SUDDEN CRISIS

Southland Times, Issue 21090, 23 May 1930, Page 7

SUDDEN CRISIS

BRITISH POLITICS MINISTRY’S POSITION THKEESIDED ATTACK X OPPOSITION CHALLENGE (Unites Press Assn.—Er Telegraph—Copyright) (Rec. 9.10 p.m.) London, May 22. Nothing more emphatic appears in the CcwMervative and Liberal journals concerning the gravity of the Government’s position than that in Labour’s own organ, the Daily Herald. ‘‘A first class political crisis has developed with exceptional swiftness,” ’it states. “The Tories have determined to challenge the Government on the Naval Treaty and pressure is being put by the Liberals on the Government for an immediate decision in favour of proportional representation in urban areas and an alternative vote in rural districts. “Inside the Parliamentary Labour Party there is to be a critical division on the unemployment programme of the Government. There will be another critical division on Wednesday on the salary of Mr J. H. Thomas, the Lord Privy Seal. If the Tories and the Liberals go into the same lobbies and many Labour members of the House of Commons abstain from voting or register hostile votes, the Government will be defeated.” The Daily. Herald stresses that the Ministry is being subjected to a three-sided attack. Those closely in touch with Mr MacDonald express the opinion that he intends to challenge defeat owing to discouragement due to growing dissatisfaction in the Labour ranks. If he is defeated in the House of Commons he will immediately ask for a dissolution of Parliament.. LABOUR MEMBERS UNEMPLOYMENT TO BE CONSIDERED. (Rec. 5.5 p.m.) London, May 21. The Parliamentary Labour Party, meeting after hearing Sir Oswald Mosley’s personal statement on his resignation, decided to meet again to-morrow to consider unemployment. It is understood that the meeting is essential because Sir Oswald Mosley indicated that he would take a motion expressing dissatisfaction with the Government's handling of unemployment. This would be tantamount to a vote of censure. SIR OSWALD MOSLEY RESIGNATION FROM MINISTRY. DISSENSION OVER UNEMPLOYMENT. (British Official Wireless.) Rugby, May 21. In the House of Commons, Sir Oswald Mosley’ made a statement on the reasons ■which led to his resignation from the Government. He read a communication he had addressed to Mr MacDonald in which he stated that on January 23 he had submitted a memorandum on unemployment and, in a covering letter, made it clear that he had reached a very definite conclusion—that it was impossible to continue as at present. Cabinet subsequently appointed a committee which presented a report which not only rejected in its entirety the memorandum, but also adopted a position which would involve the rejection of any effective alternative 10 the present policy. In those circumstances he held it inconsistent with honour for him to remain a member of the ■Government. On the back benches he would remain in vote and action a loyal member of the Labour Party.

Sir Oswald Mosley, fhe rich Conservative who became a Socialist, was born in November, 1896, as the son of Sir Oswald Mosley, Bart. Educated at Winchester and Sandhurst, he served in France during the war, first with the 16th Lancers and later with the Flying Corps, and was severely wounded. In 1920 he married Lady Cynthia, second daughter of the Marquis Curzon and an heiress of some of the wealth of Mr Levi Leiter, of-Chicago.. When he was elected Conservative M.P. for Harrow in 1918, Mr Mosley (as he then was) was the youngest member of the House. Under party discipline he soon grew restive and in 1922 he became an Independent. In 1924 he joined the Labour Party, contesting the Ladywood division of Birmingham, where he reduced Mr Neville Chamberlain’s majority to seventy-seven. His father, who was a strong Unionist, repudiated the politics of his son. In 1926, after he and his wife had visited the United States, Mr Mosely was returned for Smethwick after a triangular contest, during which he moved into a boardinghouse in the constituency, left his luxurious car in its garage and used an old hired motor, while his wife was addressed as Mrs Mosley. His opponents pointed out that he denounced unearned income, but lived on a fortune which he did not amass. The quarrel between him and his father came to a head in 1926. When it was rumoured that his son and daughter were to repudiate their titles, Sir Oswald wrote to the Press suggesting that they would render more valuable aid to the country if, instead of achieving cheap publicity about the relinquishing of titles, they would relinquish some of their wealth, and so help to make easier the plight of some of their more unfortunate followers. His son replied that when he joined the Labour Party he stated his intention to renounce his title when his father died. He found that he could not do so legally, but added: “It will be quite easy not to be addresed by it.” Giving all his money to charities, he said, would not help the poor. The only way to do that was “to use ourselves and every resource given, us in the struggle to abolish a system which keeps the poor dependent on charities. It would admirably suit the purpose of Capitalism if we made ourselves as powerless as those we seek to aid by giving up all our resources and living in the worst slums we could find. If this example were followed by the entire Labour Party, disease would speedily rid the ruling class of the only danger they have to fear. They ■would then be free to wreak their will on the poor. I am pilloried in the Press for proposing a change that will make me worse off and other people better off. It is idle to argue that men employing their resources to bring about this change are behaving in the same way as men employing their resources to prevent it.” Sir Oswald, returning to the charge, said: “My son was brought up on the fat of the land, and never did a day’s work in his life. For him to speak as he does now is nothing but hypocrisy.” He died in September 1928, and his son succeeded to the unwanted title.