SPLIT AVOIDED

Evening Post, Issue 19, 23 January 1932, Page 12

SPLIT AVOIDED

BRITISH CABINET

MACDONALD'S FORMULA

SOME STRONG COMMENT

United Press Association—By Electric Tele-

graph—Copyright.

(Received 23rd January, 2 p.m.)

LONDON, 22nd January

Political circles are in a ferment over the unexpected declension from tho long-established doctrine of collective Cabinet responsibility. There has been no official disclosure, but it is generally accepted that an impasse was reached on Thursday, when Cabinet discussed whether the Tariff should be temporary or permanent, Snowden, Maclean, Samuel, and Sinclair all requiring that it should be temporary.

When Cabinet rose resignations seemed to be inevitable. Cabinet met again on : Friday morning in an atmosphere of extremo tension, but Mr. Mac Donald produced the required formula and averted a crisis.

The "Daily Herald" says: "It is a contemptible business that a Tory majority is to rule a minority acquiescing in a policy they believe to be futile and dangerous and which is to salve its conscience by a few ineffective speeches."

Mr. J. E. Clynes says: "The Government is making a farcical pretence, acting as a Cabinet when it is quite unable to agree upon the main lines of its policy. It is a piece of pantomime which Parliament ought to denounce." Mr. "Wedgwood Benn said: "We now have plain Tory rule."

Lord Passfield. said: "I don't see howit can possibly work."

Liberal quarters say that the Government has presented Mr. - Lloyd George with magnificent material for attack, but they concede that* an open split in the Government would have damaged British handling 'of world affairs. Well-informed circles, indeed, infer that the international situation is at the bottom of the imperative wish to keep Cabinet together. Another deduction is that the very feet that free trade Ministers have not resigned shows that the tariff proposals cannot be extreme. Indeed, when the House of Commons meets the Government may have to meet a strong attack by high protection Conservatives, who are desirous that the tariff should exceed from 10 to 15 per cent., which it is understood a majority of the Sub-committee of Cabinet favours.