The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. MONDAY, JULY 29, 1929.

Hokitika Guardian, 29 July 1929, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. MONDAY, JULY 29, 1929.

A MANDATE FOR LABOUR. Natukalcy tiie results of the recent Home elections still provide material lor discussion and controversy; and one of the most interesting and suggestive interpretations of the defeat of the Conservatives and tlie return of Labour to power is provided by Mr Wickham Steed in flic current number of the “Review of Reviews.” From Mr Steed’s point of view there is nothing surprising about the Conservative Government’s downfall. He thinks that they had comp.etely disillusioned and disappointed the nation, and that the only tiling that saved them from a worse disaster was the personal confidence and affection with which milions of people still regard Mr Baldwin. From 1924 up to the beginning of 1920 the Prime Minister could point to the Locarno Treaties and the admission of Germany to the League as proofs of the Government’s zeal for peace and goodwill abroad, and he had also strengthened the faith of the workers in his good intentions by continuing the subsidy to the miners and by refusing to legismte against the Trade Union political levy, in taking this stand he deliberately resisted and dened the extremists of his own party. Hut when, in tiie middle of 1926, the General Strike came upon the country his heart seemed to have strongly supported his government in its repression of the General Strike. Mr Baldwin made no attempt to act upon the report of the Samuel Commission, and let the coal stoppage drag on for many months till valuable foreign markets had been lost and tne miners had been practically starved into submission. The masses thus came to regard Mr Baldwin as a well-meaning but ineffectual opportunist, completely at the mercy of 'Tory die-hards. This conviction was confirmed in 1927 by his acceptance of a “Trades Disputes and Trades Union Bill, so reactionary that it alarmed many cautious Conservatives. At the same time our Foreign Minister was gravely imperilling the reputation and status of the country abroad. Something may be said in defence of Sir Austen Chamberlain on the ground of bad health. But there can be no doubt that the collapse of the Naval Disarmament Conference, the unfortunate bungling over the Anglo-French Compromise, and the failure of the British Government to show adequate appreciation of the Kellogg Pact seriously damaged me prestige of the Foreign Office and contributed materially to the Conservative defeat. In Mr Steed’s opinion, one of the principal reasons for Labour’s success at the polls was Mr MacDonald’s insistence 011 Peace and Disarmament as the predominant issue before the electors, who put Labour in power as more likely to “get a move oh.” It may be noted in passing that in the opinion of many competent judges Labour would probably have secured an absolute majority in Parliament if it had been financially stronger. Lieutenant.-Com-mander Kenworthy has described the condition of some of the county electorates in wh’ch the voters are still in tne state of subservience and impotence from which the towns have now emerged. “Shopkeepers feared for the loss of custom, farm labourers for their tenancies,” if they should dare to vote for Labour. Nothing but careful organisation and assiduous propaganda work can possible alter such conditions, and this means an outlay at present beyond the resources of Labour. But for the time being Labour has received from the nation “a mandate for the organisation of social peace at home”; and so long as Mr MacDonald and his colleagues govern in the spirit of the trust committed to their care, and avoid fantastic experiments with' the extreme “Socialism,” rashly advocated by some of their followers, they will have the support of the nation behind them according to the dictum of Mr wickham Steed.