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Provincial Branches:—

England—

• Liverpool: Hon. Secretary, Francis Hartley, Esq., Castle Chambers, 26, Castle Street.
• Manchester: [appointment pending.]
• Leeds: Hon. Secretary, Walter Rowley, Esq., 74, Albion Street.
• Sheffield: Hon. Secretary, Percy Sorby, Esq., 11, George Street.
• Nottingham: [appointment pending.]
• York:Hon. Secretary, F. H. Anderson, Esq., 41, Stonegate.
• Bristol: Hon. Secretary, H. J. Brown, Esq., 43, High Street.
• Plymouth: Hon. Secretary, R. S. Clarke, Esq., 4, Athenxum Terrace.
• Bournemouth: Hon. Secretary, J. R. Pretyman, Esq., Richmond Lodge.

Scotland—

• Glasgow: [appointmentpending'.
• Aberdeenshire: Hon. Secretary, Colonel W. Ross-King, Tertowie House, Kinaldie.

Ireland—

• Dublin: Hon. Secretary, E. S. Robertson, Esq., 43, Waterloo Road.

The League opposes all attempts to introduce the State as competitor or regulator into the various departments of social activity and industry, which would otherwise be spontaneously and adequately conducted by private enterprise.

Questions of the structure or constitution of the State and those of foreign policy do not come within the scope of the League. It is exclusively concerned with the internal functions or duties of the State.

During the last 15 years all interests in the country have successively suffered at the hands of the State an increasing loss of their self-government. These apparently disconnected invasions of individual freedom of action by the central authority are in reality so many instances of a general movement towards State-Socialism, the deadening effect of which on all branches of industry and originality the working classes will be the first to feel.

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Each interest conducting its self-defence without any reference to the others has, on every occasion, hitherto failed to oppose successfully the full force of this movement concentrated in turn against itself by the permanent officials and the government in power for the time being.

The League resists every particular case of this common evil by securing the co-operation of all persons individually opposed to the principle of State-Socialism in all or any one of its instances, and by focussing into a system of mutual defence the forces of the "Defence Associations or Societies" of the various interests of the country.

As regards such defence societies, companies, and corporate bodies, this co-operation is effected without any interference with the independent action of each body on matters specially affecting its own interest.

Each society passes a resolution formally placing itself in correspondence with the League. The League in return supplies every such society with information concerning each fresh symptom of State interference; it places the various societies and interests in communication with one another with a view to their mutual assistance inside and outside parliament; and, at the same time, it combines for the common end the forces of the several societies and interests with those of the League itself and its members in both Houses of Parliament.

The chairman (or his nominee) of every society, company or corporate body thus in correspondence with the League is an ex-officio member of the Council of the League, and receives notice to attend all its meetings. The corporate action of the League in every case of overlegislation where any interest is affected is regulated by the decision of the ordinary members of Council, acting in conjunction with its ex-officio members.

Persons wishing to join the League are requested to send their subscription (voluntary from five shillings upwards) and address to Messrs. Herries, Farquhar Co., Bankers, 16, St. James's Street, S.W. Particulars and Publications of the League, can be had from the Secretary, W. C. Crofts, at the Central Offices.