New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-15


-. many men are worse served by
-. tr;ends than Lord haldane by
". Perhaps never was there a more
' -, celebration of defeat than
- demonstration Of the National Lib
-, c,pb on the occasion Of the late
- CbaDcellor's compulsory retire
~, 20 private life. 1t is a club which
% never been distinguished by the
80. or good sense Of its management.
80 Lincolnshire presided; man of
NV am.able traits and much unwis-
o. Mr.. Asquith wrote letter of
'~..ss;ored panegyric upon his for
- colleague; most creditable to the
p.;r, Minister'S loyalty in matters Of
<-..~5.hip. but. considering the state
- ,rb,;c opinion, untimely and unser-
,..e.hle And Lord Haldane made a
....b. in the tone OF superiority
,.A;,ual 70 him. Public opinion has
-. him in the dock. but he delivered
ii's.-,snt as II from the benN, or as
e still o. the woolsaek'
Mr.. LLOYD Georges Attack.
plainly. this club caucus was meant
,~erare the way for Lord Haldane's
-, 20 Office. Mr.. Asauith's letter
...,.i8enee enough that he would again
sloane his old friend as coalition
.oresrue if he could. But Mr.. Lloyd
CO, has interviewed; man much
- 3, touch with the English ma
w. - than Mr.. As0uith has lately shown
NJ To~f Haldane. though responsible IN
-,oesu~e for failing 20 supply the
p~,.isb forces in Flanders with war
.,~,.iors supplies them without
.--,tr. 20 his enemies here at home.
Us IVA. rash enough 20 give an account
- vbs. occurred at d meeting or
Cabiret Committee on arms last Octo-
isr The Ministry. he says, placed or
Ssrs with "the great munluon manu-.
Eoc.,rors" which the manufacturers
arr5ertook 10 carry out and which, II
thew had been carried out, would nave
plscet this country in a position OF
tremendous advantage. -,
most interesting statement by MI:
How'd George, who was member OF
ms committee. sends message TO the
Pc that Lord Haldanc's version OF
tbe proceedings is "incOmplete and IN
som material respects inaccurate lie
rro-r;ses TO 20 more fully into the mat
,e~ AZ the proper time; hopes he may
MOI be driven to do so now; ana IN
sti0qlng sentence reminds the late Lord
CharccllC that:
"Tte very fact Of this conflict Of
memory having arisen shows the IN
wisdom Of these partial and unauthor.
lied disclosures Of the decisions OF
highly confidential committees OF the
Cabinet
II she situation were not so grave
and the country in grave peril inns
would be thought one OF the pretuest
ousrrels this many a day. On LoIu
HsIlere's side it is a defence not only
nj himself. but of General Won DonoP,
Master Of Ordnance, publicly accused
in the House of Commons as respon-
sjb'e for the failure TO supply the
troops at the front with ammunition
and Guns. On Mr.. Lloyd George S
SIDE II is resented as a covert attack
Or the new Ministry Of Munitions and
On himself as Minister. 1t touches
therefore the gravest Of the grave
oues-ions out Of which grows the pres
ert Peril 20 England. Personal issues
are rs nothing 20 that. But II would
be idle 20 deny that the gravest prac-
t!ca! problems become much more IN
.eres,ng when personalities get mixed
up with them.
Ministers and Labor.
more than that. The late Ministry
has been accused before now Of trying
70 r.te of from its liabilities and
laches by blaming labor. That, said its
critics. was at the bottom Of the drink
campo On, led by Mr.. Lloyd George
himself. The workmen, he said-not
all. but some preferred drink to work,
and il was their slackness in work
which stopped the supply Of shells.
This charge had 70 be modified and
explained away. Lord Haldane now re-
news IT, The late Ministry, he de-
clares placed orders for munitions last
October and the manufacturers did
their best 10 execute them:
But there arose difficulties between
Labor and Capital which COMPOUNDED all
the calculations of the munition manu-
1acturers. and that is the source Of the
trouble to-day. 1t is not General Won
Donop. The industrial conditions in
face Of such demand were such that
The greaf' munitIon manufacturers
could not complete than, though they
did their best
Wherefore we are to understand that
since Capital did its best and Labor did
not Labor and not Capital-nO, nor
Ministers, o.ther-was responsible for
the failure. The storm which that accd-
satlon Will bring about Lord Haldane's
head viii blow all the National Liberal
Gun oratory into space; and with il
all chance of Lord Haldane's return TO
Office
Armament Scandals.
But that is not all. II is not Lord
Ealdlnes way 20 say more than suits
MS BOOK But i. has long been alleged
mat early In the war certain number
OF very leading armament firms sought
70 acquire for them selves a monopoly
Of the arms supply for the government.
whether their demand, supposing II
10 nave been made, was conceded
is matter OF dispute; like the demand
itself But Lord Haldane's assertion
mas sinister look i'm the light of this
STORY II his committee placed their
orders with these monopoly manufact-
uureis, and II it presently became clear
mat the orders could not be executed,
'he question arises whether all these
works. fully manned with willing
skilled laborers. could in any case have
completed the supply of what was
wanted AZ any rate, we now know they
were not completed, and that some 5000
o'ner firms were set 20 work.
We know also that during all this
Time -during months Of last ear and
months Of this year-many private Of
leIs OF munitions and requests for con-