20 MAY 1926
It is understood that the Executive of the Miners’ Federation have decided to recommend the delegate conference to-day to endorse the reorganisation proposals in the report of the Royal Commission, but to reject the immediate wage reduction implications in the Government’s proposals and the report of the Commission.
The Secretary for India, in reply to Lord Olivier in the House of Lords, made a statement with regard to the conference agreed upon by the Governments of South Africa and India for the discussion and, if possible, amicable solution of problems connected with the colour bar legislation of the first-named Government.
The House of Commons discussed the Finance Bill on the motion for second reading. Mr William Graham moved the rejection of the Bill. He urged that greater attention should be paid to Income-tax evasion, suggested that £15,000,000 could be saved in three years on armaments by overhead cuts on the three Departments concerned, and that the task of relating finance year by year to financial and industrial conditions might be delegated to a body representative of the House. The debate was adjourned.
Statements said to have been made by Zinoviev, Radek, Trotsky, and other Russian members of the Soviet Government, that the general strike in Britain was political, and an important stage towards the Communist revolution, and that contributions from Russian workmen would enable the lie to be given to the denial of the British Labour leaders that it had a political complexion, formed the subject of questions in the House of Commons.
In reply to questions in Parliament, the Secretary for Foreign Affairs said his attention had been called to the fact that three British subjects had been sentenced to imprisonment on charges of espionage in France. He laid stress on the denial issued by Lord Crewe, on instructions from His Majesty’s Government, when the accused were arrested in December. He had not seen a report of the trial, but he had no reason to suppose that the judgment of the tribunal indicated any doubt of the truth of the statements by His Majesty’s Government.
Their Majesties the King and Queen have found it necessary to cancel their projected visit to Edinburgh.
Publication of the King’s Birthday Honours List is postponed until the 3rd of July.