INDUSTRY AND POLITICS

Hokitika Guardian, 9 April 1929, Page 2

INDUSTRY AND POLITICS

MM BALDWIN’S ADVICE. LONDON, February 14. The Prime Minister, Air Baldwin, addressed his constituents at the annual 'meeting of the Bewdley Unionist Association at Worcester.. “We have seen in the last two years the coming together of all parties in industry,” he said. “Me have seen industry beginning to overhaul the trade of the country and to set. its house in order with a lirm determination to resume, il it has ever been lost, supremacy in the industries of the world.” There were surer signs of a widening of trade than for some time. This process of rationalisation, which in the long run would tend to 'he of the greatest benefit to the country, was going on through the depressed as well as the more prosperous industries. “No one rejoices more than 1 to see these industrial problems being taken directly out of the hands of the politicians, who have never been fit to handle them,” FARMER** AND POLITICIANS. Air Baldwin continued: No class has abused the 'politicians more than the farmers. I am hot saying in some respects tins politicians have not deserved it but do not let the farmers put their trust in polities. Let them remember that powerful and beneficent in many ways as their great union was on the day when the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain, and the mining industry generally began to play that part in polities with which we are now so familiar, began the trouble through which that great industry has passed. Nothing can tend to disturb the situation more than an election resulting in a Socialist majority or in a kind of deadlock which could only be solved by r. minority Government or by some form of coalition, which might cripple for useful service and purposes of stability the government of the country. Although we have Leon told so much, partly by some speeches and partly and temporarily by certain sections of the Press that the Labour Party now lias repudiated Socialism and can be trusted as an alternative Government, we have to remembei the Socialist or Labour Party is still based on Socialism.

Its strength in the country is derived from the power of the Socialist appeal. The basis of Socialism is some form of national control as opposed to private enterprise. NATIONALISING BANKS. The danger is that under pressure from those behind there may bo some attempt to get nationalistic control of banking and all that banking means. In those circumstances you might have such a shock to the credit of the country that it might retard this long-hoped-for improvement in trade and throw it back possibly for as long as improvement of trade was thrown back by the disastrous results of 1926. That year was hut the logical outcome of much that had been taught at meetings and street corners for nearly a quarter of a century. The events of 1926 have taught this country much. They have taught or ganised labour much, and I think they have taught the employers much, but we do not want, even to expose the fallacy of Socialism, to go through another shock to our trade and credit like 1926—at any rate until we have recovered from the effects of that baleful year. Mr Baldwin said he would pick out the Electricity Act and the De-rating and Local Government Bill ns the measures of the last four years most destined to bear fruit in the future.