The Evening Star SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1934. MR THOMAS.

Evening Star, Issue 21642, 10 February 1934, Page 12

The Evening Star SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1934. MR THOMAS.

Two years ago, when the British National Government was new, Mr Thomas, Secretary for the Dominions, had hopes of paying a visit to New Zealand. Expectant traveller and expectant hosts were alike disappointed. The National Government was too busy. The trip had to be forgone. It might have been disappointing if it had happened. The idea was to crowd four dominions—South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada—into a four months’ tour. The National Government has more breathing time to-day. Mr Thomas has been invited to visit Australia to take part in the Victorian celebrations. Sir James Parr has invited him to New Zealand, and the invitation will be no less cordial if, as has been suggested, it was the response to a smiling hint from Mr Thomas himself. British Ministers do not visit the dominions often enough. Mr Baldwin went to Canada on an occasion closely resembling this Victorian anniversary; Mr Amery came to New Zealand, and Mr Thomas has been to South Africa. Generally speaking, however, the man who does not make such a trip before he becomes a Minister has small chance of doing so during his term of office, and that is a loss to all parties. To be prevented from giving a welcome to Mr Thomas would be a special loss to this dominion, because the Secretary for the Dominions is very much of a character. His career has been a remarkable one. Someone took the trouble recently to search out his birthplace in Newport, Mon. In a chemist’s shop he was shown the list of his duties, which was hung up when the future Minister was employed there—a boy of twelve or thirteen. It was written in the neat and clear handwriting which was “ do rigueur ” in those days. Omitting the rest of the week, the following was the little fellow’s quaintly numbered routine every Saturday:— (1) Clean boots; (2) wash dbwn pavement; (3) sweep shop; (4) wash floor, tiles, and window; (5) clean glass cases and mirrors; (6) polish scale pans, door handles, etc.; (7) wash bottles for cupboard; (8) sweep cellar and store rooms; (9) Sweep pavement at 10 p.m. That “ 10 p.m.” gives the crowning touch to the day’s work of this little boy. The recorder of these facts had reason to comment: “ Seek thou a man diligent in business; ho shall stand before kings.” ‘•Jim”. Thomas, had a long way to go before he could stand before rail-

waymen, which he was to find on many occasions a harder ordeal. He might have gone round whining that he was a slave, but that was not his way. Entering the service of the Great Western Railway Company, he became an engine cleaner and an engine driver. It was not till 1917 that he became general secretary of his union, but for seven years before that ho had been its dominating influence. As its assistant secretary he persuaded the four principal unions to combine, and he secured the co-operation of the Government to persuade the companies to give them official recognition. The new national union secured a vantage ground for negotiation for which the miners from that day to this have not failed to envy them. His idea of a Labour loader was that he should be able to get what he wanted without a strike. There were three critical occasions in his life, it has been said, which put his industrial statesmanship to the test on the biggest scale. The first was that of the railway strike of 1919. Up to the last ho endeavoured to keep negotiations going to avoid a strike. But when once the men were out he threw all his energies into making it effective, watching at the same time for the first opportunity of resuming negotiations. Due to his tact and diplomacy, his quickness to seize points, and a closer knowledge of the subject than anyone else possessed, he was able to dominate the conference which was held with Ministers without appearing to do so, and that was only the first of his victories. He has been Secretary for the Dominions on two occasions. Yet his latest biographer has no doubt that he has left a deeper mark on trade unionism than on political history. He still drops his aitches. He regards that as part of his popularity and power, while .he claps peers on the back and addresses them by their Christian names or diminutives of their Christian names without any offence. The Prime Minister that he serves under came from a home as humble. They are two records of which every Briton can be proud.