BRITISH POLITICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 12 March 1931, Page 6

BRITISH POLITICS.

[United Press, Association —By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. J LONDON. March 11. in the House of Commons, dealing with the Annv .Estimates, Miss Jenny Lee (Labour Member of North Lanarkshire) moved to reduce the number of men in the Army by 130 thousand. Miss Lee said that she was surprised at the Labour Government for submitting a proposal which meant that the fighting strengh or killing force of the Army was this year greater man it was last year. Rfc. Hon. Tom Shaw (Secretary for War) in replying, pleaded that Great Britain had set an example in disarmament.

Mr B. -Bracken (Conservative ATera--ber for North Paddington) described 111 Hon. Mr T. Shaw as “a blundering whale with crocodile tears. n Mr J. Maxton (Labour Member for Bridgeton, Glasgow), complained that Lit. Hon. Air Shaw had completely lost his temper. Mr G. Buchanan (Labour Member for Gorbals. Glasgow) supported the amendment of Miss Lee. He said that not one member of the Labour Party would allow his son to join the Army. Amid considerable interruption from Labour’s left wing, it was urged that the Government was a pacifist one, but that it was not necessarily a non-resist-ing Government. It was stated that the Government would move heaven and earth to get an international agreement which would mean a real reduction of the armaments of the world. This statement aroused a noisy altercation while the division was being taken.

Miss Lee’s amendment was lost by 216 votes to 10. The Army vote was then agreed to. BALDWIN’S BOYCOTT. OF CONFERENCE IN INDIA. LONDON, March 11. It is not unnatural that confusion and controversy have been caused by the announcement of Mr Baldwin’s attitude towards the proposed reassembling of the Round Table Conference fn India. Mr Baldwin is being accused of surrendering to Mr Churchill. .The facts are that Mr BnTdwin’s action was dictated hv disclosures that the Government was prepared for a great conference in India before the points raised at the conference in London had been cleared up. An authoritative spokesman explained that the Conservative Party is not opposed in principle to another conference at a suitable time, but the Party holds that it would he futile to arrange another Round Table Conference in India under the existing conditions without adequate inquiries and preparations as to many questions that were left, partially considered from the conference at London. These inquiries, it is considered, should he made quietly and informally beforehand. The Conservatives. therefore, think that the Government’s procedure is wrong.