30 APRIL 1927, Page 1

The Opposition, if it can summon up any sense of

realities, will drop the absurd cry that the Government wish " to destroy " the trade unions, and will apply the greater part of its energy to making reason and persuasion prevail in the Committee stage of the Bill Labour will have plenty of material to drat with. To begin with the Government undoubtedly made a had mistake in not mentioning lock-outs. We hope that they will repair this omission voluntarily and not leave it to Labour to say that a'restriet km on employers' combinations equal in force to that on trade unions has been exacted as a reluctant concession. As we read the Bill there is no prohibition of sympathetic strikes as such, but the matter ought to be made clear. The Bill is intended, we gather, to pro- hibit onlv sympathetic Strikes which threaten the Govern- ment or the community.