17 JANUARY 1931, Page 3

he Trade Disputes Bill and the Law Sir Thomas Inskip,

who was Attorney-General in the last Unionist Administration, wrote a pertinent letter to the Times of Monday about the duties provided for Law fficers by the Trade Disputes Bill. .He pointed out that ir Stafford Cripps, the Solicitor-General, has been telling he electors of East Bristol that it is of the utmost impor- tance that the Trade Unions should regain the powers which they lost by the 1927 Act, in order that they may meet the attack which he thinks will be made on wages. Such an argument, says Sir Thomas Inskip, is" ominous,' because under the Bill the Attorney-General must be joined as a party in any proceedings in which the legality of a strike is at issue. The Attorney-General, to be precise, will have to make a submission either in favour of, or against, legality. The Attorney-General ought, in these circumstances, to make up his mind on the facts and not upon instructions received from the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. "Apparently," says Sir Thomas, "the Law Officers have already made up their minds what to say."