LABOUR INCOMPETENCE

Chronicle (Levin), 29 September 1947, Page 5

LABOUR INCOMPETENCE

(N.Z.P-A

.—Reuter,

Churchill Points To Causes Of Crisis

' Qopyright)

Received Sunday, 7.0 p.m. LONDON, Sept. 27. s Mr. Churchill, in a speech at a Conservative rally,- warned his hearers to be ready " should an election be sprung on us at any moment llext year. ' ' He said all the world was staggered by tlie sudden fall of Britain from the high position won in the finest hour of her history. He predicted that the result of the General Election of 1945 would be a national disaster. He had not helieved this would have proved true so quickly. ' ' Our misguided f ellow country men" had aehieved disaster through their incompetenee, arrogance, their hordes of officials, a thousand regulations and gross mismanagement of affairs large and small. "\Vhat had happened to Britain so far is only a foretaste of what is to come under Socialism with all its malice, clast jeaiousy and crippling of dili. gence, initiative and enterprise. "It won't he possible for more than two-thirds of the present population to live in this island. That is why .therq is all this talk of emigration and Avhy young men are turning their eyes over-seas-hoping to find a chance td make their way, which is denied them here," he said. "The Government is trying to fill their places with displaced persons. 1 won't speak oi' these people without sympathy but how terrible is our situation when so many of our best and most ac-tive people wish to leave Britain and we beeome the repository of Europe's unhappy wreekage." Mr. Churchill said the socialists were trying to spread a false impression that the period between the wars had been dark and miserable for Britain. He claimed that, apart from the second Socialist administration, it had been a period of almost- unequalled expansion in the lifg of wage earners. The Government boasted of many Bills passed this Parliament but none of these conferred any benefit on wa^'e earners exeept , thasj^. which Were 'prepared by the national coalition "and proclaimed bv me in the four-year plan of 1943*. ' ' Mr. Attlee, in a speech at a Labour rally at Leicester, accused Mr. Churchill of exploiting the Government 's difficulties. "It is very different from the wartiine Churchill who extorted the people to bear bravely the inevitable hardships and who now apparently is exhorting them to whine and blame. He. knows perfectly well our difficulties are not due to the Labour Government. His tactics are rather okl-fashioned. He does not take account of the new poli tical intelligence in Britain." Mr. Attlee said the opppnents had no poliey. to set against Labour. The Government had gone ahead with nationalisation to remedy a defqct in esscntial industries on which the.economic futun of Britain depended. Mr. Attlee said the Opposition 's. constant barrage against the Government did not affect the Government 'fs position but the people abroad did not always understand the. freedom of eriticism rightly allowed in Britain. Some did not realise the motive- of the attacks on the Government. The Opposition press and speakers created a wrong impression abroad that Britain was a grey and miserable place whereas visitors who came to see for themselves told him they fonnd the people vigorous and cheerful. Mr.Attlee said that apart from the Go vernm ent 's - own press, ' ' oui own great Daily Herald," and apart from some newspapers which took a reasonably balanced view, the great body of the Brk ish press was against the Labout movement. Mr. Attlee said the -Government was not going to adopt wholesale regimentation. It did not believe in it but unless thf Government was to nse r.egimenta tion there must be some incentivi other than the profit motive. He said he could not see why a motive of service to the community should not operate in peaee as in war. There was no easy way out of Britain 's difficulties and the problems came dowm to the attitnde of the individual citizen. "