HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 36, 12 February 1924, Page 5

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

■ THE NEW GOVERNMENT. TO-DAY'S THE DAY. (By Cable.—Press Association. —Copyright.) LONDON, February 11. The Prime Minister, Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, after spending the week-end at Chequers, will preside at a meeting of the Cabinet for a final discussion on policy before the Labour- Government makes its debut in Parliament. It is expected that he will speak for at least two hours in the House of. Commons on Tuesday and will cover a wide range of Home and foreign topics. Week-end speeches, including Mr. Neil Mac Lean's at Glasgow, show that Mr. Mac Donald's trouble with the "Reds" in his party has not ended. Mr. J. Maxton, another Glasgow member, denounced compromises in the formation of the Cabinet. Lord Chelmsford, Firßt Lord of the Admiralty, he declared, was a very curious figure. He had never shown any intense sympathy with the Labour movement, and was included simply because the Sea Lords put down their foot and refused to work under a Labour Government unless the man at the head of the Admiralty was suitable to them. "I would have said," exclaimed Mr. Maxton, "that this is mutiny, this is a strike, there is the street, and Labour would have been able to carry on with a big enough navy." —(A. and N.Z.) HOUSING PROGRAMME. ! PLANNING FOR POSTERITY. LONDON. February 11. The Parliamentary correspondent of the "Daily Chronicle" understands that the Government has arrived at a practicable housing plan. -. The keynote ivill be the co-operation of the Ministry of Health, municipal authorities, the Master Builders' Federation and the Operatives' Unions. The policy will consist of:— (1) A guaranteed and specified programme, probably for 20 years. (2) An additional supply of skilled labour by a regulated apprenticeship system. (3) An increased supply of materials by Government action, if necessary. * (4) Stabilisation of prices of materials and the prevention of profiteering. (5) The fullest concentration on house building by control of luxury building and supervision of commercial building. Owing to shortage of supplies it is expected that only 120,000 houses will be completed in the first year. Thereafter 200,000 annuallly is expected. The Ministry is negotiating with Russia for timber.—(A. and N.Z. Cable.)