THE WEEK IN .PARLIAMENT
BY NEW MEMBER,
THERE was a large attendance of members when Parliament reassembled, on Monday, for the pia. pose of renewing the Emergency Regulations. The Prime Minister opened the proceedings with a recapitulation of the tragic history of the coal dispute, and Mr. Ramsay MacDonald followed with what at one time promised to be a first-rate electioneering speech. But he allowed himself to be led away into a futile argument about the terms of the Government invitation to the Mining Asso- ciation, and was, as usual, guilty of inordinate length.
Mr. Lloyd George treated the House to an engaging display of his ingenuity. He started off without any clear idea of what he wanted to say. Assisted by Conser- vative interruptions, he developed an interesting argu- ment as to the rights and duties of the State in industrial disputes. Asked how he would compel the owners to obey he committed himself to the Emergency Regulations! What about the men ? Clearly, said Mr. Lloyd George, you could not prosecute a million men for refusing to work. To the simple-minded he seemed to be cornered, but not a bit of it. Starvation—happy thought ! "A far more formidable pressure than any artificial Regulations" would be brought to bear on the men, declared the ex- Premier triumphantly emerging from the little morass he had created for himself, and bringing an excellent dialectical exercise to a conclusion with a comprehensive if friendly attack on his old friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer for going back on his own proposals.
At this juncture Captain Macmillan intervened with an admirable little speech, in which he urged the Govern- ment to consider the whole general relation of the State towards the key industries. Ad hoc solutions for recurring crises were obtriously hopeless, and a structure must be erected, an organization evolved,-to meet the most vital problem of the twentieth century. To this speech Mr. Lloyd George listened with manifest approval.
Mr. Churchill's bold and vigorous handling of the situation during the last few weeks has excited both admiration and consternation amongst the Unionist rank and file, and when he rose there was a stir of excitement. He soon exploded the rumour that he was in disagreement with his Chief. But he elaborated the latest proposal 01 the Government to set up an Appeal Tribunal, which he begged the miners not to reject. It would be idle to deny that his speech, which was markedly friendly to the miners, was listened to with considerable alarm by some of the Government's supporters. The proposed tribunal is viewed with intense disfavour by many of those who are by no means averse from a national settlement. And there were those on Monday night who saw in the position as it then existed all the elements of a political crisis.
By Tuesday, however, it became clear that the possl- bility even of negotiation between the Miners' Federation and the Government on the latter's proposal was extremely remote. There was -an interval during the -EmergenoY Regulations debate, which produced a witty speech from Captain Wedgwood Berm, and when the coal discussion was resumed at ten o'clock the situation was seen to have hardened considerably. The presence of Mr. Cook in the .House had given rise to some optimistic rumours, but the debate closed on an angry note with defiant speeches from Mr. Hartshorn, Mr.• MacDonald and Mr. Churchill. A general peace is farther off than ever, unless the Miners Federation decide .to go for the tribunal,hich House of Commons.' Wednesday. Wednesday. an event w now seems extremely improbable.
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