Evening star., 1947-08-11
|Laborites Back
Deferriing Steel
AttIee Wins by Only
Four Votes in Caucus
As 100 Abstain
BY the Assoeiofsd Press

LONDON. Aug. II. Labor
Party members of Parliament
voted approval today to a de-
cision by Prime Minister Attlee
and his cabinet to defer nation
alization of the steel industry,
perhaps for the duration of
Britain's ecopomic crisis.
A Socialist informant said more
than 100 Laborites abstained from
voting at the party caucus. Mr..
Attlee's margin of victory was only
four votes-81 to II. This action
forced recalcitrant members to
withdraw a resolution calling on the
government to undertake the steel
program at the next session of
Parliament, opening in October.
Labor Party left-wingers have been
attacking Mr.. Attlee on the ground
this crisis program was too little
and too late" and his leadership
was uninspiring.
One faction at the party caucus
called for immediate RESUMPTION of
trade negotiations with Russia. Sir
Stafford Cripps, president of the
Board OF Trade, replied that the
next move was up to the Russians,
Socialist sources reported after the
secret meeting. The trade talks broke
down recently when Britain refused
to ease the repayment of wartime
credit to Moscow.
Other Laborites called for cuts in
the armed forces more drastic than
Mr.. Attlee has projected.
Won't Be Abandoned.
Members of the government said
everything possible was being done
to reduce the army, navy and air
force.
On the steel issue, government
spokesman told the caucus there
was no intention to abandon an
election promise to nationalize the
mills. They insisted, however, the
cabinet should be free to choose an
appropriate time.
Some London newspapers reported
earlier that Aneurin Bevan had
threatened to resign as minister Of
health if the government abandoned
plans to nationalize iron and steel
works.
Later the governments "crisis
bi]l' was to come up for final action
in the House of Commons and Con-
servatives were ready to push SER
les of crippling amendments to the
measure, which war Prime Minister
Winston Churchill last week called
"a blank check for totalitarianism." +"
The bill would strengthen and ex-
tend government authority, held
over from the war, to channel labor
into essential industries, take hand
in industries deemed ipefficient and
otherwise work for a sounder econ
omy based on bigger export trade.
Introduced last Tuesday, it passed
first and second readings during the
week.
Pleads for National Effort.
In broadcast address to the peo-
pie, Mr.. Attlee last night gave what
he said was the reason for intrcduc-
ton of the bill.
II believe" he said, "that nearly
all will willingly put their shoulders
to the wheel, but there may be some
who will not. The government
is determined that nothing shall
stand in the way of our recovery"
He said that the bill, while 1t
gives no greater powers than were
given to the present government in
1945, enables them to be applied to
the present crisis"
He described that crisis as "a
situation as serious as any that has
faced us in our long history and
pleaded for "a national effort
comparable to that which we de-
veloped during the war"
Mr.. Attic declared that the Brit
ish must rely entirely on our own
resources" and that the burden
would fall equally on all classes.
1--WE cannot rest upon the help
which our fellow members Of the
commonwealth have been and are
giving so generously" he said, land
even though plans may be put for
ward by our friends in America to
help bring prosperity back to Eu-
rope, we must stand on our own
feet.
Crisis in Party Leadership.
eve must regain our economic
freedom and get into a position in
which we pay for all we need by our
own exertions."
Britain currently Is getting along
on Q $3,75O, 1000, 900 American loan
which, If she keeps on using 1t up at
the present rate, Is expected to be
exhausted this year.
Mr.. Attlee, in a vein similar to
that of his House Of Commons
speech last Wednesday, told his radio
(See BRITAIN, Page A-6)