NATIONALISATION DISCUSSED IN THE COMMONS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXX, Issue LXXX, 14 February 1920, Page 5

NATIONALISATION DISCUSSED IN THE COMMONS.

MR LLOYD GEORGE AGAINST NATIONALISATION. irAfcOß MEMBER PREDICTS I ST&IKE1.. i »V CiBT.E-'Pa'ESS AF&OCIA.TICN— COP-XEIGir? (Aus.-N.Z. C.A. an& Reuter.) LONDON, Feb. It. In the Commons, Mr Brace mfcved the Labor amendment ico the Address-»n-Reply, regretting tbe absence «ff the •proposal te nationalise the coal 'mines «n the fines recommended in the «>ankey majority Mr&Usyd George, replying, stid that aatwnafesation was impossible without bureaucracy. He contended *ihat it »ad not been shewn that nationalisation would be abfe to produce the excellent progress*^ results attained under private owaersEp. He ridicuL 1 •the idea that men worked harder for the State than in private interests, and *«ierred to the unsatisfactory results of nationalisation in Bolshevist Russia Which was leading to compulsory labor i would discourage the: development of the mining industry 1 ■because the present risks, frequentlv1 -involving most considerable losses ■would not be undertaken under na-! 'tionalisation, ; Mr Lloyd George contended that the =real aim of the Miners' Federation was; to obtain control of the mines. That' "was not nationalisation. (Loud-cheers..,) The handing over of tiiis great national asset-to one industry * would be-disaster ■to the community. The Bill which the Government was going to introduce was designed to improve the mining industrial conditions, and give the miners .a more effective voice in control, and | •an opportunity of contributing their ■experience and counsel to the manage--aaent. -Dealing wi€h the extremist speech hy the Laborite, Mr Lunn, Mr Lloyd George; said Mr Lunn proposed that a .privileged minority should dictate -tto the majority. The Premier declared, amid prolonged cheers: "On that issue we - will 'fight to the death, for success would mean the establishment of a •Soviet and Jibe end of constitutional government." Mr Vernon Hartshorn (Labor) said •there will be a coal strike in six.weeks' ■time. The issue of nationalisation must aot be decided outside of Parliament. He predicted nationalisation would be passed, within three months. The amendment was defeated.