FALSE PRETENCES

Grey River Argus, 10 February 1928, Page 8

FALSE PRETENCES

A Prime Minister Charged , I £5,000 A YEAR INVOLVED. Stanley Baldwin, an alleged Prime Minister and a large shareholder in coal and iron companies, appeared at the People’s Court last "Monday on a charge of making a speech at the recent Tory Conference at Cardiff in which ho ha I expressed his intention of clinging t.» office and taking his salary of £5OOO a year when it had become obvious t-> every intelligent citizen that he was thoroughly incapable and was merely a puppet in the hands of the capitalist' and landowning ( lasses. Eord Tredegar, th" President of the Tory Conference,, said to be in receipt of an income of £70,000 a year from coal royalties with whom Mr Baldwin had stayed during his South Wales visit stood bail, and Sir Douglas Fogg, K.C., appeared for the defence. Th" People’s Advocate prosecuted, and in his opening speech said tb;at the accused bad recently returned from ('anada. and had been making speeches declaring that the way to srdve unemployment was to ship ihe unemployed across the Atlantic. T.iis had roused the indignation of the Canadian farmers who had passed a resolution of protest, pointing out that Canada had already a big army of unemployed, and that the campaign for more emigrants was being engineered by the shipping and railway companies and other Capitalist interests. Al Cardiff, proceeded the Peopl *’s Advocate, the accused ha< ! deliver? I a long speech in which lie bad talk'd qliout Hie splendid record of his Government (laughter in Court) and lit hopeful outlook for British trade, ami had concluded with his stock peroration about peace between employer am! employed. He then proceeded to cross-examine accused as follows: Q. —Did you not begin yofar speech by boasting about the Tory Govern ment’s generosity in passing the Widlows’ Pension Act? A. —Certainly, it was a splendid | piece of social reform. Q. —How mind) money did you find for Widows ’Pensions ? A. —The huge sum of £8,200,000. Q. —But didn’t you save ovr £9,000,•000 as a result of less expenditure on Poor Law Relief, and less expendiiure from the Unemployment and Hc.’iilh Insurance Fund? A. —Yes. that is how we economise. Q. —So that the Government didn’t find any money for Widows’ Pensions and Old Age Pensions at 65, but made a profit on the business? A. —Well, these are hard times for the poor super taxpayer, and wo can 't bleed him too much. Q. —Did you say anything at Cardiff about reducing the super tax ami income tax by £40,000,000 a year. A.—Oh no. Q. —Did you not say in your speech that “we were actually producing and selling more coal than we were two years ago?” A.—Yes. That is how trade is recovering under a Tory Government. Q. —Did you explain that this coal was sold at prices that mean starvation wages to the colliers? A.—No; that would have spoilt the whole argument. Q. —Did you say anything about the price that was paid for the coal and what the collier got in wages? A.—No; I didn’t go into details. Q. —Do you mean to suggest that th? colliers of Groat Britain are better off under your 'Tory Government? A. —Certainly. They have more freedom. They are allowed to work eight hours. Q. —You said that you did not believe in the Government interfering with industry? A. —Certainly. Q. —Then why did you interfere in the lockout rnd help the coalowners by introducing: bill to make colliers work