Crucial Time For British Labour

Chronicle (Levin), 7 June 1949, Page 5

Crucial Time For British Labour

LONDON, June h. Both Opposition and pro-Government newspnpprs agree that the 48th Labour Party annual conference at Blackpool is a crucial gathering for the British Labour Government. The Lord President of the Council. Ifr Herbert Morrison, speaking on the eve of the conference, with the railway strike as his baekground, warned nnofficial strikers that they were doing the people 's eanse harm. The Daily ITerald says the conference has the vital task of discnssing what steps the Government will take after the General Election in 1950, to deevlop the "peaceful revolution" which began in 1945. The "Daily Mail says a truce has been deelared in the eonflict between the big labour unions and Government, to avoid a head-on elash that would wreck the conference. The terms of the truce are, flrstly, that Sir Stafford Cripps is to be given more time to cut prices and improve liviug standards while the T.TT.G. meantime continues to support a restraint on wage claims; secondly, that both the Government and T.IJ.C. are to adopt a "go slow" policy over the railway strike to shelve the problem until the conference is over. The Times' diplomatic correspondent says fears will be expressed at the con ference that it is impossible to restrain new wage claims and therefore impos Rible to carry out the Government Y wage and price policy unless ways are found of reducing prices. A record nuntber of 1480 delegates Gabiiu-t were on tlie platform. *Mr Be vin will fiv from Paris On Thursday tc address the conference on foreign af is attending. Nearly all members of the t'airs.