BALDWIN DECIDES TO RESIGN OFFICE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 680, 4 June 1929, Page 1

BALDWIN DECIDES TO RESIGN OFFICE

NOT TO FACE COMMONS

Labour Takes The Reins MacDONALD’S CABINET NAMED (United P.A.—By Telegraph — Copyright) (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) (United Service) Received 9.55 a.m. LONDON, Monday. ME. BALDWIN has decided to resign his office as Prime Minister and not to leave the decision to the House of Commons.

Mr. Baldwin was conferring with his colleagues at 5 o’clock when the announcement was made. The Central News Agency understands that the Ministers are formally placing their resignations In Mr. Baldwin’s hands by this afternoon. During the week-end the Conservative leader was in touch with Baron Stamfordham, the King’s private secretary. „ . The "Daily News, in a leading article, says: “Mr. Baldwin having decided to resign, it is Mr. MacDonald’s duty, after constituting his Cabinet, to produce a programme in which Liberal-minded members who will not support Socialism may cooperate, and so obviate an immediate Parliamentary collapse. The Liberal Party holds the balance and is pledged to free trade, electoral reform, peace, disarmament and the conquest of unemployment. It would be unworthy of its history if it threw out a Government implementing these policies. Mr. MacDonald must remember that he Is the servant of Parliament and the nation, not of a party executive. The Liber % s will not submit again the’ indignities to which Labour subjected them in 1924.”

The "Daily Express” says Mr. Ramsay MacDonald has framed the main appointments of his Cabinet. They are: —

Lord Privy Seal.—Mr. Arthur Hen derson.

Chancellor of the Exchequer.—Mr. Philip Snowden. Foreign Affairs. —Mr. J. H. Thomas. War. —Dr. Hugh Dalton. Lord President of the Council.— Lord Arnold. Air.—Lord Thomson.

Labour. —Mr. Thomas Shaw, with Miss Susan Lawrence as Parliamentary Secretary. Health.—Mr. Arthur Greenwood, with Miss Margaret Bondfield as Parliamentary Secretary. Board of Trade.—Mr. W. G raham. Agriculture.—Mr. Noel Buxton. Overseas Trade: (an office the importance of which will be increased). —Mr. A. V. Alexander.

Education.—Sir Charles Trevelyan. Dominions.—Mr. T. Johnston. India.—Lord Olivier. Pensions.—Mr. F. O. Roberts. Secretary for Scotland. —Mr. W. Adamson. Duchy of Lancaster and Representative at the League of Nations. —Sir Oswald Mosley.

Lord Chancellor. —Lord Parmoor. Attorney-General.—Sir Henry Slesser. Solicitor-General.—Mr. Melville or Mr. Holford Knight. Other appointments may be: Colonel J. C. Wedgwood, Commander I. M. Kenworthy, Mr. F. W. Jowett, Dr. H. B. Lees-Smith, Mr. T. Kennedy and Miss Ellen Wilkinson. Several of those named in the cablegram were members of Mr. MacDonald's Cabinet in 1924. They are: Lord Parmoor. Lord Chancellor; Air. Philip Snowden. Chancellor of the Exchequer; Air. Arthur Henderson, Home Secretary; Mr. J. 11. Thomas, Dominions; Lord Thomson. Air; Lord Olivier, India: Mr. Noel Buxton, Agriculture; Sir (then Air.) Charles Trevelyan, President Board of Education; Mr. T. Shaw, Labour; Air. W. Adamson, Secretary for Scotland; Colonel I. C. Wedgwood, Duchy of Lancaster: Mr. P. w. Jowett, First Commissioner »orks; Mr. F. O. Roberts, Pensions; Sir Henry Slesser, Solicitor-General; Lord Arnold. LTnder-Secretary Domin■ons: Mr. W. Graham, Financial Secretary to the Treasury; Air. Arthur Greenwood. Parliamentary Secretary Health; Mr. A. V. Alexander, Parliamentary Secretary Board of Trade; Miss Bondfield. Parliamentary Secretary Labour; Air. 1”. Kennedy, Chief "hip and Lord Commissioner of Treasury. Hew names in the list now cabled are: Dr. Hugh Dalton, a well-known economist; Mr. T. Johnston, editor of the Labour weeklv newspaper “Forward”; Mr. Holford Knight, a barrister who was not in the last Parliament; Commander J. AI. Kenworthy, formerly a Liberal; Dr. H. B. Lees--mith. an economist; and Aliss Ellen Wilkinson. LABOUR’S LEADER SIGNIFICANT INTERVIEW GIVEN COMMENT ON POSITION (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) Before Mr. Baldwin’s announcement, the Leader of the Labour Party, » r - Ramsay MacDonald, commented hpon the result of the general election in an interview published in the Dally Herald.” He says: Mr. Baldwin should lose no time ! * telling the country what he is gojag to do. Labour claims that it is -he only alternative Government. Labour holds and is going to keep the ‘aiUative.” A aigniflcant passage in the inter-

view is: “It will be the duty of the House of Commons to give effect to the will of the electors if Mr. Baldwin decides to await a vote of censure.

“It is clear to me that the country wishes the new Parliament to remain in being and make the best of its mandate, not for the members to go flying back to the constituencies because of a purely partisan feeling. “An election in a few months might suit the ample coffers of the Liberal and Conservative Parties.” “The Times,” after expressing the view that Mr. Baldwin should resign, added that the national executive of the Labour Party will meet this week to hear the opinions of the party leaders, especially that of Mr. Ramsay MacDonald.

The executive will shape a policy which will enable Labour to assume office and maintain itself in power for the two years essential to the maturing of the party’s plans; also to enable it to introduce two Budgets. If the second Budget is not carried Labour will go to the country on It.

It will be necessary in that connection to have either the support of the Liberals or their benevolent neutrality. Consequently the Labour Party is most likely to choose from its programme those measures the Liberals favour and to postpone definitely all Socialist legislation until a more convenient time.

The “Daily Chronicle” admits that . Labour’s advance cannot be gainsaid. It says one thing that emerges clearly is the need for electoral reform if , the system of three parties is to be worked without prejudice at the polls. , The Liberals, with more than 5,01)0,000 votes, are once more grossly under-represented. Of the other par- ] ties the Conservatives come first in • the votes and second in the number ; of seats. On all hands it is agreed that the ' first experience of adult franchise has ' not been disappointing. ' UNIVERSITY SEATS ANOTHER INDEPENDENT WIN THREE TO LIBERALS (Australian and N.Z. Press Association! (United Service) Reed. 11 a.m. LONDON, Alonday. The election in the combined English Universities (Durham, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Shefiield, Birmingham and Bristol), resulted as follows: Sir Martin Conway, Con 4,321 Miss Eleanor Rathbone, Ind. .. 3,394 Professor R. S. Conway, Lib. .. 2,281 This is an Independent gain, since the first two are elected. In 1924 Sir M. Conway polled 2,231 votes, Sir Alfred Hopkinson (Conservative) 2,343, and R. Muir (Liberal), 2,000. Of the further election results declared on Saturday, the Conservatives held two seats for Cambridge University and Dr. Graham Little (Independent) was returned for London University. The Liberals won three Scottish seats and the Conservatives one. LABOUR’S DREAM MR. MAXTON’S SPEECH AT GLASGOW PRIVATIONS TO STOP Times Cable LONDON, Monday. Air. J. Maxton, speaking at a Labour victory demonstration at Glasgow, said: “Even if we do not control Britain we are going to have an opportunity for ruling her. “We are going to have an opportunity for abolishing privation. A large proportion of the people who voted for the Labour Party have not had a decent meal for four years, with ail 1 income of less than 40s weekly. That 1 has got to stop immediately. “We say there should be neither rich nor poor, neither master nor serf, neither war nor thought of war. I stand here amid victory, and say we will not cease work until we see around us the world of our dreams.” BALANCE OF POWER LLOYD GEORGE WILL SPEAK AT RUGBY INTENTIONS OF LIBERALS British Official Wireless Reed 11 a.m. RUGBY, Monday. Mr Baldwin, the Prime Minister, who returned to his Downing Street residence, called a meeting of the Cabinet for five o’clock this evening. Political correspondents state that

at this meeting it was expected that the Ministers, in view of the result of the general election, would place their resignations at the disposal of the Prime Minister, and that a discussion would take place on the procedure which Mr. Baldwin will adopt. Mr. Lloyd George has discussed the situation with the other Liberal leaders, and a meeting of the Liberal Council will be held this week. Mr. Lloyd George Is expected to speak in the course of a week at Rugby, where the election has been postponed owing to the death of the Labour candidate, and it is understood that he will take that opportunity to make a pronouncement regarding the intentions of his party. Miss Eleanor Rathbone (Independent), who has won one of the English university seats, Is a member of the League of Nations Commission on Traffic in Women and Children. Despite uncertainty that still exists regarding the political situation, and also the fresh indisposition of the King, the stock markets were quite firm today, and prices improved as the day advanced. Though there was a comparatively small turnover of business, Government securities were notably strong.