"LOOK UPWARDS."

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18888, 31 December 1926, Page 8

"LOOK UPWARDS."

MR AMERY ON EMPIRE RESOURCES. THE COAL SITUATION. (fbom oub own cohbzspondext.) LONDON, November 20. At a conference of the Middlesex Women Unionists, Mr L. S. Amery, Dominions Secretary, reviewed the coal situation and the work accomplished by the Imperial Conference. He said that now the strike was virtually at an end, we should take a lesson from the tremendous prosperity of the United States, and seek to bring about an even greater period of prosperity than is enjoyed in America at the present time.

"The United States," said Mr Ainery, "have only a quarter of the resources of the British Empire, but in spite of this their people live in a greater degree of comfort, and their wages are higher. Our resources are not only greater, but are also more varied, "and if only we had a common policy we could far outstrip the United States. I ask you: Let us take our eyes off the ground and look upwards." Speaking of the coal strike, Mr Amery said: "During the whole of the conflict the miners' leaders have been trying to force the State into nationalisation, and the men would long ago have been willing to accept reasonable terms had it not been for this. By reasonable terms I mean terms that did not involve the standard of wages and conditions of living compatible with tho conscience of the country. Tho year 1020 will be looked back upon as a memorable one in which England, under a trusted Prime Minister, began to turn the corner from the difficulties of the , post-war period. The general strike ) was an indefensible attack on the con- , stitution of the country, showing up the impotence of the Labour Party. It is a fortunate thing for the country that at that critical time men so incapable of independence were not in power. "One extremo man is determined to continue tho effort, despite the fact that tho attempt failed to bring the Government to its knees by the sudden starvation of the people." ■ Coercion which Tailed. Returning to the question of nation- ! alisation, Mr Amcry added: "Even before the strike the owners were already giving more than the industry could afford The men therefore did not strike to get more money out of the mines, but in an attempt to make tho Government lax the community for a subsidy or to make the Government take over the industry. This would havo come to tho same thing, as the mines would have had to be carried on at the taxpayers' expense "The Government all through has refused, the temptation to settle by a subsidy at the expense of the taxpayer We arLt last in sight of a settlement on the only possible basis. The attempt by the miners' leaders has failed ignominiously, and the Government has wisely avoided the many pitfalls laid in its path, and has brought the issue to the inly possible conclusion. Coercion has failed, and is going to fail. . Mr Amery discussed the Imperial Conference, which he stated had done, enormous work to bring about a mutual understanding. "It is difficult for me to tell you," he said, "what, a mass of practical work has been done by the various committees."