THE H.B. TRIBUNE THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 1930 MR. BALDWIN’S CHALLENGE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 70, 6 March 1930, Page 4

THE H.B. TRIBUNE THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 1930 MR. BALDWIN’S CHALLENGE

The United Empire Party, sponsored by Lords Beaverbrook and Rothermere, if it ever really came into being, has had but an ephemeral existence. These two p ebeian noblemen of yesterday’s mushroom growth, whose main claim to public attention lies in their each controlling a big group of associated newspapers scattered throughout the country, have prudently concluded that the best thing to do is to drop the puling infant into the baptismal font. As a rival journal puts it, they have found that the institution of a new political party—among an unemotional people like the British—is not quite as simple or cheap r. job as starting a fresh newspaper —or converting an old one. as they have done in many cases. To save face, they now make profession of having discovered in Mr. Baldwin’s latest speech, reported in our columns by cable yesterday, an indication of his having come over to their way of thinking and that so there is no need for them to cut adrift. As a matter of fact, the Conservative leader has in no way shifted his ground on the main question that was at issue. He has merely restated it in a new form which be hopes may appeal better to the intelliger ee of the electors.

When Mr. Baldwin, then having a strong working majority in the House of Commons ,went before the country for the election at the end of 1623, he declared for a policy of moderate protection with the object of assisting the revival of British industries which were suffering badly, even in the home markets, from foreign competition. At the same time, he made it abundantly clear that his proposals were such that they would not in any way affect the foodstuffs which the nation had to import. Tn spite of this assurance, the spokesmen of the Liberal and Labour opposition parties, both worshippers of the now obsolete doctrine of Free Trade, managed Io siurnre a hearing for (heir scare cry of "dear food ” The rMuit was that when the votss cattie to be tallied up the Conservatives fouhd theiT.se.lves though with much the most numerous tepresen tation. still in a minority of the House, with the Labour Party next in strength—much to Mr. Lloyd George’s chagrin. It was this election that let Labour into office, which, by the grace of the

Liberals, it retained until October, 1924, when Labour’s failure tc maintain touch with the Liberals necessitated a fresh election.

It was then that Mr. Baldwin, while still declaring his belief its a measure of protection as being the thing that would best aid British industries' in reinstating themselves, at the same time (rankly admitted that the country was manifestly not ready to accept his views on this point. So we had him laying them aside for the time being, but in no way abandoning them. This statement satisfied the majority of the electors, and Mr. Baldwin was returned to power with a following that was more than double that of the other two parties combined During the whole term of his new Administration, which lasted till May of last year, the Conservative leader took every opportunity for educating the people up to an acceptance of his own still un shaken belief. The result has been that he and those working with him have undoubtedly made a very large number of converts and that just now the fetish of Free Trade exercises a much narrower in fluence than in 1924. But when last year’s election came on in May the question as between Free Trade and moderate Protection was drowned in the insistent cry for a solution of the problem of unemployment. The Conservative Government had failed to make any material reduction in the number of willing hands that were idle. That this was probably in substantial measure due to the rejection of Mr. Baldwin’s proposals of 1923 did not count for anything with ' the electors. Mr. MacDonald and Mr. Lloyd George were both on hand, each promising that, if only given a chance, he could sweep unemployment off the face of the land. Again the people listened to the voice of the charmer, and Mr. MacDonald, found himself restored to office, this time-at the head of the biggest following in the House, but again entirely dependent on Liberal good will to keep him there. There can be no reasonable doubt but that his success was won on/he unemployment issue, but as yet there are but scant signs of fulfilment of his promises in this respect. Even if only nine months have passed since he took office, we might surely expect at . least symptoms of improvement. It is under these conditions that Mr. Baldwin —who has a much finer ideal of a United Empire than ever Lord Beaverbrook or Lord Rothermere could conceive, and a more practical scheme for bringing it about—has reaffirmed his old convictions. All that is really new in what he has now to say is a suggestion that the question of food taxes should be left’for the people themselves to determine by direct vote. Then, relieved of this bugaboo, the broad subjects of tariff protection for home industries and of introimperial preferences could be considered on their merits and as economic problems not as the mere shuttlecocks of the political party game. Will the other leaders accept the challenge, or will they decline to bury the bogey that has heretofore served them so welll