THE TABLET November 8th, 1958. VOL. 212, No. 6181

TH E TABLET

A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER’& REVIEW

Published as a Newspaper

Pro Ecclesia Dei, Pro Regina et Patria

FOUNDED IN 18 40 NOVEMBER 8th, 195 8

NINEPENCE

Britain and u The Six’ I Retaliation against the Common M arket?

The New Pontificate: The End of the Sede Vacante. By Douglas Woodruff

How many Popes Have there Been?: A Question of Numbering. By J. J. Dwyer

Venice l npreserv d : Where the Pope was Patriarch. By W. A. Purdy

Along the Road to Frome: IV. The Reason Why. By Christopher Hollis

The Montgomery Legend: The Field-M arshal’s Memoirs. By Desmond Fitzgerald

Human Relations in industry: A Statement by the Bishop of Shrewsbury

Critics’ Columns : Notebook : Book Reviews : Letters : Chess

BOOSTING EMPLOYMENT

J^EMOCRATIC successes in the mid-term elections in the United States were generally expected ; these were elections that usually go against the Administration ; and it had been predicted by those whose business it is to predict the course of opinion that the Democratic gains would this time be on a substantial scale. The chief surprise was the size of the poll, suggesting that such recession as there has been, and the uneasy apprehension that it is by no means over, have had greater political consequences than had been thought; for a large poll points to strong feelings, and it is at home rather than abroad that feelings are centred in mid-term. There were Democratic majorities in both Houses of Congress already, and the main interest has been centred on the thirty-two State Governorships that were at issue ; but it has come to seem more than ever unlikely that another Republican will succeed Mr. Eisenhower in 1960.

Strength has been added in this country to the view that there may be a General Election next May by the striking and appealing measures outlined in rapid succession since the new parliamentary session began, with the removal of restrictions on hire purchase, the announcement of public investment to the tune of £150 millions to increase employment, and the acceptance by the Government of most of the recommendations of Sir James Grigg’s Advisory Committee on Recruiting, with immediate increases in Service pensions and the promise of a review of pay and pensions in alternate years henceforward, together with many minor alleviations of life in the Army and the repeated assurance from the Minister of Defence that it is expected to end National Service in 1962. This makes good electoral hearing; as, despite the misgivings of The Times, does the rest of the recent news, about consumer goods and pension schemes.

We write on another page about the gloomy outlook for the free trade area for Western Europe, which at one time during the recess looked like coming. Only two months now remain before the Common Market without Great Britain is due to begin. One of the basic reasons why the Government is able to do so well is that import prices have fallen so much. That is the main reason for the big and welcome surplus in overseas trading. But one of the most menacing clouds is here, for it is yet to be seen what effect the diminished incomes of the countries from which we buy these cheaper imports will have on our own export sales. It has not been felt yet, and it cannot be negligible, and the Chancellor has changed, abruptly enough, the direction of Government pressures and inducements. Instead of trying to curb the home market for the sake of exports, he is trying to stimulate consumption at home, and encouraging investment in capital goods here. He is running the risk that the relative stability of prices will be lost, and running it in order to keep unemployment down.

Mr. Macmillan spoke very courageously and plainly to the cotton industry at Harrogate, telling them they must take a very large view ; that it is no good the Western world setting out to raise the standard of living in Asia by providing factories and mills, if the products of those factories are then shut out from the wealthier markets. The broad picture of the future is that Asia will produce more and more of the cheap goods, and that for Lancashire quality goods there will be an expanding market as the standard of living rises everywhere. This is part of the cold war in Asia, where we obviously have to consider not only Commonwealth countries, but the Japanese and other peoples who are not in the Commonwealth, but who have just the same necessities.