THE KING CRITICISED.

Waikato Times, Volume 112, Issue 18703, 1 August 1932, Page 7

THE KING CRITICISED.

H. G. WELLS’ OUTBURST, LABOUR PARTY ASSAILED. STATEMENTS 'CAUSE RESENTMENT United Press Assn. —Elec. Tel. Copyright (Received August 1, 10.15 a.m.) LONDON, July 31. Mr H. G. Wells, In the course of a scathing attack on the Labour Party, delivered at the Liberal Summer School, said: “ The 'King was so ill-advised as to depart from his proper political social neutrality and lead the movement for cheeseparing and grinding the faces of the needy in the interests of the debt collector, and not a soul In the Labour Party said what ought to have been said about the King or that miserable campaign of unintelligent economy which had cast a dismal shadow on the closing months of f93i."

Mr h. g. wells.

Sir Michael Sadler, who was chairman of the meeting, said he considered the reference to the King was like a very dark line in a large picture of national life. He amplified his strong admiration and, gratitude for the noble things the Prince 'Of Wales and the Royal Family were doing for the welfare of the country, the relief of suffering, and the encouragement of the people. Commander J. M. Kenworthy (formerly a Liberal, but who later joined the Labour Party), commenting on Mr Wells’ statements, declares that the King acted within the constitution. The real villains of the piece were Mr Ramsay MacDonald and Visoount Snowden, Who prepared the coup d’etat months previously. Far from being no Labour Party voices being raised, the Labour Party were all prepared to go into the wilderness, as they did, rather than be parties to 'rescuing the "bankers* at the expense of the poor. Mr Wells' facts were all wrong and Commander Kenworthy expressed disagreement with his criticism.

“ The King took the new Cabinet’s advice that economy was absolutely necessary, but the Labourites declined to accept the policy," said Mr George Lansbury in an interview. “ Nobody knows better than Air Wells that it Is nonsense to say that Air Ramsay MacDonald, Air J. H. Thomas and a few others represented Labour."