13 MARCH 1936, Page 3

On the second day Mr. Greenwood was (Well worse than

Mr. Attlee, for he tried to he humorous. His jokes were of the kind that only could have had even a measure of success at an eve-of-poll meeting of his supporters in a Labour stronghold. But it was the only bad speech of the day. Mr. Churchill was first class. He took the wise course of avoiding all political references and confined himself to a survey of our defence requirements based on his experience as a war minister. It deeply impressed the House and there was no doubt when he had sat down that he had added very substantially to the number who think that he ought to be the new Co-ordinating Minister. Mr. Hicks, the building trades union leader, followed with a useful speech that was so friendly in tone to the Government that it produced a certain restiveness on the Labour Benches. Then came Mr. Lloyd George in his best vein of elder statesmanship. Ile is perhaps thinking too much in the terms of the last, War, and is inclined to pay insufficient attention to the new and terrible striking power of the air weapon, but his insistence on the vital relations of the organisation of industry to defence deeply impressed the House.

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