THE LABOUR MEMBER IN THE BRITISH CABINET.

Colonist, Volume XLVIII, Issue 11555, 16 February 1906, Page 4

THE LABOUR MEMBER IN THE BRITISH CABINET.

Mr Keir Hardie, writing in "The Labour Leader," point's out that Mr Burn's position as President of the Local. Government Board is essentially a difficult one. John Burns, the man of "the red flag," the working engineer, is now the Right Hon John Burns, P.0., M.P., President of the Local Government Board. He has a salary of £2000 $ year, and after five years' sorvfcfc is entitled to an old agb pension of £1200 a year. That should almost take hone&t .John's breath away. John Burns is in a perilous position, and one which no true Socialist will envy. He has a hard task before j him, If he performs it well— if he valiantly fights for the poor and repels the predatory hands of the monopolists upon our municipal rights —if he does even those things with moderate courage, we sh«ll give him his due. John Burns has backslided badly, but he is not the first nor the last. The Socialist movement goes on." "The Clarion," on the contrary, refers to the appointment as "the one hopo of the new Administration." Mr Burns, it says, "is the one man whose appointment has created any popular enthusiasm. He is the one man, who, if he gets the chance, may do something that is not r absolutely sterotyped and futile" " Mr Crooks, speaking at Woolwich, deprecated very severely the criticisms which had been aimed at the new Minister by some of his fellows, " John Burns," he said, " has the harJest position in the Cabinet. He will, as a responsible Minister, deal with men, women and children whose happiness and intellectually will depend largely on his knowledge and sympathy. As my personal friend and co-league for thirteen yeirs, I can assura him of our sympathetic support in the House in what we know will be a very difficult task, that is, dealing In a national way with the unemployed problems. He will get no carping criticism from up." I I*"* "T'ruwuutmmtimamuMSVßmMmitttin A