The Dominion. MONDAY, DECEMBER. 22, 1919. THE BRITISH POLITICAL OUTLOOK

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 75, 22 December 1919, Page 6

The Dominion. MONDAY, DECEMBER. 22, 1919. THE BRITISH POLITICAL OUTLOOK

Exactly what weight attaches to the cabled prediction of a London newspaper that there will be a general election in Great Britain in February it is impossible at the moment to say. The prediction, however, and various rumours that are current to much the same effect de•rive a measure of support from the fact that the British Government is faced by serious and growing difficulties. The sitting House of Commons was clected only twelve months ago, b]it many things have happened in that period to add to the burdens and perplexities of the Government, the more so since not a few problems now in the forefront received scant attention in the "khaki" election which turned primarily, though not solely, on the issues of a sound peace and adequate measures of repatriation. The London Daily News, a paper strongly antagonistic to the Government, is credited to-day with the statement that the _ abandonment of the Coal and Anti-Dumping' Bills and the postponement of Home Rule are part of the Government's election plans. "Also," it is added, "if Labour persists in its promised campaign, in February, for the nationalisation of the mines, and the threatened renewal of industrial strife occurs, the Government will go to the country on an antiLabour policy." This is not an exhaustive citation of the policy questions over which the British Government is in difficulties,, but so far as domestic issues are concerned it covers or indicates tho chief items in such a citation. The Coal Bill as it was introduced provides for a measure of public control short, of nationalisation. Apparently it lias failed to find favour either with organised _ Labour or with those who oppose interference with private enterprise.

The proposal to legislate against dumping has from the outset more or loss seriously threatened the cohesion of the Coalition to which the Government looks for support. The Liberal members of the Coalition seem in general to have agreed that action should be taken against dumping as it was defined by Mr. Lt.oyd George in a letter written to Mn. Bonar Laiv prior to the last general election: —

■Security should bo made against the unfair competition to which our industries have been in tho past, subjected by the dumping of goods below the actual c,ost of production.

More recently, however, in August last, the British Prime M'inister gave an amended definition of dumping. Ho said on that occasion:—

Dumping: is tho exporting to this country of goods from a foreign land under the cost—beneath tho prico at which they aro sold in their ov< - n country. It has been asserted that Coalition Liberals will_ refuse to accept an official definition of dumping which takes account of the selling price of goods in the country of origin and not of the cost of production, and that an attempt.to legislate on tho basis of such a definition would revive in an acute form the old Tariff Reform controversy. If at an immediate view tlie Government is faced by something like a deadlock where questions. relating to coal production and the Customs tariff are concerned, it is assuredly not in a more comfortable position in re--gard to Home Pule. Its difficulties in this matter are a.pparent. However anxious it may be to act in the direction _of establishing Home Rule, action is made impossible for the_ time being by the fact that conditions of lawlessness and-violonco in Ireland are going rapidly from bad to worse. Not long ago it was by-.the_ London Times that the British Cabinet was considering definite Home Rule proposals and that there were good prospects that the Irish Bill would be introduced before Christmas. According to the Times the proposed solution was .that there should be two Irish Legislatures, one for the whole of Ulster and the other for the rest of Ireland, with a Council of Iceland, consisting of delegations of equal strength from the two Legislatures, as a unifying link. The reason that a 'Bill on these lines has been withheld is to lie fqund presumably in the Sinn Fein exploits which have culminated fr>- the present in an attempt, hap'Mly unsuccessful, to murder the Viceroy, Loan French. Clearly as such events set Ihe keynote of the onlv policy thai is meantime possible in Ireland, the Government may very possibly feel that the Homo Rule question bag its place amongst, those in reference to which a renewal of its mandate is desirable.

Hampered na tho Conß.imi Oovp.rnment is in dealing with tlm questions which liavo bonri touched upon nntl others, it is possible ilia! n. Labour campaign in favour of the nationalisation of the coal mines and supported bv "direct action" would drive, it to appeal to the country. The immedi-My ancslion at stake, is one of national economy, but in such circiimsta-nees as threaten to arise in Great Britain this question would bo quite overshadowed hv a very much larger issue, whether, namely, the country is to be governed as a democracy by constitutional methods, or by the dictation of an insurgent industrial minority. 'With such an issue, definitely raised an appeal to the

country would be in every way warranted. Unfortunately, however, there is little hope of submitting this crucial question to the people without inviting division over many details of policy. Apart from the Tact that the Tariff, Home Rule, and other questions are hound to act as disturbing factors in an election, the position of the Government is further complicated by the extent to which its financial administration has laid it open to criticism. "While some sections, and more especially the_ Labour extremist*, aro doing their utmost to drive it into reckless experiments involving huge expenditure, it is being accused from other quarters of wild extravagance and inexcusable failure, to institute economies. No Government faced by such problems as the British Government has been struggling with during the last year could have wholly escaped such criticism, and against its failures and shortcomings the Government is able to set a record of constructive enterprise which compels admiraMon. On the whole it has fared badly in b.v-elcc-tions since it secured ;in overwhelming majority at the pells in December last year, but in one or two 'recent by-elections its candidates have been returned. There is little doubt that the result in these cases lias been influenced largely by piiblio condemnation of the policy of "direct action." It. is as little in doubt that the same attitude would count heavily, in a. general election turning mainly on an attempt, by Labour extremists to use industrial upheaval as a political weapon. Such an attempt to overthrow the authority of Parliament and the Government would make it clearer than ever that the continuance of the Coalition is tho only means that offers, though admitfcdlv it is far from perfect, of upholding and promoting vital national interests.