Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-16

committees economy report was pub
lished.
This report-contrary to statements
practically unanimously published here
attracted less attention abroad than
had the earlier developments, and was
again more or less unanimously passed
Of in England as being desirable but
impractical.
What then cause the Labor cabinets
sudden zeal for reform? Nobody knows
definitely. The usual crop Of runors
is in circulation; that Snowden at
last decided to force the issue; that
British bankers alarmed by the neces-
sity for the Bank of England accept
ing Franco-American credit (the nego-
tiations for which were curiously con-
cealed from the British public issued
an ultimatum to the government; that
Macdonald saw in the situation fight
ing chance to mullify the growing in
f1uence Of the Left Wing within the
Labor party.
Probably none Of those is wholly true
or wholly false. Frank opinions as to
the state of British finances undoubt-
edly were retailed to the cabinet.
Equally frank admissions by even such
conservative newspapers as the London
Times that national finances needed
overhauling doubtless were not without
effect. Finally the publication of the
national economy report furnished q
convenient peg on which to hang q
reconsideration of the situation.
Yet with the best will in the world
1t Is not easy to see how this report
furnishes the basis, hitherto lacking,
on whitehall the parties can combine
In support of economy. OF the &c.,
600, 900 cut in government expenditure
which 1t recommended, E66, 600 900
pounds were to have been accounted
for by reducing the dole payments and
most of the remaining f33 900 900 by
reductions in teachers and policemen s
salaries. There is nothing to indicate
that Labor is any more willing to ac-
cept the dole reductions than 1t was
when on June the Daily Herald, the
party's official organ declared fatty:
Reductions in the rates of benefit are
simply unthinkable.'
The Conservative and Liberal parties
have even less reason to single out
teachers and policemen for wage cuts
than has Labor. There remains minor
departmental economies which any gov
eminent could enforce without diff
Guilty, and the possibility Of conversion
of the loan which would save 90, 900, :
900 pounds annually in the interest
charges.
Liberal Press Asks Bold Plan.
Whether or not he receives the Con-
sentative support, Macdonald win split
his own party If he tries to force un-
employment benefit reductions through
Parliament. On the other hand. the
Conservatives have far more than a
year agitated for tariffs as an essential
prelude to the further financial reform;
1t seems scarcely reasonable to assume
they will drop their most cherished
principle at the moment when their ad-
versaries are weakest.
The Liberal press calls on Premier
Macdonald to forget ~piecemeal econ
omy programs" and to put forth a bold
plan OF national regeneration--d details
Of the said plan left vague Unless the
premier can abandon his inherently
cautious mentality and fEy this. it seems
impossible to Acape the con6laasion that
support promised him for reasonable
measures of reform will be found want
ing on the ground that his proposals
are not reasonhble. For q definition Oh
''reasonableness" the Tories and tna
Liberals would presumably then refer
him to their previously published pro-
grams-and the political wheel would
have turned fun circle to It's previous
position.