On Tuesday Mr. J. H. Thomas, who has done better
for his clients than any other trade unionist leader, and has made the N.U.R. the richest Labour organization in the country, had once again to fight for his official life. Care- ful plans had evidently been made to smash him if pos- sible. Mr. Thomas, who spoke for an hour and a half, smote his opponents till they were sorry for themselves. There was no more effective thing in his speech than the passage which he kept till nearly the end, and in which he proved from documents that two or three of his prin- cipal critics had acted, not under the instructions of their branches, but under Communist dictation. In the end Mr. Thomas had the satisfaction of getting a vote of con- fidence by seventy-one votes to seven. We may con- gratulate the N.U.R. officials on the very clever secret service which is evidently maintained at Unity House.
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