The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-03-26
"Wishbone" Policy.

1t was interesting indeed to see
how Macdonald squared his circle.
He first made his point against
Pringle, the mover Of the motion
against the government and said
chat not a keel would be laid
without the consent of the House.
Requirements were not increases of
ornaments. It was the duty of the
Government to replace wastage and
no foreign government could corr
plain about that. Besides when the
government came into office it found
itself face to face with the fact
that on March %, $3.50 men would
have to be discharged from the dock
yards if no further construction
was put in hand. Could we harden
our hearts against building those
ships and allow those men with
their wives and families dependent
on them to be turned into the
streets?"
A conservative government want
ed requirements because of the de-
velopment in other countries. A
Labor Government wants replace
ments to ease the unemployment
situation. The net result appears
to be the same whatever the argu-
ment used The cruisers will be
built. And requirements are always
improvements and that means the
effective armament value is In
creased. But Of course we must
not forget Mr.. Macdonald says that
all changes must be by common
consent and whilst we can moralize
about the wickedness Of it all we
must carry on in the good old way.
So the pacifst does the same as
the imperialist. Mr.. Macdonald
does as Mr.. Baldwin. One sings
bass, the other tenor, but they are
both in the same chorus, developing
the imperial forces.
Mr.. Hudson put the question "Has
the honorable member taken into
account that when these cruisers are
laid down, if they are, it will lead
to the laying down of further cruis-
ers in foreign countries. leading to
a possible catastrophe which will Gre
ate bigger unemployment than
ever?"
requirements The Wall.
Mr.. Ammcn replied on behalf Of
the admiralty that "these are re-
placements"
So the existing fleets and arma-
maments we can take it are not a
standing menace.
The whole business is one big bluff
on the part of Macdonald and his
colleagues and the rank and file of
the Labor Party know it. MacDon-
aid proposes to investigate the
whole question of ornaments and
Immediately he does so he will find
abundant evidence'to justify a con.
tinuation of. the policy already indi.
Gated in his concession to the de-
mands of the Admiralty. He will
tell US that the British navy is be-
ing rapidly outdistanced by other
powers exactly as his Air depart
ment has justified its building pro-
gram by comparison with the
French. air equipment; and exactly
as the Conservative government did
before him. He will tell us that
naval construction in this country
came practically to standstill after
the armistice; that since then Ber-
lin has only completed such ships
of the war program as were too
far completed to be scrapped; that
the only new vessels laid down since
November, 1918 are two battleships,
one cruiser-mine layer and one sub
marine. While dating from the end
of the war the United States has
built two battleships, 10 light cruis-
ers, 70 destroyers, q submarines
and two aircraft carriers; Japan
within the same period has built or
ordered for the Japanese navy 20
light cruisers, 70 destroyers and at
least so submarines and two air
craft carriers; and France since the
war has laid down or voted 8 light
cruisers, 81 destroyers and 81 sub
marines. The Liberal press already
provides this argument.