IN THE COMMONS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXI, Issue 306, 10 December 1931, Page 7

IN THE COMMONS

A VOTE OF CENSURE LABOUR CRITICISES GOVERNMENT. PREMIER’S REASONABLE REPLY. (British Official Wireless.) (Received 10, 12.30 p.m.) Rugby, Dec. 9. The Labour vote of censure regretting the failure of the Government to deal with problems of currency and exchange and with the development of international trade and failure to produce plans to deal with unemployment and high rents, was moved in the House of Commons to-night by Sir Stafford Cripps, who said that the return of a National Government to power had not restored confidence. There was continued uncertainty, he said, because apparently the Government had no care other than to tinker with the problem, which was an international one.- Ho advocated a policy of barter through import and export boards pending the exploration of the currency situation and accused the Government of failing to provide for distress in the coming winter duo to unemployment and economy cuts. PREMIER’S REPLY. The Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Ramsay MacDonald, replying, said that a declaration of the Government’s intentions with regard to currency stabilisation while the present uncertain conditions prevailed would be far from serving the purpose of restoring confidence. He drew attention to the international causes of tho difficulties with which Britain was faced. British trade was suffering because of world poverty. The only enlightened policy was to seek to increase the volume of world trade and that the Government would continue to do. They regretted the delay in bringing the nations into conference on these problems, but they were, sure that the experts now sitting at Basle were fully aware of the urgency of their task and would prepare their report with expedition. Immediately thereafter a conference of Governments should be held, and tho British Government’s view was that such a conference Should approach its work in the spirit of realism, examining the whole of the facts and aiming at an agreement which would not merely tide over the difficulties temporarily but which would set the whole world on a gradu ally improving economic, social and political footing by hopeful effort and endeavour. This could be done only by the consciousness on the part of all the nations that whatever their own circumstances, their own continuing prosperity depended on the prosperity and tranquility of the whole world. It was in that spirit that the British Government would enter into conference. GOOD WORK DONE. Mr. MacDonald claimed that the Government had been remarkably swift in action. They had made an essential contribution to the country’s problems by balancing the Budget, also they had dealt w’ith the abnormal importations which were imposing a heavy burden on sterling exchange and they had pursued a policy of maintaining the domestic value of sterling. Referring to rents the Prime Minister said that they had some evidence of the unfair raising of rents and he forecast legislation which would give protectiou in these cases. Tho Government, he said, had been given a mandate to seek to revive world trade and to secure Britain’s just share in it, using. every resource at hand and that mandate they were carrying out. The debate is continuing. EX- MINISTER’S VIEWS. (United Press Association— By CableCopyright.) (Received 10, 12.55 p.m.) London, Dec. 9. Mr. Wm. Graham, ex-Cabinet Minister, in an address at Birkbcck College, expressed the opinion that the appointment of a small, businesslike tariff commission would be advantageous in order to analyse systematically the effects of the tariff proposals on the aggregate volume of British trade, and on intermediate industries as consumers of iin ported semi-manufactured goods, also Britain L place in foreign as distinct from Empire markets. As a free trader he believed that if tariffs were to come they should be on broad, comprehensive lines.