SIX FACTS TO BE FACED

Waipa Post, Volume 48, Issue 3482, 21 June 1934, Page 6

SIX FACTS TO BE FACED

GOOD INTENTIONS GONE WRONG. London, 'April 13. Britain's troubles must be attributed in the main to blindness in facing facts even when they are obvious, said Sir William Beveridge, director Of the London School of Economics, in an address to the Universities Congress at Edinburgh. There are six new facts which must be faced:— 1. Rejection of Cobdenism by humanity; 2. Changed character of unemployment; 3. Changed character of money; 4. Changed character of war; 5. Birth control and death control; and 6. Late emergence and longevity of political leaders. "Nearly all countries, including our own," he continued, "are engaged in praising international trade and destroying it by national tariffs. International trade is praised to the

skies and left to freeze on the doorstep." Empire Free Traders described as their aim a United States of Britons, but they were barking up the wrongtree for three reasons:— 1. The dominions are not economically the best complement to Britain; 2. The dominions have become high protectionist countries, more bitten by economic materialism than most; and 3. Tariff bargaining between blood relations was more apt to breed bad blood than good. Sir William did not regard the outlook for Britain in the near future as a rosy one, and the idea of reducing everybody's hours of work to four was just bunk—we are not nearly rich enough to do it. Under modern democracies men are apt only to attain leadership when they had lost all desire to lead. The good nature of the British led to them never deposing anyone—once leader always leader; once Prime Minister always Prime Minister whenever your party was in power. Thai; was a great Gladstonian tradition. To-day they went one better, or worse- —

once Prime Minister always Prime Minister, whatever party was in power. A possible way out would be to send oxery Prime Minister to tiie House of Lords after live or seven year:;. After asking if Britain wanted a new ideal, Sir William said her troubles must; be attributed in the main not to bad intentions, but to good intentions gone wrong—not to malevolence, but to blindness in facing the