Evening star., 1924-04-17

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factious attitude as was taken up.
Liberals and Tories all professed to
be anxious to get the bill through,
excepting for the first clause. They
knew perfectly well that they were
in the majority against US on the
committee and could there have done
what they liked. They did not take
this cour e. Why? The real reason
is that they were out to humiliate
the government and to mete out a
sort of school warm discipline But
when all their leaders had thundered
they only succeeded in defeating the
government by a magnificent major
ity of nine"
What do you think of the atti-
tude of the Liberals?' your cor
respondent asked Macdonald. He re-
piled: Il am very g-ratified to see
voted fouted the little minded ap
pcals of their leaders, and remember
ing principles and sound parliament
tary tactics! came into the lobby
with u.s."
Hurts Legislation.
The premier continues: This kind
of obstruction makes legislation prac-
tically impossible, and'-Stated with
emphaSiS-"the government is going
to eat out of no party's hand anc
will not tolerate such pettifogging
humbug as its opponents are trying
to impose upon the ministry. l hope
that the friends of labor are watch
ing very carefully the recent actions
in the House of Commons and will
see that from every platform in the
land the truth about Mondays dis
creditable performance is told
After some discussion of the iffi-
culties of legislating under the limit
ing and obstructive conditions i'm
posed by the fact that labor is in the
minority in the House of Commons,
your correspondent asked Macdonald
to define what labor is seeking to
achieve in its legislation this session.
Macdonald replied: We are carry
ing out our promise to make unem-
ployment insurance more satisfactory
and to bring it into closer relation
ship with the living requirements OF
working class families than we found
IL, but this is not constructive, al.
though it is a necessary piece of
Eatching.
The housing scheme is our most
important Legislative item. 1t Is
really the biggest piece of construc-
tive industrial organization whlCh
has probably ever been attempted. IL
IS not only q scheme for building
houses, but for the cooperation be
tween all interests concerned"
Macdonald, evidently aware OF the
sharp criticism ot% the failure of the
crete projects of social reform, con-
tinued: There are some people in
the House of Commons who seek to
obtain fame or notoriety by putting
impatient questions as 10 the gov
ernment's program. They seem to
be annoyed that we haven't created
new world since January %. My an
swer to them is that if we succeed
with this scheme for building houses
by scientifically organized industry, 1t
will be looked upon in time to some
as the most important contribution
yet made TO industrial peace and sta
bility. There are many obstacles to
overcome and there will be still more,
but it is worth while going on. 1t is
this sort of work that will remain as
creative achievement long after we
have handed in our seals of office"
The correspondent asked the pre-
mer to discuss the state of Europe
and his own policy abroad. There
was added seriousness in his voice
when he said:s"As to my foreign pol
icy. | am still very hopeful, but read
ers of The Star must not imagine that