomings of the Government, but the advisability of broadening the sources of our revenue, which he believed ooulel be got by small duties upon imported goods from abroad. There must, be no duties on ra.w materials, for that would be a suicidal policy; but we required a small duty for revenue purposes on manufactured ariidlee. We had to protect, our markets from unfair foreign competition. That wa-s a fair trade policy, but even if they adopted it, t.he Radical party were tied hand and foot, to the policy of "banging, bolting and barring" the door against our colonial brothel's. (Hear, hear.) The author of that famous, or rather infamous phrase was the gentleman who was defeated at Sianchester; and he (Mr. Yerburgh) was told that when he left the Colonial Office ono universal cry of joy went up from every district where the British flag- was flying. Mr. Balfciir had promised that when the Unionist party was returned to power the first act of his Government would be to summon a Colonial Conference—(hear, hear)—to see if they could arrive at a solution which would be acceptable to the country, and which would not by any jot or tittle increase the burdens already borne by the wage-earning classes of the country. (Cheers.) Mr. T. Gibbons Fiost proposed a vote of thanks to Sir. Yerburgh for his address. Ho said the policy of a Government which flooded our country with imports fiom foreign coan- tiios, which neglected our L-diim, tion and reduced our Navy and Army, exposing us to tho danger of foreign invasion, was a policy which would not gain the support of level-headed Bough- ton fans. Sir. R. T. Wickham, in seeonding, said never before had there bee-n a Government who had so totally neglected ihe interests o{ our country, and so entirely devoted themselves to the fads of a few of their political friends. He did not think that Nonconformists honestly believed in their hearts the Radical cry of r)cl)iilar oontro l and no tests for teachers. They had produced two Education Bills, neither of whioh the country would have and at present an attempt was being made to bring about a compromise. Ho was afiaid, however, it was impossible lor the Government to do muah in the- face of the phx'ges they had given. They hod also coquetted h k?-, liit, i no with Horn; Rule, but they had no economio 1 scheme to help the working eiassee and increase employment, and they were further crippling our industries by the removal of the export tarty on coal. As one interested In tne ooai trade, ho might. say that four years ago. when the tax was in force-, the profit was 6d. a ton. The effect- of the removal of the export duty had been to send very large quantities of coal abroad, and to raise the price of coal by 2s. in England. At the present time homeo consumers wore paying Is. 6d. per ton more for coal than they did, not very long ago. 'Die* resolution was enthusiastically carried, and Mr. Yerburgh, in reply., said he would let them inio a secret. He was offered a safe seat in this Parliament, but while offering to contest. it at. the 10it, he refused to maintain it at. the geneial election. Had he been willing to give up Chester, he could have been in Parliament to-day, but he preferred to will Chester again. (Cheers.) Some people told him. at the time that he was a fool for his pains, butt Iii- believed in the old theory that when a man was knocked down he should get up and knock the other fellow down. At tihe next election they would give the Radical party iii Chester such a p'.mi?hin? that they would n01 Hnter 1ho l ing again for a long time. In contusion, Mr. Yerburgh proposed a vote of thanks to Sir. Churton, and complimented him upon his 111, spiring te-ade-iahip of the party. Mr. Edwards seconded, and it was. carried. The following gentlemen kindly acted as stewards:—Sir. H. Johnstone, Mr. Ennitt, Mr. Lawrence, Sir. Wilson, Sir. Hayes, Mr. Lang- ford, Sir. Harrison, Mr. W. A. Rowland. WOMEN'S UNIONIST ASSOCIATION. The annual meeting of the Boughton No. 1 branch of the Women Uniomst's Association was held in the Assembly Rooms on Tuesday evening. Miss Keith Douglas in the chair. There was a. large gathering of members. Miss Keith Douglas was elected local president for 1908 to 1909. Mrs. Sloore, the honorary secretary, read the repcrt, and Mrs. Dutton (honorary treasurer) put in the accounts for the past year. These shewed sub- stantial progress and that much useful work was being done. Ali s. Moore and Sirs. Dutton were unanimously re-elected. A committee was then appointed, lrs. Berry being elected vice-pre- sident. Sir. Atcherley addressed the meeting chiefly upon the subject of organisation, and shewed how necessary it was to decentralise the work in a constituency of the size of Chester, and indicated that women could do a very great amount of useful work by following out the suggestions he put forward for their guidance. He also demonstrated how needful it was for this work to be thoroughly and efficiently done so that the chief agent of the party could at any time obtain any information and rely upon the facts given to him. Mr. Glassey also spoke, thanking the ward for its help to him and for the useful information he could, he believed, always depend upon.

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