The Week in Parliament
THE Coal debate last week was a miserable affair. Mr. Ramsay MacDonald opened . by trying and failing to be funny at the Prime Minister's expense. Then Mr. Baldwin explained that he did not wish to deprive the House of the opportunity of hearing Colonel Lane- Fox's swan-song. - Neither attempted to deal with the lamentable situation in the coalfields, although many members would have welcoMed some illumination from the Leader of the Opposition of his more densely fogbound periods in a previous debate, and the Prime Minister has not been heard on the subject for months. After this waste of time, Sir Philip Cunliffe.Lister delivered a competent- departmental speech; which Proved • that the Government is; after all,' aware of the existence of a coal problem, and that something may yet be 'done. That is a great matter, and UnioniSts settled :down to listen to Mr. Lloyd George in an easier frame of mind: The Liberal chieftain analysed the situation With consider- able dexterity, but did not appear to be ready with a remedy. As on former occasions the best speeches came from Sir Alfred Mond and Mr. Vernon Hartshorn. Mr. Spencer must have heard of Protection quite recently, fir he displayed all the excited zeal of a convert to the faith, and could talk of little else. The swan-song of the Minister of Mines was soothing, and in parts quite pleasant to listen to, but hardly worth all the commotion it has caused.
What did emerge from .the debate was the fact that our coal industry remains just as badly organized as ever it was, and at least twenty years behind that of Germany. No substantial amalgamations have been carried out and pone apparently are contemplated.
A fuddled internecine competition is apparently the only method of conducting the industry envisaged by the master-minds of the coal trade, who devote most of their energies to printing pamphlets protesting against the " unwarranted interference " of ignorant outsiders.
In the meantime, coalmining in this country remains in a condition of complete chaos; while the number of unemployed miners increases. When these arc transferred from the -rates to the Exchequer,- as is sooner or later inevitable, it will be the tax-payers' turn to talk.- And, if the only suggestion the cOaloWners can then make is a -levy on the home consumer, to subsidize their -own export trade, there may be trouble.
The situation is now developing along lines that will ultimately make-drastic action on the part of any Govern- ment-a vital necessity, in the national- interests, and it is to be feared- that this -problem. will . long remain. -the biggest thorn in the side of British Ministries. - Bills -are going through the House of Commons with celerity and ease these days. Mr. -Neville Chamberlain, most competent of Ministers, has steered his Local Authorities Audit Bill to safety ; and-Sir John Gilmour did not hesitate to commandeer the whole force of English . Conservatism in order to - overwhelm Mr, Macquisten last Tuesday night, and secure his Sheriff Courts -Bill.
There remains - the - New Prayer Book, which, I am informed, is likely to be pasSed by . both Houses. The Peers' debate is being watched with considerable interest by members of the House of Commons, a large number of whom are frankly puzzled by this issue, and unable to decide upon the merits of the ease. - Those of- us in the Lower House who have been fortunate enough to hear Lords Sumner and Buckmaster, on the Landlord and Tenant Bill, and aknost any speech on the Prayer Book; have been -reluctantly compelled to the conclusion that the standard. of debate in the Upper House remains considerably higher than our own.
• WATCHMAN.
Previous page
