OCR Text |
Show d'ti'tl'.!:, j. l:i r. :; i incr--", ? 1 run -:;!!.!: if.i;i. ii !.; j"T:! w:.:.-i ujin:t-'s tl-.'i L'r i:- i K ;r' !..:.; to to tV-vr.rti. !. , Tri':.r,-:i.Lus trn: :i s in wa:;j3 and re.it i".5.'n::! vi hibor Iinurs could no: be -o.-.-.:b' r obtained unless proI'JOtioa is incT'Li(:7 tho preiiucr warns the worker j and emplu ver, now at sixes and sevens in inda-striil disputes, j Ot.h r Torriinrnt utterances include an aj;"-al for 3uiiort for t lie league j of riaiiijns, and the statement that (.ir-'at Lritain is ready to lead in the I reduction of armaments. VnVss t It e l nations drop their pro-rata of unna-mt-!its, he asserts, the covenant on which rets the expectation of world peace will prove valueless. The British pre-micr pre-micr has unbounded confidence in the i possibilities of the peaee pact in saving ; the civilized nations from another cataclysm, cata-clysm, but he is not insensible of the 1 difficulties to be cleared away if the i covenant is to become an effective j barrier. Tho address, on the whole, is a re- , i minder that the transition from war j to peace is a more trying period than i that of war itself. A return to normal conditions immediately ia not possible. ! The processes of reconstruction neces-j neces-j sarily will be slow, in Great Britain, in j the United States and in the whole of J Christendom. Nothing can bo gained by not looking at this fact squaroly and calmly. The keenest experts everywhere aro nnablo to see the course Vhich future events will take. Until the world recovers in larger measure from its shell-shock, tho social and industrial in-dustrial situation will continue to confuse con-fuse the clearest minded. SITUATION IN ENGLAND. Premier Lloyd George's most recent commons speech was of a tenor completely com-pletely nt variance with the optimism which has marked the prime minister's public utterances in the past. His three-hour discussion of the problems confronting tho empire was perhaps the gloomiest his hearers have listened to since the great conflict cast its shadow over the world. Featuring the address was the candid admission that the United States was outstripping Great Britain in tho race for control of the world's markets. It was the first time in the empire's history that a prime minister was forced to such a confession. confes-sion. "In America," Lloyd George told the commons, "wages are higher, hours of labor are no longer and the labor cost in proportion to tho articles produced pro-duced is less. This being the case, competition com-petition is impossible. Xo tariff will remedy this." Almost in the same breath the premier pre-mier declared that "we cannot prosper, we cannot even exist, without recovering recover-ing our international trade. AVo must bring up tho trade balance," which he pointed out was now four billions of dollars against tlie United kingdom. Two concrete measures to meet the undoubted crisis in Britain's affairs wero proposed. The 60-called Sankey commission plan for the nationalisation of tho coal mining industry is rejected, but there will be purchases of tho mineral min-eral rights in coal and a unification and reorganization of the coal industry. The restriction in importations also will be lifted as a remedy, powers being given to the British board of trade to prevent pre-vent "dumping." The government will aid the "key" industries and proposes pro-poses to guard against sudden and large importations. The premier has made an appeal to the all-powerful instinct of self-preservation in addressing himself to the British Brit-ish workers. He tells them that they havo been slacking in production, but his reproach in this particular he makes apply with equal force to the British employers. Both capital and labor, he declares, must work for increased pro- |