THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT

Grey River Argus, 22 December 1916, Page 3

THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT

CONTINUATION OF THE SPEECH

THE FOOD QUESTION

(Australian and N.Z, Cable Asßn.)

LONDON, December 20.

It was true, to a certain extent, that you could make up by spring sowing, but that never produces anything comparable to winter sowing. The submarine menace, in this iespect, was not the most important consideration. Under these circumstances the late Government decided to appoint a Food Controller, who would be assisted by the ablest experts in the House. At the head of th.c Board of Agriculture they had a man singularly gifted through his knowledge or the principles and practices in this question as any man in this or any pther country. "■** MAYOR OF BIRMINGHAM APPOINTED. The Government has induced the Lord Mayor of Birmingham to accept the position of Director-Gen aral of this scheme. He would jatme 'iately proceed to organise this great l new system of enrolment for induspurposes. He hoped that beParliament resumed he would be report that they were able to the whple of the labour of the country for war purproduction, he said that square yard must be produce food. All who had ■ must regard it a duty State to assist in ]}roducing contributing' to the common If this was done we should without any privation and any want. Everybody having of the best and healthiest food sacrifices, but what sacrifices? to a man who has returned from Somme, talk to the men who have Wbeen through the haunting wretched- ■ ness of a winter campaign, and you ■ will know something about what ■those gallant men are enduring for country. . . : . ■ ■ distribution and produc- ■ TION. W The problem is a double one, namefly, distribution and production. Keboth we must call upon the of the country to make real but essential sacrifices equal. (Cheers), by the affluent be allowed to create a shortless well-to-do. He hopcould appeal to men and all ranks to play the game — and so help the whole We could accomplish nowhole nation must assist the resources so that be no man. woman or would suffer hunger besomeone else was getting too (Cheers), You cannot have abe equality <#f sacrifice unless the as a whole places its coraits luxuries, its indulgences, its ' on the national altar tonseby such sacrifices as oar hemade. W NATIONAL ABSTINENCE. Let us proclaim during the war a national Lent. The nation wpuld be the better and stronger tor it mentally, niorally and. physically. (Cheers). ( fie added : • "Our armies may drive the enemy from the battered villages of France across the devastated plains pf Belgium. They might- hurl them across the Rhine in battered disarray, but unless the nation as a whole shoulders part of the burden of victory we may not profit by the triumph from it Not what the nation gains but what the nation gives makes it great. It is intolerable that any sectipn be permitted to take exceptional privileges out of these sacrifices. Much .was done by the late administration to arrest unfair private profiteering, but the Government has come to the conclusion not to ask the nation for more sacrifices without | even more drastic steps being taken. L After outlining what had already QLbeen done to meet the situation, he that Mr Bonar Law and others' Vere now carefully examining the problem. He. hoped to be able to nrtike an announcement shortly as to the course the Government intended t.oiadopt. It was quite clear that the\ nation must be asked to make further sacrifices in order to win the war. The road must be cleared by action of this kind. LABOUR'S IMPORTANCE i He next turned to the question of \ the mobilisation of Labour reserves, ' without which, he added, let there be no mistake we should not be able to pull through. This was a question not of years but of months, perhaps .weeks. Unless the labour of the country was used to the best advantage even- man called up to render such service in the. State as he can best give, victory will be beyond our reach. The problem is a difficult one hut we must complete what has already been done. ' Hehflfaintained that the Government ought to have the power to say that every man not taken in the Army whatever his position or rank^ was . really employed in work of national importance. At present only men who 'were lit for military service and who' had not established a claim for exemption were those upon whom the nation coul dcall. The unfit man exempted was a man surely under the .^jd^Lmoral abligation, but still there Mi^^Hteugans of enforcing it. With organisation of induswe were called upon enemy who had not full undoubted but had hitherto unof remov-

intr inhabitants from the occupied terrifory to b make good the . shortage ; of labour in his own factories \Ve must make a swift and effective , answer To Germany's latest move. , i *" NEED OF ORGANISATION : | As months go by, 'added the speak- ] 'er the cost of the war increases and our purchases in neutral countries become more difficult to finance. Yet there are thousands of men occupied in industries which consume our weal at home and who do n ° thm ,? t £ j strengthen our credit abroad But we have no power to transfer them . Hieir power in employments where they could increase it. We have not even the organisation necessary for utilising them as volunteers. . These powers we must take, and tnis is the organisation which we must , complete. (Cheers) ' ; He pointed out in this connection , the difficulty regarding agriculture i for the want of skilled men. Despite ( this fact be believed that hundreds of ; thousands of people who, if they ' could be utilised to the best advan- . tage, could produce great quanti- i ties of food in this country. In this connection schemes of very great magnitude had been formulated and were in the course of being put into operation. They would involve great local organisations throughout the ( country, and he thought that Mr As- 1 ciuith would be very satisfied when < he saw them. ] UNIVERSAL NATIONAL SERVICE j The matter was considered by the i War Committee pf the late Govern- j ment, who unanimously decided that i the time had come for the adoption I of the principle of universal nation- < al service. The present Govern- i ment and the War Cabinet unani- \ mously adopted this conclusion. He < believed . that the plans which had been made would secure every, work- ' er. He had a right to ask for that and < in order to do this he propo&ea to ap- ' point immediately a Director of Na- < tional "Service, who would be in : charge of both the military and civil i side of the universal national service. < The civil and the military side of the ' directory would be entirely separate. There would be a civil and military i director responsible tp the Director , of National Service. The Military - Director would be responsible for re- ( cruiting for the Army. It was not ( proposed to make any change in re- ' cruiting for military service, but as : regards the civilian service, the pro- ; posed Director of National Service , would proceed by a schedule of in- ; dustries, and of services t according to ( their essential character during the , war. ; NO MORE TRUST IN TREATIES A mere word that led Belgium to I her own destruction will not satisfy Europe any more. We all believed i it: we all trusted it, but it gave way ; at the first pressure of temptation. ; and Europe was plunged intjo a vor- , tex ot blood. We will, therefore, ! wait until, we hear what terms and , guarantees the German Government , offer other than those in the letter , which must be surer than those which , she so lightly broke. Meantime, we | shall put our trust in an unbroken ] army rather than in broken faith. , , Certain industries were regarded as j indespensable and the parties con- ( cerned would indent upon the Pirec- ] tor pf National Service for the labour . required for these services. The oth- ■ cr services would be rationed in such < matters as labour, raw material, and , power. The labour that was set free \ from non-essential and rationed in- : dustries would be available to set free \ potential soldiers who at present were i exempted from military service and < to increase the available supply of labour for the essential services. This labour would be invited to enrol at once, and be registered as war workers on lines analogous to the military and with similar provisions at to rates of pay and separation allowances. He had no doubt that when it was realised how essential to the life of the nation was that service and I that every man should be put to the ' best use we would secure an adequate supply of these volunteers. The Government was taking immediate steps to secure by this means the men wanted. , The classification of industries and the institution of enrolment, of volun- ' teers would begin as soon as may be. If it found impossible to get the members required he would not hesitate to come to Parliament and ask them to release him irpm the pledge given under other circumstances, and to obtain the necessary power for our plans fully effective. The nation was fighting fpr its life and was entitled to the best services of all its sons. BRITAIN AND IRELAND Turning- to the Irish question, he said that he .wished, if ppssible, to remove the misunderstanding between Britain and Ireland. ' He would regard that as a great victory for the Allied forces, and as something that would give strength to our armies and to those of the Alli«* He was convinced now tljat there was a misunderstanding, partly racial and i partly religious. It was tp the interest of both to have it removed, but there seemed to be some evil chance that frustrated every effort that was made for the achievement of better relations. He tried once, but had \ not succeeded. The fault was not ; 'entirely on one side. He' had felt the : i whole time that they were moving, in |an atmosphere of nervous suspicion I and distrust which pervaded everything and everybody. He was l drenched with suspicion of Irishmen i by Englishmen, and Englishmen by i Irishmen, and worse and most fatal ! of all. suspicion of Irishmen by Trishl men, and it was the quagmire of dis- ■ trust which clogged the footsteps of i progress that was the real enemy of t Ireland. . I j If that could be slain he believed 1 he could accomplish an act of reconjciliation and make Ireland and Britain • greater, and make the United «£ing-

uum anu tue .uuiyu'e gi eater man u«ii iuu> vvcic ueiuie.