The Labour Legislative Programme: Safeguarding and Imperial]
Preference to Go: Government Supported by Liberals: Church Sits in Judgment Frost OR Owx London, July 1.
Although there has been a good deal of fun at what is called the moderation of the Socialist Govern ment, there are plenty of clever people inside the Ministry who mow what they are doing and who are aware that there are' more Ways of killing a dog than tying 4 brick round its neck and dropping it into n pond. In fact, you have to search behind the scenes to know exactly what the Ministry is doing: and intends to do.
has just had its first public "debate in Parliament on Safeguarding, Mr, Snowden has announced, although there is a great deal of vagueness in what he says and does not, say, that Safeguarding certainly 6 to go and that Imperial Preference will follow. He takes Ube latter line on the ground that the Socialist Party intends to Yemove all the taxes on food, and, that being the case, there is nothing on which we could give the Empire any preference worth having. 'SUM, it is quite certain that he will not be able to sweep away all the duties on food at once, and so ably some remains "of Imperial Preference will continue in. exist ence for a little while, unless he sweeps them off in the next Budget, On that point, no one can speak with absolute certainty. All the McKenna duties are to go, although one is not quite sure whether the duty on silk and artificial sitio will Ve sacrificed, as it is a semi-revenue duty and brings in a good deal of money. Probably we shall have the Excise made similar to the duty fon foreign imports.
Clearly, Mr. Snowden intends to carry out the Free Trade doctrine aire policy of the Liberals and they supported him last night in The House when the Government, obtained a majority, on what was Practically a vote of confidence, of 120, This was due, not to any objection to the Conservatives in respect of Safeguarding, but to the absence of a number of them and the dissatisfaction of others in the way in which the case was handied the debate. If Mr. Snowden carries out his intentions, few Conservatives want an early elec tion, because they honestly believe that great unemployment would result, yet this cannot well set in until about eighteen months to two years after the withdrawal of the duties, Meantime, the Government is trying to turn on the Empire tap very strongly, but what the result will be when' preference goes is not so clear, Moreover the Dominions. may "not be so. anxious then to have our surplus labour dumped on them, Still, the Socialists have swallowed emigration, which they used to oppose, and also the transference of labour from depressed areas, which equally they used to denounce. Mr. Thomas's schemes as a whole are practically only the projects of the Inst Government slightly extended.
In addition to its legislative announcements, which include the raising of the school age, though apparently this is not to be introduced until 1991, when the necessary buildings will be finished, he Government is taking every ort of clever administrative action to give effect to its principles. 'There has been a very sharp dispute between the parties over the composition of the Local Legislation Committee, which deals with' all Municipal Bills. The Labour Party claimed a clear majority, although they have not a clear majority in the House, but ultimately they had accept a compromise which was not so favourable. However they ave captured one of the two Committees formed from the parent ady and hence Municipal legislation of an advanced kind is certain to receive a great flip. It is quaint hat some of the old heavyweight Labour men who are not good enough for jobs are being pushed into prominent positions. One of the most amusing appointments of this type is that of Mr. Fred Hall, the Normanton miner, who Chairman of the Scleetion Committee which appoints all the different Committees of the House.
It may be the reward of merit, but the choice is ludicrous.
The Liberals have been pacified by the offer of an inquiry into electoral reform, and the Conservatives, who are full of recriminations as, to the way in which the last eleetion was conducted, want an! investigation into the' misdeeds of various men and departments, There is a good deal of justice in their point of view. ANl over the country we have wage troubles, partly due to suggested reductions and "partly to demands for increases. 'The Cabinet is. trying to dodge the restoration of the miners' seven-hour day, because it knows! it will kill the coal trade. Tt may, by adopting the Washington Bight Hours Cozvention, offer the miners 70 hours, Not unnaturally, Mini ters are urging their followers not to get restive, but to trust the man at the wheel. It is clear that! the new Cabinet is not finding 0 easy as it thought and unemploy-iment went up again this week and now stands at 1,140,000, Probably the Cabinet would have been wiser to have been more opportunist and not so doctrinaire, since it will probably entail its own destruction by the effect of its own action and far opponents.
Jess from the criticism of its
Theatres and Talkies Despite the fact that a dozen talking-films are drawing crowded audiences three or four times daily in the West End, the theatres seem to be doing remarkably well. All the popular shows are full night after night and in many eases are booked up for several days ahead. 'Thia goes to prove that, as long as the theatres will put on' good plays, the public will go to see them and pay' 13s. 6d. or more for a stall in order to do s0. One of the features, of the present theatrical season is the strange lack of revues. Apart from Mr. Cochran's super-revue, there is nothing else that can be called by that name in the whole of the West End, unless it be the Cooptimists, who have just been reborn, to the delight of many Londoners. It is possible that this may be due to the number of hotels, night-clubs, and restaurants put on cabaret turns and so cater to the appetite for this sort thing, but even cabaret turns are shorter and less elaborate than they used to be when the fashion first began. ven variety is under a tempora ary cloud. The Hippodrome has recently been showing a. flew and the Coliseum has taken to incl talkies in its programme. Tt is deed. n bad day. for the variety artists and_ to. what extent. they find it dificult to get a Job can only be realized by a visit to one of the Booking agent: One T vised the ther day had a deplorably lo Tst of famees names whase owners were applying through him for a new engagement. There " seemed to be litle hope of thei ever: getting one.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.