* * * * In the House of Commons on
Tuesday there was a 'lively domestic quarrel in the Labour Party. Mr. A. M. Samuel moved a resolution to allow the introduction of a Bill granting members of the Diplomatic Service the same pensions as other members of the Civil Service. 'In 1919 the Diplomatic Service was amalgamated with • the Foreign Office, and under the present rule a diplomat Who happens to have served all his time in the Foreign Office—perhaps owing to his merits rather than to his faults—gets no pension, since only service abroad counts. Mr. MacDonald entirely agreed with the Government that this gross injustice should be remedied. Mr. Kirkwood, however, led a strong revolt against the proposal, on the ground that pensions were unnecessary, that no man was worth more than £400 a year, and that all diplo- mats ought to save ' enough out of their salaries. Mr. 'Charleton, who is a Labour Member of the Board of Selection for the Diplomatic and Consular Services, tried to help Mr. MacDonald out of his trouble by pointing out the-simple truth that to-day suitability is the one qualifica- tion for acceptance in the Diplomatic Service. The revolt, however, persisted until it was voted down. Mr. MacDonald had a foretaste, of what he must expect in the` next Labour Government.
Previous page
