18 NOVEMBER 1932, Page 3

Mr. Baldwin seized upon this sense of impending crisis to'

make his most effective Parliamentary performance since his famous speech ending with the prayer, "Give peace in our time, 0 Lord." He swept away the demand of certain members that the British delegation should not have an indefinite mandate, not by a direct negative, but by pointing out the triviality of niggling points of procedure when civilization was menaced with destruction from the air. The speech was a psychological triumph, though both ends. of its practical argument were left in the air. Does Mr. Baldwin intend to propose the abolition of flying ? The responsibility is his and his colleagues', not that of the "young men" on whom lie threw it. The speech sounded like a magnificent chorus from a Greek tragedy—the voice of a man's soul struggling with fate, and it shows the tremendous influence which Mr. Baldwin can exert over the whole of any House of Commons when sufficiently roused to put forth his power.