a By' Os My GREEN
Two impressive conferences have been held recently, the Labour Party's and the meeting fof Bishops Known as the Convocation of Canterbury, The latter is certainly the more picturesque with all the Bishops in their Tobes, and an amount of learning and distinction gathered round the tables that rather overwhelms one. The proceedings are most businesslike; weighty views are exp: with all the- perfection of phrasing and delivery: that long years of practice have given and brevity and attention to the point are strictly ensured by the firm chairmanship: of: the' Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Archbishop's own address on reprisals, was the: most'strilking feature of Convocation. He uttered: a strong warning against the danger: that."'jist indignation at the ways of the Germans might rose it tora tenth by degenerating into mere vindictive pas-bons" one sign of which was the desire visible in: some' quarters for reprisals in kind on the Germans.for their indiscriminate. bombing.
the Archbishop argued that "in. any such competition with the enemy wé"are bound rom moral objections to such action, {to lose, for there are some limits below which ive would not fall without violating the best "and oldest instincts of British character."
That'is true. Think, for instance, if the Germans revenged themselves.on our fellowuntrymien, prisoners in their hands, as they quite capable of doing. The point on which many people disagree with the Arch= bishop was his assertion that to bomb Ger= man cities rather than military objectives would not make the German people clamour for cessation of the war, The Labour Party Conference wound up with an overwhelming vote for the sternest prosecution, of the war. The pacifists were an Insignificant handful. But many speeches. plainly showed that anxiety as to whether we are really doing our utmost to win the war, which is the prevailing anxiety of every man and woman that one meets. Thus Mr. Dukes, speaking for the trade unions, said, "My fear is that we should lack the energy and drive in our war effort." And Mr, Shin= welledeclared that we can only survive by the drastic readjustment of our whole internal economy.
Tt 48 easy to reply that the trade unions themselves are' the greatest obstacle to this readjustment of internal economy; that it the Labour Party are so determined to win the war, they might, as no one else can, iekle the frequent absenteeism from the factories which is harming the output; and that,-as the Inwyers say "It does not lie in the mouths" of socialists to upbraid the Government for lack of tanks and aeroplanes, seeing how violently and how little a time ago, they disputed every penny spent on national defence, "Some very remarkable facts about air raid damage have just been made public by Mr, Ernest Brown, Minister of Health, He tells us that London has*suffered twice as much damage to private residences, but in most of London 90 per cent. of the houses that could be repaired have been put in a condition to be lived in. All over the country 80 per cent. of the houses that were repairable have been made wind and waterproof. One cannot but think that that is a "very creditable record, Naturally the repairs are something in the order of first aid. But they give great hai pines' to the occupants. Mr. Brown 8 that it is pathetic to see how people cling to thei homes so long as any sort of shelter can be found among the ruins. He visited one house in the East End of which there was nothing left but the kitchen. It was, he said, most spick and span, and there, like Marius'on the ruins of Carthage, an old lady sat serenely. The Minister urged her to go into billets, promising to find her a cor fortable abode, But she said'she was quite happy. "I have lived here 62 years and T have 52 grandchildren and I don't want to Jeave." Mr, Brown and the grandchildren, however, finally prevailed on her to do so. She took with her a horse shoe which Uke her kitchen she had had for'62 years, saying that it had always brought her luck and she was' sure it always would, May wound up with a record of 156 German night bombers shot down, 143 over this country and 13 over Europe. Adding those destroyed by day the Germans lost 260 planes in the month, which means the best part of 1,000 airmen if not more. We lost 67 planes over Europe, of which fen were fighters and the rest bombers or reconnaissance aeroplanes, and eighteen fighters over Great Britain' but. nine: of the pilots of these are safe, Altogether the comparison is very favourable to us, specially as regards the night bombers. It-is reported that Lord Halifax has been prophesying in America. that soon our new methods of interception should bring a marked improvement in
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.