BRITISH POLITICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 6 November 1929, Page 6

BRITISH POLITICS.

MR THOMAS’ SPEECH,

[United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph —Copyright. ]

LONDON, Nov. 5

Mr Thomas’s speech, is generally regarded in the House of Commons and by the press as disappointing. It contains no surprise, while the actual, or promised achievement is far short of what many of the-Government’s supporters hoped. The “Daily News” suggests that Mr MacDonald should give Mr Thomas another job, and should appoint a better man in his place. The “Daily Herald,” in an editorial, is not enthusiastic, but it says' that the statement shows that a hard, gruelling job is being tackled with a thoroughness that is bound to. bring success.

THE MIGRATION ASPECT

LONDON, November o

Mr Thomas said it was a profund mistake to mix the-questions of migration and unemployment, because it conveyed to the Dominions that we wanted to dump our unemployed there. They resented this.' Many men were not .prepared to migrate, because their dependents lost their pension rights if the breadwinner- died-overseas-. .Many

parents were prevented from joining their children overseas, 'because \,it meant the loss of their pensions. The Government’s Pensions Bill removed these anomalies, as well as the hardship to the widows who were losing their pensions by migrating. Mr Thomas said he had asked the Canadian Wheat Pool to face economic facts. At present every elevator in Montreal was filled with 'last year’s wheat and thirty-six ships Were lying in the harbour there full of unmoved wheat. They could not expect us to send goods to Canada, if our ships had to return in ballast. THE TARIFF ASPECT.

Sir L. Worthington Evans (Conservative) said all of the schemes which Mr Thomas had outlined would only employ thirty thousand men. The Government had disorganised the motor trade by its unwillingness to promise to continue the McKenna Customs duties. He said that owing to the losses sustained by the New York speculaors there was the danger of them dumping here motor cars, artificial silk, wireless apparatus, and gramophones.

Mr )Lloyd George described! Mr Thomas’ schemes as “timid, pusillanimous and unintelligent,” and as only likely to employ one-tldrd of. the men who had been added to the unemployed register since Labour came into office.

NO SOCIALISTIC EFFORT. Mr Maxton (Labour) 'said that someone had said that Labour was in power for twenty years. They would need every hour of it, at the rate of progress that Mr Thomas indicated. He nad not attempted to advance the solution of the problem on Socialisticlines. One of Mr Thomas’ greatest qualities was that he knew how to change front at the appropriate moment. There was never a more appropriate moment than now to turn from the capitalistic philosophy. He was granting 40 million pounds to the capitalists, and a similar amount would' not be too much to put directly into the pockets of the unemployed people, which was the only way to solve the problem. Sir 0. Mosley (Under Secretary for Unemployed) replied to the debate. He detailed a number of arrangements made with the municipalities for works such as water supply, which would be intermediate between revenue producing and non-revenue producing schemes. In these cases the Government was increasing the grants to fortvone per cent, of the interest, compared with the previous twenty-six pei cent, granted to the municipalities. The House agreed of the Vote.