UNDER FIRE

Northern Advocate, 6 February 1926, Page 5

UNDER FIRE

BALDWIN PROGRAMME DECLARED WHOLLY FUTILE. PRIVATE INDUSTRY CONDEMNED; (Received 9.41 a.m.) , > LONDON, February 4. • In. the House of Commons, in moving an amendment to the Addrqss-in-Reply, ‘ 1 Mr. Philip Snowden declared that the ' j legislative programme was,-not calqq- • | lated to reduce unemployments *or stimulate industry. .He 1 public, ownership, of ~ industry. He • twitted the Ministry , with ~i(s election assurance that it, had a-, positive remedy for unemployment, which had not decreased, thougfi profits, had increased. Private interests had to give way whore communal interests were involved. Small, pettifogging methods would never provide a positive remedy. All the measures in the King's Speech would not reduce the unemployed by one. Any scheme for . the organisation of electric supply should be under public ownership. There was no greater mon.ument to the failure of agriculture than the Ministry’s latest White Paper, in which it confessed that the landlord had become a mere receiver of rents and a parasite on the community. Mr. Johnston, referring to the projected labour hours conference, said, he feared that the Washington convention itself had been destroyed by the conference excluding India, China and Japan. He emphasised the long hours and inferior conditions in Japan. Sir John Simon, in opposing the amendment, ashed how the coal industry could find markets under public control which were lacking under private ownership. Sir A. H. Steel-Maitland, replying, denied that the situation had become worse. It was notable that there had been an increase in wages, while as regarded unemployment the Government would welcome the co-opera-tion of all parties and was even willing to discuss the establishment of a joint committee of all parties. The debate was adjourned.—A. and 1 tf.Z.