19 MARCH 1932, Page 1

News of the Week

rpHE Prime Minister's recovery and his return to the House of Commons are matters for equal con- gratulation. No Government can be entirely itself without its head, and that is peculiarly true of an Administration in which so many diverse elements have to be harmonized as are included in the present Cabinet. No better deputy could be desired than Mr. Baldwin, with his scrupulous avoidance of anything that looks like making party capital out of his position, but there has been more than one occasion in the past month when Mr. MacDonald's personal touch would have eased delicate situations considerably. The Prime Minister was the National Government's chief asset during the election, and his value to it has not diminished since. His experience will be of particular benefit in the shaping of British policy through the coming critical phases of the Disarmament Conference, and before and during the Lausanne and Ottawa gatherings.

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