POLITICS IN BRITAIN

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 51, 1 March 1930, Page 9

POLITICS IN BRITAIN

COAL BILL DIVISION

GOVERNMENT'S CLOSE CALL

British Official Wireless. (Received Ist March, 11 a.m.)

j . RUGBY, 23th February. 1 There was great excitement in the House of Commons last night when the critical division was taken on the Liberal amendment to the Coal Mines Bill and was defeated by the narrow margin of nine votes.

The amendment was directed to the elimination of the proposal for the limitation of coal output, whJch, with a new marketing ' scheme, is dealt with in Part 1 of the Bill. Four Liberals voted with the Government, and eight, who were in the House, refrained from voting, while four, including Mr. Lloyd George's daughter, Miss Megan, were absent, owing to illness. The remainder of the Liberals, led by Mr.. Lloyd George, accompanied the Conservatives into the Opposition lobby. The debate on the Bill was continued after the division, but owing to the indisposition of Mr. William Graham, President of the Board of Trade, who has been working extremely hard recently, both at Geneva, and on the Tariff Truce Conference, and at Westminster in connection with the Coal Bill, it was adjourned at an early stage. Mr. Graham has been advised to rest during the week-end. United Press Association—By Electric- telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, 27th February. The division on the Liberal amendment to tho Coal Mines Bill, seeking to confine the schemes in part 1 of the Bill to'the marketing of coal and omitting the schemes for regulating output, preceded scenes rarely seen in the House of Commons in modern times. Every, party had whipped up its supporters to the last man, and there was a most tense feeling in all parts of tho crowded House. When Mr. Clement Davies moved the crucial amendment the : impatience was so groat that ho cut his speech very' short. \ Sir L. Worthington-Evans led the. Conservative attack, describing the Bill as a new departuro in economics and politics. It was tho latest form, of Socialist seeking to attain nationalisation through the ruin of the coal industry. LLOYD GEOKGE ATTACKED. Mr. A. Bevan (Lab.) vigorously defended the 'Bill, quoting the. Gorman success with the quota system. Attacking Mi. Lloyd George, Mr. Bevan said the latter had used tho measure throughout to attempt to put new life into tii'6 corpse of- Liberalism. Mr. Bevan said every Liberal voting against tho Bill was voting for lower wages for miners and more accidents in the collieries. Mr. Lloyd George pointed out that the mine-owners had rejected the Bill as a whole. Ninety per cent, of the exporters voted against it. The quota system meant a limited output, which would inevitably increase the fosts. • .Mr. T. Griffiths (Lab.) saia the only bright spot was tho Wales tinplato industry, which had run a system of quotas 'and fixed prices. ' ■' ; • The debate was carried on midst excited cheers and counter-cheers. The impatience increased as the division time approached. Visitors in tho galleries had to be restrained from standing in their places. , ; ' When the motion was put Mr. Lloyd George and his son immediately went into the division lobby. Several other Liberals remained in their places. The division resulted in tho Liberal amendment being rejected by 280 votes to 271. As members filed back, Mr. Lloyd George received a roar of derisive Ministerial cheers and shouts of "Good old Tory-" ' \ MACDONALD AFFECTED. Mr. Mac Donald was welcomed by thunderous, continuous applause from the Labour benches. He stood for a moment visibly affected by emotion. There was a vital difference between the divisions of 19th December and to-night. The Government in December did not realise the danger till in the division lobbies. To-day the Government was most apprehensive. Every Conservative present except one, who abstained from voting, voted against the Government. Moat of the fiftyfour Liberals followed Mr. \ Lloyd George, but four Liberals and four Independents voted with the Government. Eight Liberals, including Mr. W. Runcimau, Sir Donald Mac Lean, SixGodfrey Collins, and Mr. E. D. Simon, saved the Government's life by not voting. MINISTER TAKEN ILL. Mr. W. Graham's closing speech on behalf of the Government was a brilliant feature of the debate. It was full "of close argument, delivered without a note, as ho has a wonderfulmemory. When Labour's escape from defeat was assured, the President of the Board of Trade went to his room and called a doctor in. Mr. Graham, did not collapse, but tho strain of his recent work at Tho Hague, at Geneva, and in Parliament, has been manifestly too great.' Ho has been ordered to take a holiday out of London. 1 Sir W. Edge, who voted against the Liberal amendment, lr.tor tendered Mr. Lloyd George his resignation as Liberal Whip.