BRITISH ELECTION

Southland Times, Issue 22728, 2 November 1935, Page 5

BRITISH ELECTION

INTERESTING CONTESTS. CAMPAIGNING BY AIR. (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright.) London, October 31. More electioneering is being done by air than formerly. Mr J. H. Thomas is making flights to help his son, Leslie, who is contesting Leek (Staffordshire). Mr Ramsay MacDonald has had a field prepared at Seaham to which planes will bring his helpers. The queerest contest is at Daventry, where all the talking is being done by the Labour candidate, Mr Barnes, who is opposing the Speaker of the House of Commons, Captain the Rt. Hon. E. A. Fitz-Roy. Mr Barnes even broadcasts from his motor-car, but Mr Speaker is silent. There is an interesting contest in the Hillsborough division of Sheffield, where the Labour candidate, Mr A. V. Alexander, who was First Lord of. the Admiralty in the last Labour Cabinet, was defeated in 1931 by a Conservative. Mr Alexander has since rejected offers of safe seats at by-elections in order to fight to regain Hillsborough. Reply to Lord Snowden.

In a broadcast address Sir John Simon replied to the attack on the National Government delivered by Viscount Snowden the previous night. He claimed that it was the policy of the Government, which had restored confidence so that money could be borrowed cheaply and had encouraged enterprise so that more people had been employed, which was responsible for the reduction in unemployment since 1933 and not as Lord Snowden suggested a mere passive acceptance of the general improvement in world conditions. He pointed out that in 1934 the exports were £30,000,000 more than in the previous year 1 and in 1935 they were again increasing. Thanks to the trade agreements made with ten foreign countries, said Sir John, the exports of coal to those countries had increased by 40 per cent., while the exports to Empire countries under the Ottawa agreements had increased from £102,000,000 in 1931 to £126,000,000 in 1934. While the volume of world trade in 1934 was only three per cent, more than in 1933, the exports of United Kingdom goods had increased in volume by 7 per cent., which was more than twice as much. Comparing the value of exports in the peak year of 1929 before the world depression with the extent of the recovery in 1934, he pointed out that the exports of France, Germany, Italy and the United States together were only 35 per cent, of their 1929 total, while Britain’s recovery was 54 per cent. PEACE AND ARMAMENTS PRIME MINISTER CRITICIZED. (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright.) London, October 31. When broadcasting an address Mr J. R. Clynes said the Prime Minister was running the risk of becoming the premier bogey man. “We are to have peace by millions of bayonets, by a strong navy and a greater air force and, having talked peace with a background of gunpowder, we are asked to believe that all these armaments will be assembled to be ready, but that we will not use them,” he said. “We have had national leaders who go looking for peace and a gun, but it is a delusion that national security means armaments.” He added that the Labour Party would demand the House of Lords to accept their mandate or its self-destruction.