Evening star., 1943-03-22
By the Associated Press.

who have made kind inquiries
about me during my recent i'll
ness. Although for weeks l had
had a fairly stiff dose of fever
which, but for modern science,
might have had awkward conse-
quences, I wish to make it clear
that l never for a moment had
to relinquish the responsible di-
rection of affairs, I followed at
tentively all the time what was
happening in Parliament and the
lively discussions on our home
affairs when peace comes.
1t was very clear to me that a
good many people were so much
impressed by the favorable turn
in our fortunes which has marked
the last six months that they
have jumped to the conclusion
that the war will soon be over
and that we shall all be able to
get back to the politics and party
fights of peacetime.
l am not able to share these
sanguine hopes and my earnest
advice to you is to concentrate
even more zealously upon the
war effort and if possible not to
take your eye off the ball even
for a moment. If tonight I turn
aside from the course Of war and
deal with some postwar and do
mestic issues it is only because
I hope that by so doing l may
simplify and modify political di-
vergencies and enable all our po-
litical forces to march forward
to the main obiectives in unity
and so far as possible in step.
Must Not Bend Selves
To Future Conditions.
First of all we must beware of
attempts to overpersuade or
even coerce his majesty's govern
ment to bind themselves or their
unknown successors in conditions
which no one can foresee and
which may be years ahead, to
impose great new expenditures on
the state without any relation to
circumstances which might pre-
vail at that time and to make
them pledge themselves to par
ticular schemes without relation
to other extremely important
aspects of our postwar needs.
The business of proposing ex-
penditure rests ultimately with
the responsible government of
the day and it is their duty and
their duty alone to propose to
Parliament any new charges
upon the public and also propose
the annual budgets the means
OF raising necessary funds.
The world Is coming increas-
ingly to admire our British par
Iamentary system and ideas.
1t Is contrary to those ideas that
the ministers or members should
become pledgebound delegates.
They are band of men who un-
dertake certain honorable duties
and they would be dishonored if
they allowed their right and duty
to serve the public as we'll as pos
slble on any given occasion to be
prejudiced by enforced prema-
ture contraction of obligations.
Nothing would be easier for me
than to make any number of
promises and get an immediate
response of cheap cheers and
glowing articles. I am not in any
need to go about making promises
In order to win political support
or to be allowed to continue in
ONCE. 1t was on a grim and
bleak basis that I undertook my
present task and on that basis I
have been given loyalty and sup
port such as no Prime Minister
has ever received.
l cannot express my feeling of
gratitude to the nation for their
Kindness to me and for the trust
and confidence they have placed
In me during the long dark and
disappointing periods.
am absolutely determined not
to falsify or mock that confidence
by making promises without re-
gard to whether they can be per-
formed or not. At any time of
life have no personal ambitions
or future to provide for. And !
feel l can truthfully say that I
only wish to do my duty by the
whole mass of the nation and of
the British Empire as long as I
am thought to be of any use for
that.
Resolved Not to Give
All Kinds of Promises.
Therefore I tell you round your
f1replaces that I am resolved not
to give or to make all kinds of
promises and tell all kinds of
failytaleS to you who have trusted
me and gone with me so far and
marched through the valley OF
shadow till we have reached the
upland regions on which we now
stand with firmly planted feet.
However, it is our duty to peer
through the mists of the future
TO the end of the war and to try
Our utmost to be prepared by
ceaseless effort and forethought
for the kind of situations which
are likely to occur. Speaking un-
der every reserve and not at
tempting to prophesy, l can
imagine that some time next
year-but it may well be the year
after-we might beat Hitler. BY
which l mean beat him and his
powers of evil into death. dust