Evening star., 1925-02-01
BRITAIN IS FEELING
i. S. WHEAT RISE
Bread Back at Wartime
Basis-No Taxation Re-
lief in Prospect.
BY A. C. GARDINER.


BY Radio to The Star
LONDON, January 31-Events IN
the Chicago wheat market have been
followed Immediately here by an in
crease in the price of bread to a
level not reached in modern times
except IL the I ost critical period of
the war, The cost of living was
already oppressive and was obstruct
ing the recovery of trade. further
rise in the cost of food creates pro-
found disquiet.
Bankers at their annual meetings
all are urging a return to the gold
standard, but the problem is compli-
Gated by the fact that with imported
food rising in value, exports and man
ufactures are restricted by the high
cost of production and the balance
of external trade is becoming In
creasingly adverse.
No Relief In Sight.
Nor is an relief visible in taxation.
which hangs like a stone around the
neck of industry. At the moment,
Chancellor Winston Churchill is en-
gagged in a struggle with the admir-
atty over the naval estimates, which
probably will reach in the neigh
borhood of s350,000,000.
VIII Mr. Churchill resist these de-
mands at the point of resignation? The
writer does not anticipate that he will
risk the fate of his father, who fell
in the same struggle.
Yet the case against naval expan-
sion Is overwhelming, but the Tory
party Is unable to resist the military
demands, and revival OF the Singapore
naval base has committed the govern
ment to a heavy increase in the bur
den. Moreover, Frances decisive aerial
superiority has involved the country In
a vast increase in expenditure for the
development of an air navy.
1t follows that little expectation is
entertained that Mr.. Churchill's bud
get will provide any relief Of the bur-
den OF taxation. This adds to the con-
Germ which prevails at the alarming
tendency of good prices.
Watch Liberal Leaders.
Political attention here this week has
been centered on the Asquith-L Lloyd
George drama. The episode began with
the announcement that Herbert H. As
quith had accepted a peerage as Earl
of Oxford, which was offered after his
defeat in the recent elections. Ac-
Ceptance of d seat In the House OF
Lords enables Mr.. Asquith to continue
leadership Of the Liberal party and the
Beaverbrook press announced, with
great appearance of inspiration, that
Mr. Lloyd George had reached the end
OF his patience, and that he would re-
volt and leave the party.
Significance was attached to the
announcement owing to the notori-
ously close relations between Mr..
Lloyd George and Lord BeaverbroOk.
The public awaited Thursday with
great eagerness. That was the day
fixed for the great Liberal conven-
tion, designed to reorganize the
party Would Mr.. Lloyd George ex-
plode a bomb and blow the party into
fragments? The event disappointed
anticipations of a cOnvulsion. Mr..
Lloyd George denounced the mischief
makers in the press and declared his
hearty acceptance of the Asqulth
leadership.
Appearances were thus saved and
the convention proceeded to its tasks.
But no one was deceived by appear
ances. The struggle behind the
scenes was embittered and irrecon-
cilable. Powerful forces in the party
resolved never to accept the leader
ship of Mr.. Lloyd George and regard
the continuance of Mr.. AsQuith as
the only protection against that men
ace. But Mr.. Asquith now is 73
years old, and Mr.. Lloyd George is
10 years younger. Mr.. Asquith is in
active as ferret.
Hope for New Deal.
Mr.. Lloyd Georges foes hope Mr..
Asquith will hold the bridge long
enough to enable the Liberal party to |
create a new situation in the country
which permanently will defenat Mr.. |
Lloyd Georges aims and produce |
new leader. Their difficulty is that |
no such potential leader is visible
In spite of the widespread dis !
trust of Mr.. Lloyd George, he Is still |
lncomparably the most skillful cleo |
tioneer and he is unrivalled in his !
powers of popular appeal Having
lost all hope of restoring the coali-
tion, he now reyerts to his earlier !
radical manner, in which he outbids |
all his Liberal rivalrys and aims to over
whelm party managers by stampeding
the rank and file. Moreover, he has
the power of purse. While coalition
premier he collected a great party
fund, which he still personally con-
trolls, while the official party Golfers
are bare.
The odds favor Mr. Lloyd Georges
ultimate victory and capture and con-
troll OF the party machine, but 1t is
improbable that he will ever restore
the Liberals to power or bring about
an accommodation with Labor, with
which he has f1irted in the past bur
with which he now has quarreIed ir-
revocably.
Copyright, 1925