SPLIT AVOIDED

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 35, 25 January 1932, Page 8

SPLIT AVOIDED

BRITISH CABINET’S DECISION NEWSPAPER COMMENT ON ACTION. COMMON FRONT REQUIRED. By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. London, Jan. 23. The “Morning Post,” referring to the decision of Cabinet that Ministers unable to support conclusions arrived at by the majority on the subject of import duties are at liberty to express their views by speech and vote, says: “We agree with the importance of maintaining national unity in the face of the present evil aspect of the world. Nevertheless, we feel that the expedient is not sound and cannot well succeed.” The “Daily Telegraph” states: •'This is an emergency solution. On no other grounds would it bo acceptable. It has been an unwritten rule for a Minister to resign before ho speaks or votes against his colleagues. It is a good sound rule and should be restored as soon as things become normal. The braech is justified only by the emergency.” The “Daily Express” understands that the majority of the Cabinet are in favour of a ten per cent, duty on all imports except wheat, meat and cotton.

MUST BE JUDGED ON RESULTS.

“The Times” says: “There is nothing more simple than to pour ridicule and sarcasm on the decision, but second t> oughts should convince everyone, except those who would rather see the National Government collapse than continue, that the decision is neither humorous nor humiliating. The experiment will be justified or condemned by the results. A common front is now more than ever required by the hard facts of a disordered world, and it is not necessarily doomed by the action of a few Ministers towards one item of the national programme.” Mr. J. R. Clynes says: “The Government is making a farcical pretence at acting as a Cabinet when it is quite unable to agree upon the main lines of the main policy. It is a piece of pantomime which Parliament ought to denounce.” Mr Wedgwood Benn says: “We now have plain Tory rule.” Lord Passfield: “I do not see how it ean possibly work.” Liberal quarters say the Government has presented Mr Lloyd George with magnificent material for an attack, but it is conceded that an open split in the Government would have damaged the British handling of world affairs. Well informed people, indeed, infer that the international situation is at the bottom of the imperative wish to keep Cabinet together. Another deduction is that the very fact that the free trade Ministers have not resigned shows that the tariff proposals eannot be extreme. Indeed, when the House of Commons meets the Government may have :o meet a strong attack by high protection Conservatives who are desirous of a tariff exceeding 10 or 15 per cent., which it is understood a majority of the sub committee of the Cabinet favour.