LONDON COMING BATTLE OVER NATIONALISING STEEL

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25609, 25 September 1948, Page 6

LONDON COMING BATTLE OVER NATIONALISING STEEL

A WINDOW ON

i ■

HARVEY BLANKS

? For “The Press”

London, September 16.—The prorogation of Parliament on Monday—thereby putting a formal fend to a session already mostly forgotten—is usually such a routine ceremony that any little deviation from custom is hailed as relief from boredom. M.P.’s at Westminster sat up with interest when Sir Waldron Smithdfs made a protest aboi\t the special autumn session being prostitution of the tra/ ditions of Parliament.” no sue" 1 incident enlivened the proceedings in the House of Lords. There, the rhly departure frou\ the programme when the Lord Chancellor momentarily lost his place and whispered sotto voce, ‘‘Do I read this bit?’ But even if there was nothing worth listening to. there was a\ least a little spectacle. The red, gold, and ernine robes of the five Peers who forned the Royal Commission provided a. Welcome splash of colour. And 'it wat always possible to while away thj time, trying to anticipate the points at which they would solemnly don thur black cocked hats. The Only Silk Hats The opening of the few session on the following, day wa\ also devoid of much of its habitual glamour, for it took place in the veryfenall Robing Room of the King, wh« e the Lords now sit. Since the Housthvas blitzed this ceremony has been Apld in the main House of Lords' anr, the Commons banished for once quarters in St. Stephen’s All. But that hall is now under repa-. necessitating Tuesday’s change, fctead of a display of .gorgeous robe! O f rank we saw only a tiny gatherings morning dress. The only two seen were worn by an Irishmat’ and a Scot. . The calling of this special Session is, of course, a purely Mitical manoeuvre. While it is for thejstensible purpose of facilitating thdpassage of the Parliament Bill, desgned to curb the veto powers of the J&use of Lords, it is, as Lord Salisbury ®id, “An open secret that the bill is Ding introduced at the present junctun-to facilitate the passage of a bill tionalise iron and steel.” , A Lord Samuel, the Liberal lead* also has attacked the Government calling this special session. .' , “We have seen,” he said, “the invoking of the pageantry of the Con : stiturion for this one little forma piece of procedure. It is. like listening to a massive prelude l ' with ful orchestra introducing a solo on a penny whistle.” While the preliminary skirmishes are now being fought in Parliament the first defensive earthworks agains' the State offensive are metaphorically being thrown up at the Savoy Hotel

w/erc Mr Alfred Edwards, recently a LAbour*but now an Independent M.P I jjld an inaugural meeting this week Lo launch a vast campaign in oppesiz tron to his late comrades of the Left. He will speak at meetings up and down the country, lecturing on the dangers he dees in Government policv He is well qualified to speak, having spent a lifetime on the executive side of the industry. He blames the Government's policy largely on Mr Aneurin are Vermin”) Bevan’s influence in the Cabinet. Other Labour Ministers, he believes, have scarcely more heart for steel nationalisation than he has himself. If the Government persist in placing the steel industry under State control. he says, they may “keep their pledge to Nye Bevan,” but it will lose them the next election. This will not necessarily worry Mr Edwards, since he now stands clear of all parties, willing to accept help for his campaign from anyone who stands on his side.

“Made in Sheffield’’ But he still has a word of advice for the Government. If it must nationalise steel, then let it do so in the least harmful way—by buying up the shares of the companies and allowing them to continue in their own way. It will be interesting to see whether the Government listens to advice from a lost supporter. While Mr Edwards is planning his defensive war, other steel interests have been going blithely ahead with plans for a great publicity festival—-a kind of pageant of production. This is to be staged in November in Sheffield. The organisers have some excuse for considering it more than merely a local affair. As the Lord Mayor of ♦Sheffield, the Master Cutler, and Mr Harold Wilson, present at the inaugural meeting to give the project the Board of Trade's official blessing, did not fail to point out one after the other, the stamp “Made in Sheffield” is known all over the world. Those three words, in fact, have been the first written English that many savages came across, as, in more disordered .times, they acquired knives and toma"hawks to carve up their tribal enemies. T Mr Wilson, in any case, seemed well Ii pleased with Sheffield’s proi for export not to say a word steel nationalisation, and the c pageant will have both Royal overnment patronage. Princess ret will be present at the openght on November 15, and Mr is expected there some time the fortnight’s run.