Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-03-27

! - v lSI.OI
these large matters, which year
ago told you might be accomplished
after war was over, have already
been shaped and framed and pre-
sented to Parliament and the public
Education Scheme Developed.
For instance, you have the greatest
scheme for improved education that
has even been attempted by a re-
sponsible government. This will soor
be on the statute book. 1t involves
heavy cost upon the state but
don't think we can maintain our po-
sition in the postwar world unless
we are an exceptionally well-educat-
ed people and unless we can handle
easily and with comprehension the
problems and inventions of the new
scientific age.
Then there is the very far-reach-
ing policy of the national health
service which already has been laid
before Parliament in outline and
received with a considerable meas
ure of acceptance.
Before this session is out we shall
lay before you our proposals about
the extensions of national insurance
upon which vast amount of pa
tient work has been done.
So here you have or will have
very shortly three of the important
measures which I though would be
put off until after the war period
fashioned and proclaimed at time
when no one can tell when the war
will end, and all this has been done
without relaxing the war effort or
of causing any party strife to mar
the national unity. But there are
several other large problems upon
which the ministers and their as
sistants have toiled and wrought
and which are far advanced. And
indeed, if this process continues and
war goes on long enough a greater
part of my four-year plan may very
we'll be perfected and largely in
operation before we reach general
Eclectic nand give the people chance
to say what they think about it.
Wo0ltOn Given Post.
Now I must say that one might
have expected His Majesty's gov
eminent would receive many COM
pliments upon the remarkable prog
ress they have made not only with
the war but with the preparation
for the social domestic welfare at
the arnistice or peace.
Last October I thought the time
had come to ask the King to ap-
point Lord Woolton to be Minister
of Reconstruction with a seat in
the war cabinet. His was record
which rightly commanded respect
However. there is a large number of
respectable and even eminent peo-
pie who are not at all burdened with
responsibility who have at best a
lot of leisure on their hands and
who feel quite sincerely that the
best work they can do at the present
time of hard effort and anxiety is
to belabor the government with
criticism and condemn them as I'M
profitable servants because they are
not, in the midst of this deadly
struggle, ready at any lloment to
produce foolproof solutions for the
whole future world as between ma
ton and nation, as between Victors
and vanquished, as between man
and man, as between capital and
labor, as between the state and in
dividual and so forth and so on.
The harshest language is used
and this national government which
has led the nation and the empire
and, as I hold, large part of the
world, out of mortal danger. through
the dark valleys into which they
had wandered largely through their
own folly, back onto the broad up
lands where the stars of peace ano
freedom shine, is reviled as a set
of dawdlers and muddlers unable
to frame a policy or take a decision
or make plan and act upon it.
Administration Saved Britain.
I know you will not forget that
this administration, formed in ar
hour of disaster by Conservative
Labor and Liberal leaders in gooc
faith and good will, has brought
Britain out of the jaws of death
back from the mouth of hell, while
all the world wondered. 1 know
you will not forget that.
There are two subjects of domes-
tic policy mentioned last year or
which we have not produced ar
account of action. This first is
housing. We set before ourselves
the provision of homes for all who
need them with priority for serv-
icemen. as and when they come
home from the war. Let me first
lay down an absolute rule-nothine
can be done which by weakening
or clogging the war effort prolongs
1.-THE war. Nothing can in any way