RUSSIA’S REASON

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 20 October 1924, Page 5

RUSSIA’S REASON

ANTAGONISM TO BRITAIN. AMPLE SEOURITY "WANTED. BEFORE! LOAN GRANTED. BY CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION-COPYRIGHT Received Get. 20, 9.20 a.m. LONDON, Oct. 19. Mr. Philip Snowden, speaking at Leeds, said: “If I am. Chancellor of the Exchequer, there will be no loan to Russia without a substantial security, making default practically impossible.’’—Sydney Sun Cables. BRITAIN’S PREMIER. ENEMY OF BOLSHEVISM. Received Oct. 20, 10.5 a.m. MOSCOW, Oct. 19. Zinovieff, in a remarkable speech at Moscow regarding MacDonald’s Premiership, expressed the Bolsheviks’ heartfelt desire for the continuance of MacDonald’s administration, because it was under pressure by revolutionary labour. He asserted that MacDonald’s so-called followers forced him to sign the Russian treaties and release Campbell. Zinovieff declared it was now unnecessary to send agitators abroad,, because enemies like MacDonald had become their best agitators.—Reuter. ‘ LOW MORAL TONE.” THE PERSONAL ASPECT. LONDON/ Oct. 19. Public sentiment regarding the bitterness with which the election is being conducted finds expression in the Sunday papers, notably the Observer, which deals editorially with the personal aspects, and the'Sunday Express, which alludes to “the general complaint .of personal abuse which is tainting the platform speeches.” The Observer, in an editorial bearing evidence of the hand of Mr J. L. Garvin, says: “The election in its low moral tone is as bad as w r as expected. We . never remember worse. There is no excuse.” The paper proceeds to allude to Mr Stanley Baldwin, Mr H. H. A squith and Mr Lloyd George, and continues: “Mr Ramsay MacDonald is less fortunate, but he has said nothing half so bad as the other parties .have said of him. While we hope he will remember he is .still Prime Minister, we do not hesitate to express strong personal sympathy, and must show why he deserves a fairer dealing from his opponents. No competent person denies that Mr MacDonald is a great Foreign Secretary.” The writer emphasises Mr MacDonald’s restoration of good relations with France, and his work on the Irish boundary question. Sudan, India and Iraq. Regarding Russia the writer says: “While disagreeing, it is impossible for anyone to dispute the height and breadth of his motives,” and concludes: “In domestic affairs, however, he is virtually no Premier at all.” Mr .T. L. Garvin, in a signed article headed “Why Socialism is suicide,” .argues that the Liberals and Conservatives in a reasoned alliance can save the interest of the State.

LONDON. Oct. 18. Fourteen hundred candidates have been nominated, the total being made up as follows: Conservatives' ' 533 Labour 435 Liberals 340 Co-operatives 9 Communists ... '. 8 Constitutionalists 7 Nationalists 4 Others . . 14

There will be about 210 three-cor-nered contests, nearly sixty less than last year. There were scenes of the wildest enthusiasm on the arrival of the Premier (Mr Ramsay MacDonald) in his constituency (Aberavon), where he was greeted by vast crowds, who blocked the approach to the town for several miles. The Premier looked utterly wc.ru out and said he had never been so tired in his. life. The crowd was so dense that the car took an hour and a half to proceed three miles. Sometimes it was completely held up, and was even in danger of upsetting. Finally, it broke down owing to the" surging crowd, after which Mr MacDonald continued in a motor ’bus.

Britain has now enjoyed a week’s electioneering, and the issue has been practically narrowed down to: “Are you in favour of Labour or not?”

Cynical Labourites say that wdien the Conservatives and Liberals dh agree their unanimity is wonderful. It is an undoubted fact that mosi of- the speeches are so’similar that newspaper readers would not know whether they were reading about a Liberal or a Conservative if they did not look to see the name of the speaker,

All the correspondents agree that Mr Ramsay MacDonald had a most wonderful reception in Wales. The Premier said that personally he did not care a snap for his opponents’ personal inquiries regarding the Campbell case, hut some of Ins colleagues were highly strung at this. He .was interrupted with “They ought to he” and cries of “Put him' out” and “Scrap Him!” Mr MacDonald explained that he meant to convey that it did them credit.

The Miners’ Federation has issued a manifesto calling cm mining district voters to unhesitatingly support Labour candidates. The manifesto declares that the working classes „can he pronnd of their own Government’s record of achievement, and says if the Labour Party is returned to power it will, as soeedily as possible introduce a Bill for the nationalisation of mines.