London, Sept. 2 "Mussolini's unjust. and rapacious assault on Abyssinia" was condemned by Mr. Kean, the Presi-Gent, in. speech opening the Trades Union Congress at Margate to-day.
"The speaker said he believed that the application of economic sanctions would suffice to restrain Ttaly's ag-
If they were not immediately effective, Ne declared, a further step would be the closing of the Suez Canal to Ttalian ships, which would bring the allan campaign in East Africa to a standstill.
'Such action, added Mr. Kean, might bring the League Powers into' a war! with Italy, but the issue must be faced.
Despite the damper caused last evening by a thunderstorm, which blacked out Margate's electricity and plunged the inaugural reception into' Garkness, the Congress met to-day in 'The membership, which has been continuously declining since the peak of 6,000,000 was reached in 1922, has ow taken an upward turn again. {hereased by' 164,000 during the past year due to the Industrial recovery, ud. now numbers 3,500,000.
Doctors to-day participated for the frst time, representing the newly: formed Medical Practitioners Union, which contains several thousand members.
Condemnation of Labour members for accepting honours from the. tonal Government, with special reference tothe recent Knighthoods conferred on Walter Citrine, General Secretary of the Trades Union' Congress, and Arthur "Pugh, General Secretary of the Iron & Steel Trades Confederation, 1s expected 10 provide the conference with a heated debate, Women, particularly, condemn such distinctions, Extcemists also hotly attack the Council's recent circular against the appointment of Communists to official positions as "gross interference" in the liberty of unions, but it is believed that an overwhelm: Jing majority are moderate.
Another' resolution condemns the Governments precautionary measures against air raids as the "creation of a war mind by psychological appeal Nevertheless, Labour strongly favours sanctions in support of the League of Nations.
The question of invoking a general strike for the prevention of a war between Italy and Abyssinia will be: gain canvassed fo-morrow, when resolution will be moved condemning Japanese and Ttalian aggression in the Far East and Ethiopia respee-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.