The speech did not fully satisfy the critics. Lord Winterton
and Mr. Shinwell apparently want a much wider use of com- pulsory powers over persons and property. It was difficult to pin them down to. precise points, and several Labour members challenged the issue of compulsion and resented the attacks on Mr. Bevin. Mr. Griffiths, Mr. Ellis Smith and, above all, Mr. Lawson adopted this attitude. Mr. Lawson tittered an impassioned warning against the intellectuals who failed to understand the difficulties of applying compulsion to industrial workers. He said there could be no comparison between Army and industrial discipline. Mr. Malcolm MacCorquodale made a refreshing and conciliatory interven- tion at this point, and in a delightful maiden speech Mr. Scott pleaded for the reservation of sufficient skilled labour on the farms. It was good to hear a working farmer speak with such ease and common sense.
Previous page
