Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-03
ECONOMY
HURTING PARLEYS
Postponement Of London Z
Power Conference and
Arms Meeting Seen.
BY Gable to The Star.

! By Gable to The Star.
LONDON. England, September s.
money talks"-and for that reason the
British do not want to be called on to
say very much for some time at inter-
| national conference tables.
The present government intends to
maintain an inactive foreign policy.
Conferences will be shelved to allow full
time for the economy Job.
This means that there Is virtually no
chance this year Of reaSsembling the
London Seven-Power Conference. In
all probability Britain will willingly
| acquiesce to postponement OF the 1882
Disarmament Conference.
Lord Readings inability to attend the
Geneva meetings will doubtless lead to
| a postponement of controversial political
issues on the agenda of this session OF
| the League of Nations.
This in effect gives France q free
hand in the European political maneuv-
ering ground for the Winter season.
| For which the Poles are thankful-and
| the Ukrainian minority'S London rep
resentative tells me that he Is ready to
jump into the Thames.
This morning a full-dress cabinet
| held a vital meeting on the economy
plan. Economies, part consisting OF
cuts in services and salaries, have al
ready been decided upon. Today's cabi-
net Is considering financial proposals in
| volving taxation which its own sub
committee reported upon, in order TO
| decide which measures shall be placed
| before Parliament.
At the present moment this is the
| real position, and any suggestion to the
contrary-such as that Great Britain is
facing a relationships mere flight
Of fancy. AS a matter of strict accuracy,
no definite decisions have yet been
reached by the cabinet either regarding
| the date Of the reassembling OF Parlia-
ment or the procedure.
AS to the date, September 8. is still
| hoped for If that cannot be obtained 1t
will be chiefly due to the sheer physical
! difficulties of the cabinet craftsmen,
confronted with the necessity to frame
conclusions in the legal form required
| for the statute books.
| The government is adamnant on
! generality of burdens" on all sections
i Of the community. The economies fell
particularly heavily on certain usually
lower classification hits the high.
The economy side of the program has,
in fact, been completed by cabinet sub
committees working late last night. 1t
cannot be announced. however, for fear
that half-trigger critics will jump at
conclusions alarming those sections OF
the community singled out for financial
/ persecution.
The taxation program cannot be an
nounced because that would be like a
fighter telling his opponent beforehand
where he was going to hit him.
Budget and taxation proposals in
| Great Britain have always been SYM
| onymous with absolute secrecy-alwayS
accompanied by statutory measures
making them instantly applicable.
| This crisis of new taxation is prob
ably going to produce commodity taxa
| tion-perhapS on tobacco and beer.
There will be no announcement of the
economy program details until Parlia-
ment meets. At that time it is quite
likely that it will be presented as lone
big bill" Every member of Parliament
| will thus be faced with showdown,
| both as a man, and loyal English
man, to take his stand
| On an actual showdown vote the
government is sure of safe majority
Of 40.
| 1t is quite likely that the govern
ment will be laid open to the charge OF
"railrcading" and a timetable will
accompany the one big bill, thus ruling
| out lengthy obStructionism.
The solution of this crisis will prob
| ably be the simple one of making each
member Of Parliament face the country
on a straight parliamentary vote. The
] British middle class are the last people
| on earth to take any dictatorship lying
down.
| Copyright, 1919