The Case of the Special Areas The speech made by
Mr. Muirhead, the Parliamentary 8eeretary to the Ministry of Labour, at the Conservative Party Conference on the subject of the depressed areas Was disappointingly out of tune with the spirit of the iesolution unanimously adopted. Mr. Muirhead repeated the now discredited argument that the prosperity of the Special Areas depended on the prosperity of the country as a whole. On the contrary, their sufferings date from long before the trade slump, and there is .nothing to show that they will be ended with general trade revival unless something is done far more drastic than the Minor palliatives applied, since the Special Commissioner vas appointed,' The settling of a few hundred people on the land, the transference of workers to other areas, and the promotion of a few amenities. are not enough to meet the problein. In the long run nothing Will suffice but, the revival of industry, through direct: Stimulation, on the spot.. The Prime Minister indicated that new measures would be ready to present to Parlia, Meat when it reassembled. They will be as rigorously Scrutinised by Conservatives as by the Opposition.
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