5 JUNE 1926, Page 2

Mr. Baldwin next pointed out that in 1921 Mr. Lloyd

George had waited in the hope of an agreement between the two sides, though to-day he was attacking the Government for following his example. Mr. Lloyd George had then said " There is no greater mistake than to interfere prematurely." He was still taking that line when the strike of 1921 had been going on for seven weeks —that is to say longer than the present strike We may take the Prime Minister's speech as implying, though he does not seem expressly to have said so, that if the two sides do not agree quickly the Government cannot go on waiting. A solution with consent is no doubt the ideal and the only sort which has the elements of per- manency, but if necessary there are other possibilities.