London, May 28.
Five Conservative members of the House of Commons to-day renounced the National Government Whip. "because they felt concerned over various points of the Government's policy."
They are the Duchess of Atholl, Kinross and Western division of Perth and Kinross; Lt. Comdr, Frederick Wolfe Astbury, West division of Salford; Mr. "Linton Theodore Thorp, Nelson and Come; Lt.-Col. A. 4. Todd, Berwick-upon-Tweed divi. sion of Northumberland, and Col, Sit Joseph Nail, Hulme division of Man chester.
Mr. Stanley Baldwin, Lord President of the Council, replying in the House of Commons to the announce: ment of their defection by the five members of Parliament, declared that "the disaffection of even the smallest number at atime like the present strikes a blow. at national "unity which, more than ever before,, is essential now."
The Government's "Socialist policy" is the reason ascribed for the defect ion of the five M.P''s It ig stated that they are dissatisfied with the Housing Bill, the India Bill, the Passenger TramMe Act, the Petroleum Production Act and also the blectrl. city Supply Act. In addition, they disagree with the Government on the recently concluded Anglo-Polish trade treaty.
Tt is now virtually certain that Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, the Prime Minister, will hand over his duties as Prime Minister within the next three weeks to Mr. Stanley Baldwin, Lord President of the Council Reuter, London, May 24.
The petition should not be received, inasmuch as it is for legislative action which, they consider, would be constitutionally "incompetent for Parliament to take except upon definite request from the Commonwealth.
This is the gist of a report made today by the Joint Select Committee of both House of Parliament appointed to consider the petition of the State of Western Australia to secede from the Commonwealth, its petition, Western Australia asked for leave' to withdraw from the Commonwealth and for the restoration of its former status as a separate self-governing colony within the British Empire.
The main ground given in support of secession was that the combined effect of the Australian protectly: customs tariff and inter-state free trade had inflicted grave injustice, great hardships and severe distress. on Western Australia.—Reuter,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.