LLOYD GEORGE PLEDGES

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 673, 27 May 1929, Page 9

LLOYD GEORGE PLEDGES

MACDONALD GIBES AT LIBERAL LEADER “SWEEPING LABOUR WIN” (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) LONDON, Saturday. The Leader of the Labour Party, Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, speaking at an immense Labour demonstration in the historic Free Trade Hall at Manchester, said Mr. Lloyd George's unemployment pledge was : f out the 45th he had given. The others included hanging the ex-Kaiser, making Ger-

many pay and making England a land fit for heroes.

Mr. MacDonald provoked laughter by reciting a record of the Liberal Party. In a division in the House of Commons dealing with unemployment some voted one way, some another, hut most of them did not vote at all. The Labour Leader asked the Prime Minister, Mr. Baldwin, to say in a straightforward way what his trade policy was, and let it be one of the issues of the election next week. Suppose that every one of Hr. Baldwin's hopes were, fulfilled and every industry in the country became safeguarded, would he say what was the difference between that and a simple, honest policy of general protection? “We want to know definitely,” said Mr. MacDonald, “is the Government going to safeguard the iron and steel industry or not.? To the Conservative policy of safeguarding Labour opposes a policy of levelling up international working conditions by international agreements. Labour wants free trade, but not free trade alone.” Labour would ratify the Washington eight hours’ convention. It would find the money to develop the International Labour Office because it did not want to sacrifice the living conditions of the people of Britain to foreign competition and to lower their conditions of life. AN HISTORIC FIGHT Speaking earlier at Crewe, Mr. MacDonald had commented on the lavish election expenditure of the other parties. He said he favoured an Act to make it compulsory for party organisations to file publicly full statements of their income and expenditure. The Labour Leader has sent the following letter to all the Labour candidates: “We are now nearing the end of an historic fight. The campaign is going with an irresistible swingnorth, south, east and west —to a sweeping Labour victory. My 2,000 miles’ tour of the cities, towns and villages In England and Scotland has been a wonderful inspiration and encouragement. “Everywhere T found peoplewomen no less than men—determined to root out the Conservatives, who have sacrificed their interests and mismanaged their affairs.”