Evening star., 1928-10-07

news of the world for the seven
4 days ended october 6:
X y X
Great Britain.-The annual confer
ence of the Conservative party was re-
Gently held at Great Yarmouth. The
conference was remarkable for two
things-a certain passage in the open
ing speech by Prime Minister Baldwin
and a certain resolution passed by the
conference. Said Mr.. Baldwin: Safe
guarding will not be used as side
door or back door whereby general
tariff may be introduced until the ques-
| tion of general tariff has been sub
mitted once more to the country"
| And then, as read his speech, Mr..
Baldwin, In effect, gave assurance that
the issue Of general protection versus
free trade would not be incorporated
| in the Conservative platform for the
| elections of the coming Spring. The
resolution urged vigorous extension of
| operation under the safeguarding of in
dustries act (Which provides for linn
! tied protection). No doubt the Labor
ties and Liberals will charge that the
resolution goes far to nullify the as
surance quoted above. One doubts, at
any rate, that the resolution was pleas
, ing to Mr.. Baldwin.
/
| Labor party took place during the past
week at Birmingham, George Lansbury,
chairman of the party presiding. The
delegates were rather mixed lot, in
| cluding an appreciable sprinkling Of
! persons born to titles or silver spoons.
! LLOYD. George could scarcely have
been pleased by the following declara-
| ton of Mr.. Lansbury, and still less
| by the wild applause which 1t evoked;
| ANY attempt. by whomSoever made,
| to unite our forces with the decadent
| remains of liberalism, is foredoomed
to failure. Our one and only goal Is
| socialism and notwith-
standing, such union, union OF
sorts, seems a strong possibility.
Association. with Communists was
even more emphatically repudiated by
| the conference.
| The conference denounced the recent
/ Franco British tentative agreement or
understanding respecting armaments,
indeed, denounced the entire record of
| the Conservative party respecting the
disarmament question and itself ad-
vsnced proposals for expediting the
millennium.
The conference adopted, against the
coming elections, a party platform of
| IS blanks, nice little vade-mecum for
millennarians filling a pamphlet of so
pages.
Ramsay Macdonald expounded the
document Should the Labor party
achieve the power. it will, II the plat
form says so. (as of course, party
platforms always do straightway re-
peal the trades disputes act. and the
eieht-hour mines act, establish a min
| imum wage, "co-ordinatc financial
power with productive power" (what-
ever precisely that may mean. enlarge
the, scope of legislation especially with
reference to pensions) Sfor the anchor
alton of the workers lot; nationalize
coal, power AMI lie insurance. and
otherwise prepare tcr the induction of
the Socialist met CommunisD mil
lennium.
The last of the speakers at the con-
ference was the best-namely. Phillip
Snowden. chancellor of the exchequer
in the late Labor government, one Of
the sbiest men in England, a man nf
singularly lucid mind. moderate. He
turned the hose. so 10 speak, on the
"Socialists in hurry" II hope" said
he. that Iabor government will not
adopt Mr.. Wheatley's proposal (John
Whestley was Mr.. Snowden's colleague
in the late Labor governmentl of
establishing Socialism in our time By
the simple expedicnt of collecting Ill
The wealth of the country and distrib-
uting it equally among the whole pop
ulation. No chancellor of the eX-
cheuuer would be fit to- hold his job
who did not frame I'll his financial
policy with the idea of conserving. in
creasing and utilizing tn. national re-
souieAA sometimes run cold when