Evening star., 1931-11-29
British Ministry Already
BesetWith Grave Troubles
BY A. G. GARDINER.

LONDON, November 2S.-The frst
fine, careless rapture consequent on the
victory of the National government has
passed and already the question is being
asked: How long can Premier MacDon-
aid hold his heterogeneous ministry to-
gether?
Causes Of discomfort are accumulat-
ing In formidable fashion and the ex-
pectationS that the new government
would create an improved outlook are
being rapidly dissipated under a success
sion Of disappointments.
The slight boom in trade caused by
England'S abandonment of the gold
standard shows signs of exhaustion,
and a further serious decline in the
exchange value Of the pound sterling
has deepened the depression in regard
to the future. This feeling is empha-
sized by the imminent lapse of the
"standstill' agreement with Germany
and Premier Laval's speech indicating
unabated tnsistence by France on the
superior sanctity of the unconditional
portion OF reparations payments over
the short-term commercial credits to
Germany, the renewal Of which Is the
only safeguard against the financial
collapse Of that country.
X X \ X
Nor has the course Of events in Man.
churia and India fa4ied to react un-
favorably on the prestige of the Mac
Donald government. The Indian round
table conference is reaching a close
with a sense of failure to achieve the
OBJECT Tor which 1t was summoned. It is
unfair to charge the government with
responsibility for the failure. which is
mainly due to the complete breakdown
of the negotiations between the Hindus
and MoSlemS on the question of Sepa-
rate celebrates and the irreconcilable
attitude Of Mahatma Gandhi through
out the conference.
But the inability Of the Indians to
agree on the fundamental principles of
the proposed constitution leaves the
government between the croSSf1res Of the
opposing camps. The opponents of a
grant OF federal constitution, under
the leadership Of Winston Churchill,
urge that, the Indians having failed to
agree, the government should withdraw
the offer and fall back on the Simon re-
ports scheme of provincial autonomy.
The Indians, disagreeing on everything
else, are agreed in demanding fulfill
ment OF Lord Irwin'S policy. Gandhi,
whom no terms satisfy, announced to
the conference Thursday his intention
to return to India for the purpose of
making government impossible.
Meanwhile, the reign Of terror in
Bengal assumes an alarming character
and Lord Lothian, undersecretary of
state for India, stated in the House of
Lords that the whole official class in
Bengal is performing in daily peril of
assassination. Several magistrates have
been killed and outrages in recent
months number over a hundred.
Liberal opinion is emphatic that the
government must disregard the failure
OF the Hindus and Moslems to reach an
agreement and proceed with the full
hllrnent Of its policy.
Equally disturbing is the sense Of fail
ure OF the League of Nations to exercise
authority in the Manchurian dispute.
In this connection it is felt that the
American Government shares RESPONSE
bility for the weakness in the face of a
contemptuous breach of the League COW
enant, the Kellogg anti-war pact, and
the Washington nine-power treaty by
one OF the signatories to all three.
\ \ X X
In League circles here it is felt that
the League has sustained deadly blow
to its prestige which will inevitably
prejudice the prospects of the forth
coming disarmament conference, and
the jingo press in London, still more
than that of Paris, which is always hos
tile to the League, openly justifes the
recalcitrancy of Japan. Indeed, one
important Paris journal commits itself
to the view that the Japanese army is
the guardian of peace in the Far East,
as the French army is the guardian of
peace in Europe. So soon is the lesson
Of Prussian militarism forgotten.
But 1t is on domestic policy that the
Macdonald government Is most vlilner-
able. The cabinet is composed equally
Of free traders and protectionistS, but
the House of Commons is overwhelm-
ingly protectionist and is forcing the
hand of the government. The impoSi-
ton of so per cent tariff on certain
manufactured imports has been fol-
lowed this week by the proposed en-
forcement Of the use Of quota of Brit
ish wheat by the millers and taxes on
certain early flowers and vegetables
from the continent. The proposals are
trivial in themselves. but are Important
as indicating the approach of struggle
for protection including food taxes,
which threatens to wreck the govern
ment.
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