At the Labour Party Conference on Tuesday Mr. Ramsay MacDonald's
speech was remarkable for its invective against both the Liberal Party and the Com- munists. The Unionists by comparison were treated with something like a declaration of sympathy. He recalled the events which had led up to the acceptance of office by Labour. In the circumstances the Labour Government knew that they would be unable to do things which they wanted to do. They had boldly to face "a little disap- pointment" amongst their own people. Some of their work had "frankly been patchwork." They had in- herited impediments from their predecessors, but in spite of all the disadvantages under which they had worked he • claimed that no Government had done more than the Labour Government to alleviate unemployment. So with housing—the combination of Capital and Labour which took the form of organizing the whole building trade for the service of the community was " the most promising industrial development that had taken place under any Government within recent years." He regarded the possibilities of Mr. Wheatley's plan as unlimited. This surely was a very interesting and significant declaration. In asking in effect for such combinations of Capital and Labour in other industries Mr. Ramsay MacDonald seemed to be pushing further away any programme of nationalization.
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