Opposition Move To Limit Totalitarian Powers' Is Defeated

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 August 1947, Page 7

Opposition Move To Limit Totalitarian Powers' Is Defeated

(Recd. 10.45 a.m.) LONDON, August 11. When the House of Commons went into committee on the Supplies and Services Bill, which the Government introduced to deal with the economic crisis, Mr Churchill said the main discussion would be upon the sub-section which “seeks to ensure that the whole resources of the community are available for use and are used in a manner best calculated to serve the interests of the community.” The Opposition had an amendment to remove that sub-section.

Mr J. S. C. Reid (Conservative) moved the first amendment, seeking to delete portion of the first clause, and sub-

stituting that ’’all defence regulations directed by Order-in-Council shall be governed by the Act passed in 1945.”

Mr Reid said the Opposition sough to remove doubts. The amendment was a safeguard against the Government being forced by pressure from back-benchers to go further than it intended.

Mr Churchill and the AttorneyGeneral, Sir Hartley Shawcross, clashed about the interpretation of the Bill and the Conservatives’ amendment.

Sir Hartley Shawcross said that doubts about the Bill’s purpose existed only in Mr Churchill’s mind. The Prizes of Office Mr Churchill retorted that his legal advice came from men whose credentials were at least equal to those of the persons whom the Labour Party had been able to attract by the prizes of office. Mr Churchill, explaining the Conservative amendment, said the Government spokesman had stated the Bill’s purpose was to remove doubts about whether the provisions of the 1945 Act, which covered the transition from war to peace, applied in the present emergency. The Opposition, believing that this was the only point in doubt, offered an amendment to remove this doubt, Voted Against Party Captain A. R. Blackburn (Labour) said he would vote with Mr Churchill because the amendment made clear the intention of the Bill and was merely to remove doubt about the continuance of the Government’s powers. The Government’s Bill was totalitarian.

Mr Clement Davies (Liberal) supported the amendment.

Mr Herbert Morrison said the Socialists were just as respectable in matters of constitutional doctrine as the Opposition. He could not understand what all the fuss was about. The amendment was redundant. He did not know what right Mr Churchill had to criticise the AttorneyGeneral on the advice of some “pantomime lawyers.” Mr Churchill said the Bill was intended to pillage the well-to-do and enslave the poor, and to give the Government power to do this without an Act of Parliament. The Government should take the proposals through the ordinary legislative processes.

Further Steps Sir Hartley Shawcross said he felt

that what really disturbed the Opposition was the possibility-that further steps might be taken, perhaps, against employers, or property, or wealth. The Bill gave the Government power to ensure that all resources, not only in manpower, were used for the country’s benefit. “We propose to continue governing, supported as we are by the people, without giving the Opposition the opportunity to go to the country in an effort to exploit the present difficulties for their own party ends,” he added.

Cries of “Order,” “Withdraw,” “Name him,” interrupted Mr S. S. Silverman (Labour), who criticised the United States attitude on lendlease and the loan agreement. Mi’ Silverman said the United States had allowed Britain to exhaust her foreign investments, often at undercut prices, in buying materials in war-time on a. cash-and-carry basis. The Americans then came forward with what was called lend-lease„ which, incidentally, had the effect of ; preventing Britain from preparing to restore her export trade. i. “If the Americans had continued I lend-lease for two years the world I would have been out of distress, hut they preferred to act like shabby money-lenders,” he declared. “We had to borrow from them on their terms, spend in their shop and they raised the price on us.” Mr Morrison in Reply Mr Herbert Morrison, replying to Opposition demands that the Government should dissociate itself from Mr Silverman, said the Government could not be expected to approve or repudiate a private member’s statements. He would not be ordered about by the Opposition.

The Conservative amendment was defeated by 256 votes to 125. Mr Morrison said his answer to the question of what the Government was going to do with its power® was the same as last week —no answer. It would circumscribe the Government’s powers if they set" out all the things for which the Act was to be used.

Mr Morrison, referring to the power to direct man-power, said he preferred the views of the Trades Unions Council on the rights of organised labour to any statement on the subject Mr Churchill might make.