USVI Public Records

Document text

lows in the other organizations. The companies “this “moraing continued to profess their ability to me2et the needs of the travziling pubiie to a considerab'e degree and said the strike must be of short duration.- However, Mr. Brom- ley, Secratary of the Associated Socie'y of .Firemen and Engineers, expressed the conviction that the strike could hold up8 perceat of the trafiic of the country in ‘a fortnight, which time be said would be long enough to prevent the companies from making profits, the avowed pum pose of his union. the organi- zation leaders have asserted that the ralway will lose more in.two wesks than tiey can make in five years The newspap rs roundly condemn the strike with tho -exeeption of- the Labourite Daily Herald, whieh although not sup- porting th2 movement seeks to detend the strikers against the: accusation of having been guiity of a breach es fzith. The strike was ordered afrer the englne- men had ;voted Joverwhelmingly against arcepting the. wage re-dadjustment de- cided upun by the Railway Wages Board. The men ‘contenced that the reductions authorized ware out ofall proporiion to the -eost of living. ~Last -minute a- - at mediation faitled and the strike order went forth at'midnight Sunday. London,- Jan, 21st--Ihe Conservative Government, headed by Mr. Baldwin, met defeat in the House of Commous to- night and for the first time in the history of England a Labour Goevernment will probably take office. The Labour amend- ment to the addressin reply to the speech from tne Threne, introduced in tiie House hy John Robert Clynes, Deputy Leuder of the Parliamentary Labour Party, on Jany. 17th was adopted by a vote of 38 to 256. Mr. Ramsay MeDonald, the La bour leador, himself moving closare, which was agreed to, The amendment reads, '‘But it-is cur duty respectfuily to submit to Your Majesty that Your Maj- esty present advisers have not the confi- dence of the House’’. The Labour Party had the support of Mr. Asquith, ex Pre- mier ani leader of the Liberals. Cnly 9 Liberals voted with th:§ Government a- gainst the Clynes amendment, The final scen2 had been made exciting by the en- ergetic attempts of 'a small minoriry chiefly on the {Conservative side tu get the debate carried on in- pursuarce of Mr. Winston Churchill’s suggestion ihat the House reeord its opposition to Social- » ists tenants, but clearly the great body of members was against this course. Seldom has a political event of foremost importance been enacted with so littie ex- citement, the only tense movements be- ing those when the tellers were counting the votes. There wasa crowed house with the galleries filled with Peers diplo- mais and ladies, but they had not come expecting any surprise or conflict but merely to see the obsequies performed according to previons = arrangements, ‘l'he ehief-figures in the debate were Mr. £ T LU rs Yo Baldwin and Mr. Ram=:ay» MacDonald, but the speeches were not emotional an'l evoked no bitterness,- I'oremost in all minds- was the fact that the Lab our Party takes up the responsi- bility of Government for the first time with a far-reaching railway strike on its hands. Strikes have been the most serious _tests of the authority and the tact of variousYeabinets. How the Labour Party will deal with this strike, whirh undoubtedly it would prefer not to hae > to deal with, and whether it will stand as champion of the railway en- gineers against the employers, furnished a situation as remarkable in polities as any of the series of remarkable eves's which have followed the downfall of Mr. Lloyd George’sC aiion Cibinet. Mr, Baldwin will present h s reiignation ‘o the King tomorrow aund the King will summon Mr. Ramsay Mac Donald to form a new Governpment, Both the Prime Minister and the prospective Prime Min- ister were cheered by their supporters. Mr. Baldwin speech took the sole blame for the protectionist policy which h be- lieved would solve the unemplhymeant problem. H 2 paid his respects to M. Asquith leader of the United Liberais, who had turnad the support of that Party to t e Labourites. By comparing Ve As- quith to an obstetrician about to brinz a eaild into the world, with the in-eation to smother 1t should it fail to meet s expectations, he deciared, I think in- fanticide is worse than saicide.”’ His Government, he said had been accused of committing suicide but he explained “‘there are worse crimes that suicide’’. He reviewe!l briefly the work done by his Government and ilts achievements and explained his advocacy ol pro.ezton, He had little to say of the Laibourites be- cause, as re expressed it, ne did not know whether Jacobins or Gironlins were com:ng, but hé was certain that Mr. Mac Donald would not be able to build up a Socialist State on ms saifting sands on about one fifth of the National vote. In conclusion, the Prime Minister predicted that the future lay be- tween the Conservative and the La- bour Parties and to ringinZz ministerial cheers he added, ‘‘do we look like a2 beaten party? We are ready to take up the challenge from any party whensoever and by whomsoever it is thrown down.”” In his general re- marks about -labour’s policy Mr. Maie- Donald declared that Sozialism had no Lard and fast dociriaoe. The organiza- tion that found an easy way to lay hand on capital to spand for any purpose ex- ‘cept specific economic purposes, in his belief was going tuo bankruptey. He was loudly cheered by hiS supporters when he accused thz Cinservatives of depreciating the prices of stocks by alarmist methods and concluded by claiming that it was his duty in the best interest of the nation and sound: poiicy to arraign the Government and ask™for a verdict against it. He promised (o vtilize ¢ s mapy of the Social-reforms the Conservatives had proposed in the speech from the Throne as he beheved in aud asserted that the great failure of ‘the Conservatives had been to deal unsuc- cessfully with reparations, The Labour amendment had been ecarried, a motion that the address iy reply to the speech from the Throne, with the amendment added, he acreed to. was carrvied 338 10 251. Mr. Baldwin tried to get a moticn voted that the House adjourn until Feb- ruary 12th but objections were: raised and afier rerewe excitement the speak- er said he was comprlied to yut the mo- tion that the House adiourn until tomor- row, which was agreed to. London, Jan. 22nd.—Mr. Baldwin shortly before noon today tendered the resignation of his ministry to the K ngd viced the Sovereig to send for Mr.J Ram say MacDonald The King accepted Mr. Ba'dwins’s advicre and summoned Mr. M:cDonald, the Labour Leader, for au audience at noon. Mr. Baldwin’s audience with the King came after a imeeting of the Cabinet. He remained in Bucking- ham Palace for forty minutes. Mr. Mac- Donald acecompanied by Me. J R, Clvnes, Deputy Leader of the Parliamentary Lau- bour Party and Mr. J. H. Thomas, ariv- ed at the Palace shortly before Mr. Ba (- win's audience was concluded. Mr. Mac- Donald’s audieace with the King lasted an hour. The King invited bip to form a Government and he accepted. : Londen, Jan. 22nd.--(Cabinet) The new Labour Cabinet was ofiieially an- nounced this afternoon, as follows. Kamsay Mac Donald, Premier and Secre- tary of Foreign Affairs. John Robert Ciynes, Lord Privy Seal, and Deputy Leader in the House o Commors. Lora Parmoor, Lerd President of the Council. Viscount Haldane, f.rd Chancellor, Philiip Snowden, Chancelior of the Ex chequer. Arthur Herderson, Secretary of Home Aftairs. J. L. Thomas, Secre- tary for the Colonies. Stephen Walsh, Secretary for War, Sir Sydoey Olivier, Head of the Indian Oflice. Brigadier- General Christopher Thompson, Air Min- istry. Viscount Chelmstord, IYirst Loyd of the Admiraltv. Siuney Webb, Pres:- dent of the Bosrd of 'lrade. John Wheatley, Minister of Hzalth., Noel Buxton, Minister of Agnriculture, Wil liatn Adamson, Secretary for Scotland. Capt. P. Trevelyan, President of the Board of Iducation. Thomas Shaw, Minister of Labour. Vernon Hartshorn, Postmaster-General, Colonel Josiah Wedg- wood. Chancellor for the Buchy of Lau- cashire. P. W. Jowett, Commissioner of Works. . ' Jack ~Suppose 1 teach "vou to play cards now, and then you'll - know a’l about it after we're married. Marie—Won't that pe lovely! What game will you teach me?: ‘ Jock—Solitiire.