CHOICE FOR ELECTORS

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26030, 6 February 1950, Page 7

CHOICE FOR ELECTORS

Broadcast By Mr Morrison LABOUR’S FOUR POINTS (Rec. 9.45 p.m.) LONDON, February 4. Any coalition government would be Ineffective and Britain’s choice was between a Labour and a Conservative Government, _ said the Lord President of the Council (Mr Herbert Morrison"), making his first official election broadcast to-night. The utmost the Liberals could hope for, he said, would be to act as a balancing party between the two great parties. Mr Morrison gave this four-point nummary of Labour’s policy:— <1) The maintenance of full employment. (2) Increased production and export. (3) Control of financial forces to maintain employment and raise production. (4) Socialised industries to use their power of investment to expand economic activity and maintain employment. “Public ownership is one of the pillars of full employment. Private enterprise must be set free from the stranglenold of restrictive monopolies,” Mr Morrison said. Britain must grow more of her own food. The country could not afford to be so dependent on overseas supplies. To help her farmers, assured markets and guaranteed prices would continue. “To-day we lead the world. We are the only big democratic industrial country in the world which has provided jobs for all. Our recovery since the war has been the fastest in Europe. The record of Labour in Britain makes us all proud because this is the victory of the useful people, the victory of the workers and managers. Our production is higher than ever before m the peace-time history of Britain.

“There is a grand human story behind these facts—a story of sweat, toil, enterprise, and endeavour to pull the country out of all the misery and chaos of the war.

“The people of Britain are earning a better life and Labour is seeing that the people get what they earn. Effect of Marshall Aid “Mr Churchill goes on talking as if the whole secret of full employment is Marshall Aid.” said Mr Morrison. “Under the Conservative Government Britain could easily have both Marshall Aid and large-scale unemployment. The West German Government adopted the policy the Conservatives advocate for this country with the result that unemployment has gone up more than 1.000.000 since July, 1948 “Italy has mass unemployment and also has a Communist Party with more man 2,000.000 members.” The Conservative free enterprise system. Mr Morrison said, would mean renewed and feverish prosperity for me privileged followed by mass unemployment. Other points in Mr Morrison’s broadcast were:— - Cost of Living—“We shall make a *orthright attack on excessive prices. Jme whole machinery of getting food the producer to the retailer will u ?. If food subsidies were Abolished the mother in a family of would find herself snending 14s a more for the same food she buys to-day.” Social Services.—“ The national h service and other new services Will wisely be developed for the gen<*al good.” Property.—“ The leasehold law will oe reformed. Labour pledges itself to ahead until every family is decently housed and every slum gone.”