COMMONS REOPENS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18253, 23 November 1933, Page 7

COMMONS REOPENS

THE ADDRESS-IN-REPLY HOSTILE AMENDMENTS MANY POINTS COVERED (British Official Wireless.) Rec. 10 a.ra. RUGBY, Nov. 22. When the House of Commons reassembled this afternoon, a motion that a humble address be presented in reply to tlie speech which His Majesty had delivered, was moved and seconded, in accordance with custom, by two private members, Mr. R. H. Cross and Mr. Kenneth Lindsay, the latter making his first speech in the house. The Leader of the Opposition, Mr. G. Lansbury, embarked on a preliminary criticism of the Government’s policy, but took occasion to welcome its declaration of loyalty to the League of Nations. On that point, the Opposition would give the Government full support, since it saw no alternative to the League but the formation of nations into groups, with possibly disastrous consequences. The Laborites’ amendment' to the Address-in-Reply regrets the mishandling of international and Imperial affairs by creating an artificial shortage of certain foodstuffs, instead of increasing the purchasing! power, failure to reverse unjust economies oil the unemployed and others, inadequate housing and public works policies, and delaying the realisation of peaCe by disarmament.

An amendment .by the Samuelite Liberals condemns the Government’s failure to promote the restoration of world trade by the development of the resources and equipment of the nation.

Mr. Winston Churchill declared that Mr. MacDonald’s handling of foreign affairs as head of the last Government and the present Government was marked by misfortune. While he was in no way responsible for the twists and turns in Europe, all matters with which lie personally had been concerned had collapsed. Sir John Simon was given an impossible task in inducing Europe to accept the “MacDonald plan’’ of disarmament, which would make Germany and Italy numerically stronger than France, de'•ange the existing balance of Europe, and place us in a position not far removed from war.