* * Mr. Lloyd George's Reconstruction Scheme . It would
be premature to offer at present any criticism of the scheme for, national reconstruction which Mr. Lloyd George is to launch upon the world early in the new year. It is evident that he envisages State action on the largest possible scale to deal with what he looks upon as chronic rather than abnormal unemployment. The account of his scheme now in preparation should probably be regarded as the fourth of a number of reports which he has been the main agent in producing during the last ten years—Coal and Power, dealing with the mining industry : the Green Book, dealing with agriculture : and the Industrial Yellow Book, presenting a comprehen- sive plan for the reconstruction of industry. These very carefully and expertly produced works belong to a different category from " We Can Conquer Unemployment," which was mainly an election manifesto. But there will be this important distinction between the new scheme and its predecessors.-- The latter were offered as exposi- tions of Liberal Party policy. The present scheme claims to be non-partisan, and is an invitation to " men of all parties to think and act on broader and •larger lines than they have done up to the present." Is Mr. Lloyd George thinking of a Centre Party again, as in 1910 ?
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