BRITISH LABOUR PARTY.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19941, 30 May 1930, Page 19

BRITISH LABOUR PARTY.

MR MAXTON DECLARES WAR. LEADS GROUP OP THIRTY. (VllOlC OUB OWW COXniSFOXDSKT.) LONDON, April 24. In his presidential address to the conference of the Independent Labour Tarty in Birmingham, Mr James Maxton, M.P., sharply criticised the policy of leading members of the Socialist Government.

In addition to bringing about "Socialism in our time," Mr Maxton asserted, it was the further function of the I.L.P. to insist upon the immediate increasing of tho consuming power of the workers.

■'To me." he remarked, "it is nothing short of disgraceful that with ft Labour Government in power tho workers in important industries like cotton and wool should suffer reductions in wages, and the miners be unable to raise their standard of life above what we have often described as starvation level."

_ To put these standards into opf-ra-tion, he maintained, required drastic taxation of the rich, and t was regrettable that the Chancellor of the Exchequer had not seen fit to challenge the great vested interests in this way. Such taxation would be met by the threat of finance capital to leave the country, but if Labour were going to retreat before sucli a threat it might throw in its hand. The carrying out of such a threat would provide Labour with the opportunity and necessity for assuming ownership nnd control of both finance and industrial capital. "It seems to me," said Mr Maxton, "that the Lord Privy Seal (Mr J. H. Thomas) would have served the working class of this nation better if he had taken the experienced and capable men and women of the co-op-erative movement into his counsels, rather than devoting his attention to wooing railway directors, cotton magnates, and city financiers.*' The Parliamentary Group.

Mr Maxtou also declared that the council of the I.L.P. "intends to exclude from the I.L.P. group in the House members who, while declaring themselves 1.L.P.-ers, have in public and private activities been definitely hostile to the 1.L.P." There are 200 I.L.P. members of Parliament, but the rebel group who have followed Mr Maxton's lead number only about thirty. "Normally," said Mr Maxton, "what I hope will happen in future is that We shall get a group really iinxious to get on with 'Socialism in our time.' "

The conference adopted, with two or three dissentients, a resolution instructing the executive "to reconstruct the Independent Labour Party Parliamentary group on the basis of acceptance of the policy of the I.L.P. as laid down by the decisions of tho conference and interpreted by ';h9 i-xccutive council."