EARLY ELECTION LIKELY

Chronicle (Levin), 6 October 1947, Page 5

EARLY ELECTION LIKELY

(N.Z.P.A.-

Reuter

Churchill Flays Sodalisf Sins

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Eeceived' Sunday, 8.50 p.m. LONDON, Oet. 5. Addressing a mass aemonstration of the Conservative Party in Brighton Mr. Churchill said the Conservatives had' everv reason to believe that 'the, Socialist Government was now a substantial minority and ruling withont; support againftt the wishes of the larger part of the nation, and it would be most imprudent not to be ready for a general election at anv time in 1947 or 1948. Mr. Churchill, who televised to two overflow meetings in other halls, spoke mostly of home affairs, but in g, preliminary reference to the Empire, said: "In the melancholy tale of the casting away of the British Empire in India and the misforfune and slaughter whieh were falling on the Indian peoples, all the blame could not be thrown on one party. The Soeialist Government, however, had thrown itself with zeal into the task of destroving Britain's long built-up and splendid structure in the east and brought widespread ruin, misery and bloodshed upon the Indian masses to an extent no one could measure. ' ' Mr. Churchill declared that the party would attack the Government by everv means in its power in order to aehieve "the first step to national recovery" — the departure of the Soeialist Government manv of whose inroads into Britain's liberties wore the aspeet of the Nazi, Communist of Fascist totalitariau State. At home the imminent economic crisis would not be mastered except by the election of a new Commons representing the nation 's strength and wisdom. There were two flagrant untruth.? in the Socialist propaganda: Firstly, that the period between the wars during most of which there was a Con ^ervative cpiajority was a kind of dark age. Tt, on the contrarv, was a period marked by steady social improvement. The second Soeialist legend was that the Conservative Party was not concerned about emplovment anc would even welcome a certain amouul of unemployment as a stimulus to production. Socialists spoke with admiration about the White Paper 011 emplovment but this was produce*! under the Churchill Government. Lor.l Woolton was its author and the Socialists had not added a single cutre'nt idea. Tf tlie Socialists praised tlie White Paper they had not the right to sav the Gonservatives had no emplovment polley. Mr. Churchill, tuniing to the Conservatives' future policv, said he couhi not think of anything more foolish than that the. party without power tc act or the machinery of government nt its disposal should commit itself to a detailed programme of executive action. Certainlv while he led the partv it would not attempt to bribe its way into offiee by promises it knew it could never fulfil or try to outbid the Socialist Government in its levellin-: policies. The Tnduslrial Charter, which was the Conservative Party 's ofticial policv, showed plainlv the broad demoeratic view the party took ox current affairs. The Conservatives once the basie. minimum standard oi Hfe and labour was established, pro posed to set people free as quickly .*»> possible from the restrictions no^ besetting daily Hfe, and above this minimum would be free eompetition with evervone at liberty to make tht' best of himself by all the means honour and the law allowed. The pricc mochanism would then be allowed G: work again according to the princip'o of supplv and demar.d. Certain basic steps mnst first I)t taken. The distortion of finances mus' be corrected and wasteful Governmen' expenditure, particularly abroad, re dnced to severn] hundred million sterl ing a year and given in tax reliefs. The present food shortages were the result of no failure of nature. "Do not believe the fantastic tales that the modern world with all its science is broke and ruined. Crazy ! doctrines, clumsy fingers, vicious and morbid trends of policy are manufacturing shortages and misery." party plaeed the unitv of the BritisJ. Commonwealth. The party was not prepared to barter. away imperial preferences. Even in his wartime relations with President Roosevelt he always safeguarded the imperial preferencc principle and this never impeded the growth of Anglo-American friendship. There was nothing incompatible in hi • advocacy of a united Europe unless one were tied to the ehoice between t\$o rigid customs unions in the fuli technical sense of the word. Canada 's participation in Empire preferencc never stood in the way of her special economic relations with the United States. Neither need the British Empire with a European economic policv conflict with TJnited States policy.