AN INCONCLUSIVE RESULT

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 127, 3 June 1929, Page 9

AN INCONCLUSIVE RESULT

COUNTRY AWAITS NEXT STEP

PARTY LEADERS SILENT

Australian Press Association.

(Received 3rd June, noon.)

LONDON, 2nd June. in serene isolation at Chequers, Mr. Baldwin at the weekend kept interviewers at bay, but this has by no means stifled the welter of conjecture as to what advice he will give Cabinet at the meeting to-morrow. During Saturday and again to-day Mr Baldwin had a long conference with the party manager, Mr. J. C. C. Davidson, who, like his leader, can play the part of the sphinx. So no lead came from Chequers. Gossip at Westminster and the clubs shows a good deal of support for Sir Austen Chamberlains hope that Mr. Baldwin will face the House and put the onus on the Liberals, but others are urging Mr. Baldwin to resign immediately and so deprive Labour of the sympathy that would come from the cry of "a 'defeated party clinging to oftce. lhese* advocates find new significance in a passage !l, Mr- Baldwlns last pre-election broadcast, in which he said: Ihe country will choose between Mr. Lloyd George, Mr. MacDonald, and me. I will accept the verdict." The sentence at the time was merely regarded as an expression of the obvious, but it is now interpreted as meaning that Mr* Baldwin had made up his mind to resign if the party -was beaten.. Mr. Lloyd George had a stream of party visitors to his country home. It is remarked that his party is slightly stronger numerically but infinitely stronger in personalities. In fact, he has rather an embarrassment of capable lieutenants,'all leaders in affairs. It will take their resource and skill to shape a policy prior to 25th June. v v y Some quarters are inclined to see in Mr. Mac Donald's gestures a bait for Liberal co-operation in letting him tackle unemployment. Mr. Snowden says that Mr. Lloyd George "pinched" Labours scheme for reducing unemployment. Whether this is true or not, Mr. Mac Donald has since ascribed the defeat of the Conservatives to their failure to grapple the greatest humanitar-ian-issue. He says that if a Labour Ministry takes the front bench, it will shoulder the task immediately. Whether or not this is a political straw showing the way of the wind is a mere conjecture. Having disposed of the affair of the ballot box, the country seems next intent on haying-its relaxation on Derby Day. .till when nothing may happen politically. In the,meantime the Morning Post' has a final editorial tilt, entitled "Enemies in Disguise, in which it assails the Beaverbrook and Rothermere Press for rail-sitting election tactics, especially the latter's slogan: "Keep out the Socialists,"—with the only result that the new House is dominated by the Socialists.