News of the Week
rrillE King's Speech at the opening of Parliament on Tuesday was soberly optimistic about the prospects of trade; bid by earnestly emphasizing the hope that industrial strife would be avoided, it implied the simple truth that all hopes are based upon the maintenance of peace. We have discussed the contents of the Speech in a leading article and will content ourselves here with a summary of the debate which followed. Mr. Ramsay MacDonald complained of the emptiness of the Speech —no FactorieS Bill, no Franchise Bill, .not even a Franchise Conference', though all had been promised. The chief sin of commission, in his view, was the fostering of industrial ill-will_by the threat " to attack trade unions." Thus he left the House in no- doubt that the Bill dealing With -industrial -disputes would meet with implacable resistance. - • * *
