“INFAMOUS LIE.”

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20541, 16 February 1935, Page 1

“INFAMOUS LIE.”

Mr George Lansbury’s Warning to Prime Minister. THREAT TO PUBLISH CABINET MINUTES. Labour Leader Says He Will Risk Imprisonment. (United Press Association. —By Electric Telegraph. Copyright.) (Received February 16, 10.50 a.m.) LONDON, February 15.

((T WARN the Prime MinisA ister that if the utterly infamous lie is repeated that I voted for, or advocated, the Means Test, either now, or in the late Cabinet, I will print the Cabinet minutes thereon and risk imprisonment,” declared Mr George Lansbury, Leader of the Labour Opposition, in the House of Commons when moving the Labour censure motion. The outburst startled the House. Mr Lansbury added “ I challenge Mr MacDonald to deny that the Cabinet unitedly refused the May Committee’s proposal to put those on transitional payment under the Poor Law. Mr MacDonald can produce the Cabinet minutes,

or I will lend him mine. Mr MacDonald can ask his Majesty to allow me to produce my minutes.” Uproar followed and Labour members continued to interrupt and shout throughout Mr MacDonald’s speech.

The Liberal Party and certain Conservatives supported the motion, which was defeated by 374 votes to 68. Mr Lansbury criticised in particular the operation of the Unemployment Assistance Board, saying that a central bureaucracy had been set up in such haste that neither those who framed nor those who administered it really understood it. The motion of censure protested against the acceptance of the unemployment of 2,000,000 persons as permanently- inevitable, and demanded that a committee of Cabinet, like the Committee of Imperial Defence or the War Cabinet boldly undertake the national reconstruction of industry, agriculture, and housing in order to prevent a whole generation growing up without occupation. Mr J. Cleary (Lab.), the victor of the Wavertree by-election, claimed that he was returned as an expression of mass resentment at the Government’s policy towards the unemployed. Complaints by Liberals. Sir Herbert Samuel (Lib.) said that the Government had muddled and mishandled unemployment relief. Though Mr Oliver Stanley had made a brave retreat, the country felt that the situation should not have arisen. The turning point in the fortunes of the Government came with the failure of the World Economic Conference. The President of the United States had maimed it, but it was killed by the British Government’s declaration that, whatever other countries did, Great Brita’n should maintain her quotas and tariffs.

Within three years they had lost half their foreign trade. At the present rate of recovery it would take eleven years to reach the 1929 level. Then the Government had tried to cover its failure by a whole series of subsidies. Mr R. J. G. Boothby (Unionist! said that many Conservatives were definitely dissatisfied with the Government s lack of action in the direction of development of the Empire and its Crown Colonies. The country wanted leadership and vision in Government. Major 11. L. Nathan (Lib.) said that it was not fear of a general election which had caused foreign selling of securities in London. It was because, in a broadcast talk in Paris on Tuesdav, it was stated that the recent speculations in commodities in London would involve Great Britain in a scandal equal to the Stavisky scanda.s. Replying to the debate, the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr Chamberlain) said that, despite January’s seasonal drop in employment, there were still 700,000 more people employed than there were three years ago. No alternative policy put forward in Great Britain or any other country had produced a comparable result. In the replv of the Prime Minister (printed vesterday) no reference was made to the matter which provoked Mr Lansburv's outburst. Last year, following the publication of certain Cabinet secrets, it was made ! a criminal offence for members, or exmembers, of the Cabinet to publish any of the proceedings of Cabinet contained in minutes in their possession.