Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-09
British Government
Held Near Collapse
BY A. q. GARDINER,
EnRland's Greatest Liberal Editor.


Premier Ramsay Macdonald, like
President Hoovers ~ experiencing the
perils Of being on the quarterback in
world hurricane. Unlike Mr.. Hoover,
he has no prospect Of surviving until
the worst Of the hurricane Is over. The
Macdonald government Ia visihly coll
lapsing and only the universal disin-
clination to plunge the country into
the turmoil of q general election in
Midwinter and in the midst Of the fate
full Indian conference, which opens
Tuesday, can postpone the crisis over
the Christmas season.
Sir John Simon last week drove an
other nail into the government CONN
by announcing that he has lost conn.,
dence in the Labor government and In.
tends to vote against 1t. Lobby gossip
attributes his action to the fact that
Sir John was excluded from the Indian
conference, but this writer personally
thinks that suspicion is unjust. He
represents q large element of Liberal
dissatisfaction with the government
and only the fear Of putting the Con-
servatives in ONCE with a protection
list program prevents the bulk of the
party from following his lead.
May Be Delayed Over Christmas.
The Liberals will certainly do so
when the governments measure Of re-
storing compulsory political levy on
the trade unionist is introduced, but
this will probably be delayed until the
reasSembly Of Parliament after Christ
mas, when 1t is hoped that the Indian
conference will have reached q solu-
ton and the way will be clear for an
appeal to the country.
But events may take control and
force q crisis earlier, for Mr.. Mac
Donald Is assailed on all TANKS and
rebels in his own party under James
Maxton and Sir Oswald Mosley are
prepared to 60 to any lengths TO destroy
his leadership.
Meanwhile, Stanley Baldwin, having
smashed the Beaverbrook revolt, has
consolidated the position Of the Con-
dent that it can sweep the country
with its safeguarding policy, which in
effect gives free hand for protection
without handicap Of the food taxes cry.
This confidence is strengthened by the
remarkable election victory at Shipley,
in the heart Of the Yorkshire wooden
industry, where for the first time in
history Conservative protectionist was
returned on Friday, winning the seat
from the Labor party.
Imperial Conference Pickering Out.
Mr.. Macdonald Is not only prejudiced
by his failure to stem the tide Of un-
employment, but by the general lack
Of administrative capacity Of the Labor
government. The imperial conference
is Pickering out without prospect of
any serious achievement and the blame
is placed upon the government, which
put no considered policy before the dele
gates, and Is accused by the Conserva-
tives of frittering away q great oppor-
tunity to consolidate the empire.
Whether the fault is the govern
ment's or not, q general feeling Of dis
appointment prevails at the negative
results Of the conference and the un.
fortunate effects Of certain incidents,
notably the speech by r. B. Bennett,
the Canadian premier, in which he al
legged there was dumping Of Lancashire
cotton goods in Canada and quoted o
against the competition Of sweated
labor in Lancashire. The incident
created angry comment in Lancashire,
which denies the sweAted labor con-
ditions. The Manchester Guardian
points out that Mr.. Bennett, before
leaving Canada, made q similar accu-
sation against the British shoe In
dustry as justifying the new Canadian
tariff against the competition of British
The effect of all this is to bring the
conference to q gloomy close and per-
haps unjustly to discredit the govern
ment.
Airship Disaster Hurts.
Among other causes operating against
the government are the disclosures ct
the airship disaster inquiry. which sug-
rest that Lord Thomson, the air min |
lster who persisted in the crash, in
sisted on adhering to the program he
had laid down for the flight to India |
His memorandum on the subject, read |
at the inquiry Thursday, created O |
painful impression and. as In all such |
the disposition is to |
blame the government collectively for !
the acts Of the individual n1irihters.
It is in these depressing eircum- |
stances, with q lettering government |
and an imminent election, that the ]
indian conference opens In Q few @ys.
r. wright. 1880