CENSURE MOTION

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 December 1945, Page 4

CENSURE MOTION

HEAVILY DEFEATED MR. CHURCHILL’S SPEECH (Rec. 1.40 p.m.) LONDON, December 6.. The Opposition censure motion in the Commons was defeated by 381 to 197 votes. Resuming the debate to-day Mr Churchill charged the Government with deliberately encouraging partisan and faction interests at the cost of national unity and of Britain’s recovery and vital interests. “It is not the Opposition who has introduced acrimony into the proceedings of this House. We have throughout done our best, even when we didn’t entirely agree, to make easy and nationally united, the course of foreign policy. The Government, however, has shown a desire to humiliate their defeated opponents. The Government through its mouthpiece and also through its aggressive policy has deliberately sought to aggravate the divisions which unhappily existed in Britain. Its methods are intended to provoke. I only remain in politics because I think it is my duty to try to prevent the great position won during the war for Britain being cast away by the folly on the morrow of our victory. Why should the Government raise this system of military socialism and divide us with what must involve increasing bitterness? I profoundly believe the attempt to turn Great Britain into a Socialist State will, as it develops, produce widespread political strife, misery and ruin. If this attempt at nationalisation of production and distribution be extended, then this island won’t be able to support three-quar-ters of the population at present inhabiting it. amv.-.-Mr. Churchill continued: This country is the least fitted of all the large communities to withstand these convulsions. There never has been a Government which set out to revive prosperity on such a confidencekilling, impulse-sapping theory as this. The Government’s insistence on retaining wartime controls, which even in the wars’ heat were only renewed from year to year, showed ■that they were imbued with the spirit of Fascism.” Explaining how the Opposition had refrained from conflict ever since Parliament first met four months before, Mr. Churchill said that he had gone out of his way to mitigate the shock to Britain’s credit abroad at the Government’s announcement of the nationalisation of the Bank of England. • The opposition had also done its best to make easy national unity and the course of foreign policy but the Government’s insistence on keeping on EXTRAORDINARY CONTROLS for five years was too much. “Why cannot the Government lay aside all impediments and concentrate on the splendid, though formidable, task? Had I obtained a substantial majority,, my first thought would have been to seek the co-operation of the minority, and gather’ together the strongest possible measure of agreement.” Mr. Churchill said that every effort must be made by capitalist employers and every form of private enterprise to do the best possible for the country in the conditions prevailing. They must not be deflected by the hostilities shown towards them by Socialist Ministers. Turning to demobilisation, Mr. Churchill said.the 9000 being demobilised daily in Britain contrasted poorly with the United , States rate of 50,000 daily. He warned that the speed of the demobilisation would have a vital bearing on Britain’s position in world markets. Dealing with housing, Mr. Churchill strongly attacked Mr. Bevan for discouraging building societies. He declared that Mr. Bevan was shadowboxing against his pet bugbear of racketeers, profiteers and monopolists. “I say, to-day, that unless Mr. Bevan changes his policy and methods without the slightest delay, he will be as great a curse to the country in time of peace as he was a squalid nuisance in time of war.” There was loud cheers and countercries in which Mr. Bevan's laughter rang out above the din. Turning to the Board of Trade, Mr. Churchill said fhe desire for regulation of everything at present was strangling the revival of the country. He criticised the continuation of wartime taxation and expenditure. He called for economy, but said: “There was one economy recently effected, with which we might well have dispensed, that was the sale of Hitler’s bust to a lot of malignant crackpots.” He said the American loan at best would only provide two years, in which to put their house in order, after which we would unfortunately be dependent on kindness, which may or may not be forthcoming from a foreign Power. Mr. Churchill concluded by appealing for a vote of censure, “to drive home the hard truths of this time upon the powerful, well-meaning but misguided and inadequate Government.” MR. ATTLEE’S REPLY Mr. Attlee, replying to the censure motion, said the burden of Mr. Churchill’s speech had been “Why, when you were elected to carry out the Socialists’ programme, did not you carry out a Conservative programme?” The Tories’ main attack has been delivered against the policy upon which Labour stood at the general election. “We are asked to rally round and be patriotic, keep things as they are. Well we were not returned for that purpose. Mr. Churchill should not cry stinking fish,” said Mr. Attlee referring to the suggestion that nothing was done to encourage the production, of consumer goods. He would like more of the spirit of helpfulness of which Mr. Churchill had spoken. Mr. Attlee freely admitted the Government had done nothing about mink coats and sapphires, but in every industry catering for ordinary needs of simple people, there had been steady increase in labour and output. “Our party stood for nationalisation for forty years. Even the Opposition may realise that when we got a majority we should naturally bring in nationalisation. Because the electors had not elected Mr. Churchill, he called the vote at the general election one of the greatest disasters which had smitten the country. “The country will not accept this vote of censure as anything but a move of a politician in difficulties. Mr. Churchill had been called to the Premiership, not by the Tory party, the Tories despised and rejected Mr. Churchill. He was called in with the support of the “doctrinaire” Socialists, who were not now really allowed to belong to the nation. “We are determined to carry out our short and long-term programmes. I believe we shall have a vast support of the people of this

country, workers and employers Referring to Mr. Churchill’s call for the speeding up of demobilisation, Mr. Attlee said: “We pledged our word to the troops and we are now urged to depart therefrom.” He added that nobody knew more of the dangers and difficulties of demobilisa- j tion than Mr. Churchill, who in the; book “Aftermath,” describes how fatal was the course of yielding to the clamours of interested • persons for the release of particular cate- | gories of men. Mr. Attlee pointed out i that the demobilisation difficulties after the last war were nothing compared with the present difficulties, where men had been brought from; all parts of the world. It was easy, to say there were plenty of ships,’ but the Government had scoured the ■ place for shipping. The Government; was already discharging an average; of 10,000 men daily, and 1,500,000 would be discharged by December 31. Criticism of demobilisation was largely a stunt. The Government was following the plan advocated by Mr. Churchill after the first _ World War Mr. Attlee asked: Did Mr. Churchill want the present plan scrapped? „ In response to cries of Answer, Mr. Churchill rose and said it was difficult to answer as there was a great difference to-day from what had obtained after the end of the last war. Discussing expenditure, Mr. Attlee' pointed out that demobilisation charges did not stop directly the men were demobilised. There was two , months’ leave, foreign service leave, pay; allowances, wax’ gratuities and other benefits. There was naturally ; an increase in army expenditure of • £.100,000,000 for the current year.. When the munition contracts ter-1 minated the payments would fall due. I He did not believe that anyone imagined that directly the war stopped ; it was possible to stop making muni- ; tions. A certain amount had to go on. i Neverthless, the Ministry of Supply ; expenditure for August, September i and October was 40 per cent less than ’ the corresponding period of last year, i There were other costs, including the : requisitioning of building property. | The ending of the lend-lease meant | an additional charge of £150,000,000 sterling. There were many other ’ things, including putting up temper- i ary houses. The Government was,, nevertheless, tackling the reduction of j expenditure vigorously. Mr._ Attlee : listed the expenditure and saving, in- i eluding £700,000,000 on cancelled naval construction. He said that the censur’e vote, although nominally a vote against the Government, seemed more like a vote against the electors. It seemed to be a terrible shock that the Government should come in prepared to carry out its responsibilities. Pie added that he was sure Mr. Churchill would now realise that he had adopted the wrong tactics during the election. The country did not like one-man shows. They would not accept the present vote of censure as anything more than a party move. They would not accept the cry “People against Socialists.” The Government would eo forward with the policy on which the electors had returned them to power. When Mr. Attlee sat down, excited supporters rose to their feet and waved order papers and cheered vociferously. One supporter shouted to the Opposition: “You have had it.” MEDICAL SERVICE. (Rec. 10 a.m.) LONDON, Dec. 6. The Government’s plans for the national health service could not leave entirely unregulated the future exchange of medical practices or. the creation of new practices, said' Mr. Bevan in the Commons. The Government thought it should give warning that it would probably be taking steps to secure a proper distribution of doctors to fit the public need. There would be an appropriate measure of compensation to doctors in respect to loss of capital values directly caused by the new arrangements'. “I have reason to believe the best elements in the profession regard the sale and purchase of practices as extremely undesirable,” said Mr. Bevan. “They will be very glad indeed that I am about to discuss with them the steps to be taken.”