COALITION GOVERNMENT.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16962, 11 October 1920, Page 7

COALITION GOVERNMENT.

DEFENDED BY MR LLOYD

GEORGE.

By; Cable—Press Copyright)

■Australian and X.2. Cable Association.)

(Received October 10th. 5.5 p.m.)

LONDON. October 8

Mr Lloyd Gecrge, opening his autumn political campaign at Llandudno, had a rousing reception from a typical Welsh, audience.

Ho put up a vigorous defence of the Coalition Government. If coalition was a sin against Parliament, he said, then Mr Asquith, who was its author, was a Jehosophat, against whom, as tho second Book of Chronicles recorded, "Eliezer prophesied saying: Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LonJ hr.th broken thy works. And tho ships were broken, that they were not ablo to go to Tarshieh." Every country that- had engaged in the war except America., had adopted the Coalition system, in order to save the State. America came in late. Her assistance was crucial and determining, but her loss of life was only equal to that of tho plucky Dominion of Australia. "We are still in the zone of hurricanes," Mr Lloyd George continued, "and that is why I am in no hurry to get back to party \ym.ngles. 1 would not take the responsibility, before God. of quitting the helm of'the ship of State. My advice to my countrymen is, 'nut on your sou , -westers.' We want peace on earth, and goodwill toward inen, not merely in Russja and Poland, but here in our own factories, workshops, and mines. The world cannot bo rebuilt on rocking foundations."

Before the war, the Prime Minister proceeded, the mimber of strikers in Grent Britain in a year was eight hundred thousand That number had swplled to two and a half millions in 1919. "Whatever happened, he himself was determined never to surrender the rights of the community to. a minority. This would menu the end of democratic government, and the beginning of a Soviet government.

There were signs, ho remarked, of reason nnd commonsenso prevailing in the coal crisis, but everybody must resolve to ■nrrdneo to his utmost. H-e was. glad "Mr Smillie had had the courage, to tell the miners what their duty was. Mr Lloyd Ocorjre asked his Liberal friends to realise the difficulty of making peace with Russia, whence a poisonous atmosphere was emanating. Tn view of the unsettled position, a middle course was tho only safe one. Mr Lloyd George did not refer to the Irish crisis in detail, but ventured to predict that Homo Rulo would ho passed b'y the Coalition Government.