18 JUNE 1948, Page 5

* * * * Mr. Churchill has adopted a generous

attitude towards Mr.

Morrison's now notorious faux pas. If he had, in spite of the Lord President's apology, raised the matter in the House of Commons, the Lord President would have had an unpleasant ten minues. For there were two separate offences :one was in saying that Mr. Churchill was absenting himself from the House of Commons but yet con-

, tinuing to draw £2,000, when in fact that was quite untrue ; the / other was in saying it even if it were true. As to the former, Mr. Morrison stated what was not the- fact when he could easily have ascertained what was the fact. Regarding that he has fully apologised and no more need be said. But suppose Mr. Churchill had been still drawing the £2,000. Who is to measure what amount of attendance justifies the salary of an ex-Premier or of an ordinary M.P., or what amount of work justifies the much higher salary of a Minister like the Lord President—or the new Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster? On this aspect of the matter Mr. Morrison has explained that he was only joking. There are such things as bad jokes.