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DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT) .
COPY NO
CRET.
C A B I N E T
6 (26).
Meeting of the Cabinet to be held at 10, Downing Street,
S . W . ( l ) . , on Wednesday, February 17th, 1926, at 11.30 A.M.
AGENDA.
1. FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
(a) The Council of the League of Nations.
(Reference Cabinet 4 (26) Conclusion 1 ) .
Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs.
( C P . 40 (26)
already circulated),
(b) Iraq.
(To be raised by Seoretary of State for
Foreign AfTaIrs.1
2. PROCEEDINGS OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS AT THE END OF A SESSION.
Memorandum by the Lord Privy Seal.
( C P . 538 (25)
already circulated).
3* SAFEGUARDING OF INDUSTRIES.
(i)
Iron and Steel Application.
(Reference Cabinet 2 (26) Conclusion 8 ) .
Memorandum by the Minister of Agriculture and
Fisheries.
( C P . 48 (26) already circulated).
Memorandum by the President of the Board of Trade.
( C P . 67 (26) already circulated).
( l i ) The Linen Industry Application.
Memorandum by the President of the Board of Trade.
( C P . 61 (26) already circulated).
4. ENEMY DEBTS - DISTRIBUTION IN BRITISH EMPIRE OF CLEARING
HOUSE MONEYS.
(To be raised by the Chancellor of the Exchequer)*
5. LEASEHOLD ENFRANCHISEMENT.
(Reference Cabinet 1 (26) Conclusion 1 ) .
Memorandum by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
(C.P. 1 (26)
already circulated).
Memorandum by the Lord Privy Seal,
( C P , 52 (26) already circulated).
(See also Item 8 ( c ) b e l o w ) .
-1
6. RE-ELECTION OF MINISTERS ACT (1919) AMENDMENT BILL. 1926..
(Reference Cabinet 4 (26) Conclusion 2 ) .
Memorandum by the Home Secretary.
( C P . 68 (26)
to be circulated).
7. EMPIRE MARKETING.
(IF READY).
(Reference Cabinet 3 (26) Conclusion 11).
Report of Cabinet Committee.
( C P . 60 (26)
to be circulated).
8. PRIVATE MEMBERS BILLS DOWN FOR FRIDAY, 19TH FEBRUARY. 1926*
(To be raised by the Prime Minister).
(a) Criminal Justice (Increase of Penalties) B i l l .
(b) Allotments (Scotland) B i l l ,
(c) Town Tenants B i l l (See also, Leasehold Enfranchise
ment,Item 5 above).
9. HOME AFFAIRS COMMITTEE.
Consideration of Recommendations of Meeting of
Home Affairs Committee held on February 15th, 1926.
(H.A.C. 2nd Conclusions (26) - to be circulated).
TO TAKE NOTE OF : ­
10. NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE IMAM OF THE YEMEN.
Memorandum by the Secretary of State for the Colonies.
( C P . 51 (28)
already circulated).
(Sd.) M.P.A. HANKEY,
Secretary, Cabinet.
2 Whitehall Gardens, S.W.(1).
,16th February, 1926.
:
pprnMWNT
IS THE PH0P333PY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT).
COPY NO o
C A B I N E T
6(26)
CONCLUSIONS of a Meeting of the Cabinet held at
10, Downing Street, S.W.I., on WEDNESDAY,
FEBRUARY 17th, 1926, at 11.30 A.M.
PRESENT:The Right Hon. Stanley Baldwin, M.P.,
(In the Chair).
Prime Minister.
Right Hon.
Sir Austen Chamberlain, ICG.,
. P . , Secretary of State for
"oreign Affairs.
The Right Eon.
Viscount Cave, G.C.M.G.,
Lord Chancellor.
Most Hon.
The Right Hon.
W.S. Churchill, C.H..M.P.,
Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Right Hon.
Sir William Joynson-Hioks,
Bt.,M.P., Secretary of
State for Home A f f a i r s .
The Right Hon.
£.3. Amery, M.P., Secretary
of State for Dominion Affairs
and Secretary of State for
the Colonies.
Eight Hon.
ir Laming Worthington-Evans,
t.,G.B.E.,M.P., Secretary
f State for War.
The Bight Hon.
Sir Samuel Hoare, B t . , C M . G . ,
M.P., Secretary of State
for Air.
f
The Marquess of Salisbury,
,G.,G.0.V.O. . C . B . , .
lord Privy Seal,
Right Hon.
ir Philip Cunliffe-Lister,
.B.E. .M.C. ,M.P., President
of the Board of Trade.
The Right Hon.
Neville Chamberlain, M.P.,
Minister of Health.
Right Hon.
H. Guinness, D.S.0..M.P.,
inister of Agriculture and
isheries.
The Sight Hon.
Sir John Gilmour, Bt.,D.S.O.,
M.P., Sooretary for Scotland.
Eight Hon.
ord Eustaoe Percy, M.P.,
resident of the Board of
ducat ion.
The Right Hon..
Sir Arthur Steel-Maitland,Bt.,
M.P., Minister of Labour.
Right Hon.
iscount Cecil of Chelwood, K.C.,
hancellor of the Duchy of
ancestor.
The Sight Hon..
Sir Douglas Hogg, K.C..M.P.-,
At t o rney-Gene r a l .
1. The a t t e n t i o n of the Cabinet was drawn to the
l a r g e increase i n the Vote of the Stationery
Office,
as revealed in a recent Debate i n the House o f
Commons on a Supplementary Estimate,- and in this
connection the Home Secretary informed the Cabinet
that he had received a corornand from the King that
His Majesty did not. expect l e t t e r s from Ministers and
Departments to be written on double sheets of
m
POLICY" IN
IRAQ,.
(previous
Reference:
Cabinet 3
(26), Conelusion 10.)
2.
The Secretary
State for Foreign A f f a i r e
informed his colleagues that he had Just given
instructions
for the c i r c u l a t i o n o f despatches
from, the B r i t i s h Ambassador in Turkey giving
particulars as to the generally a n t i - f o r e i g n
attitude
of the Turkish Government, as revealed by t h e i r
p o l i c y towards such matters as trade regulations,
the employment o f non-Moslems, schools, e t c .
In the course of a short discussion the
Cabinet were informed that, when the subject had last
been discussed at the Committee of Imperial Defence,
the representatives of the Admiralty had indicated
that in e x i s t i n g conditions the Navy could probably
not be r e l i e d on to bring e f f e c t i v e pressure to bear
upon Turkey.
At the request of the Secretary of S t a t e , the
Cabinet agreed —
That a Cabinet Committee, composed
as follows —
The Secretary of State for Foreign
A f f a i r s ( I n the C h a i r ) ,
The Lord Privy S e a l ,
The Secretary of State f o r the Colonies,
The Secretary of State for War,
The Secretary of State f o r A i r ,
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster,
A nominee of the Secretary of State for
India —
should meet to advise the Cabinet upon
the instructions to be given to the
B r i t i s h Ambassador in Constantinople
f o r h i s guidance in negotiations with
' Turkey.
/
2.
The Secretary of State f o r Foreign A f f a i r s
informed h i s colleagues that he had Just given
i n s t r u c t i o n s f o r the c i r c u l a t i o n o f
despatches
from the B r i t i s h Ambassador i n Turkey giving
particulars
as t o the g e n e r a l l y a n t i - f o r e i g n
attitude
of the Turkish Government, as r e v e a l e d by t h e i r
p o l i c y towards such matters as trade r e g u l a t i o n s ,
the employment o f non-Moslems, s c h o o l s , e t c .
In the course of a short discussion the
Cabinet were informed t h a t , when the subject had l a s t
been discussed at the Committee o f Imperial Defence,
the r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s of the Admiralty had indicated
that i n e x i s t i n g conditions the Wavy could probably
not be r e l i e d on to bring e f f e c t i v e pressure to bear
upon Turkey .
At the request o f the Secretary of S t a t e , the
Cabinet agreed —
That a Cabinet Committee, composed
as f o l l o w s —
The Secretary of State f o r Foreign
A f f a i r s ( I n the C h a i r ) ,
The Lord P r i v y S e a l ,
The Secretary o f State f o r the Colonies,
The Secretary o f State for War,
The Secretary of State f o r A i r ,
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster,
A nominee"" of the Secretary of State for
India —
1
should meet to advise the Cabinet upon
t h - i n s t r u c t i o n s to be g i v e n to the
B r i t i s h Ambassador in Constantinople
f o r h i s giiidance i n negotiations with
Turkey.
THE COUNCIL
OP THE LEAGUE
OP NATIONS .
previous
Reference:
Cabinet 4
(86) Con­
clusion "1.)
3, The Cabinet had before them a Memorandum, by
the Secretary
of State f o r Foreign A f f a i r s
in
regard to the claim o f Poland and other Powers to
become Permanent Members of the Council o f the
League o f Nations on the occasion o f Germany's
entry i n t o the League and i n c l u s i o n among the
Permanent Members o f the Council (Paper
(26)).
CP,-40
In a d d i t i o n , despatches from S i r Austen
Chamberlain to the Marquess o f Crewe (dated
February 16, 1926) and t o Lord D'Abernon (dated
February 15, 1926) i n regard t o German representa­
t i o n s on the s u b j e c t , were handed round during the
Meeting,
The Secretary of State f o r Foreign A f f a i r s
l a i d before his colleagues the reasons f o r and
against both an increase i n the s i z e of the Council
and the claims o f p a r t i c u l a r nations to
receive
permanent membership o f the Council.
A discussion followed,
a f t e r which the ques­
t i o n was adjourned to a future Meeting.
(NOTE. A summary of the above d i s c u s s i o n ,
o o r r e c t e d by the Ministers who
took a prominent part t h e r e i n ,
i s on record i n the Cabinet O f f i c e ,
and"- is at the disposal of any
M i n i s t e r who may wish to consult i t . )
^ This Document i s the Property of His Britannic
M a j e s t y ' s Goverrunent. i
-
S E
C 3 D T ­
.CABIJLBg 6 I 26)
BA.
HO Til 3Y THE SEOltSTARY.
At. the request of the Secretary of State f o r Foreign
Affairs,
the attached Conclusion was not c i r c u l a t e d
the Cabinet,
a shorter note being c i r c u l a t e d ,
of which was a note t o the e f f e c t
to
at the end
that a f u l l e r
record
of the Meeting was a v a i l a b l e in the charge of the
Secretary.
The attached Conclusion has been c a r e f u l l y
by the Secretary of State f o r Foreign A f f a i r s
corrected
and the
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who took the most
prominent parts in the d i s c u s s i o n .
At the roquost of the S e c r e t a r i e s of State
Foreign A f f a i r s
for
and f o r the Dominions, a copy of
this
Conclusion was sent to Mr Harding, of the Dominions
Office,
to a s s i s t him in d r a f t i n g a telegram to the
Dominions on the subject of the Council of the League
of i-Sationa.
The above procedure has been approved by the Prime
Minister.
Whitehall Gardens, S.W.I.
February 18th, 19 26.
( SignedJ M.P.A. HABKJsiY.
CABIN-ST
3.A*
6 (26)..
The Cabinet had before thorn a Memorandum by
the Secretary of State f o r Foreign A f f a i r s
in regard
to the claim of Poland and other Powers to become
Permanent Members of the Council of the League of
Nations on the occasion of Germany'a entry into the
I League and inclusion among tho Permanent Members of
the Council (Paper C - 4 0 ( 2 6 i ) .
In a d d i t i o n ,
despatches from Sir AUS ten Chamberlain to the Marquess
of Ore'..o (dated February 16, 19 26) ana to Lord L' Abernon
(dated February l b , 1926 J in regard to German roprosen­
tat ions on the subject,
were handed round during the
Meeting.
The Secretary of State for Foreign A f f a i r s ,
while
recognising that public opinion in this country was at
present
opposed to the a d d i t i o n to the Council of the
League of any State other than Germany, l a i d
before
his colleagues the reasons for and against both an
increase in the s i z e of the Council and the claims
of p a r t i c u l a r nation;' to r e c e i v e
permanent membership
of the Council.
In regard to the general question of the s i z e
of the Council, he dwelt on the great importance
of
strengthening the moral a u t h o r i t y of the League to
the point that, by building up, as i t were, a system
of i n t e r n a t i o n a l
jurisprudence,
the Council might
eventually achieve in disputes between great nations
the same success as i t had already gained in averting
wars between minor S t a t e s , as in the recent GrecoBulgarian dispute.
to a d i s p u t e , even i f
to
he pointed out that the p a r t i e s
they are Members of the Council,
not vote on t h e i r own case.
event of a dispute a r i s i n g ,
Consequently,
i n the
f o r example, out of a
v i o l a t i o n of the Locarno T r e a t i e s , e . g . Treaty
Locarno A r t i c l e 2 ( 4 ) and A r t i c l e 6 ( 3 ) , a l a r g e
of
proportion of the e x i s t i n g Members of the League would
be unable to take part and some v i t a l l y
would be l e f t
important issue
in the hands of the r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s of two
or three r e l a t i v e l y minor State;? whoso decision could not
carry s u f f i c i e n t weight with the disputants.
an argxmient for
This was
increasing the siae of the Council.
A 3 regards the claims of p a r t i c u l a r S t a t e s ,
Austen Chamberlain pointed out that
Sir
(as the Cabinet
were informed
on November 11, l J2b - - Cabinet bg( 2b)
Conclusion o)
we were already committed to support the
(
claims of Spain, who, i f
no longer one of the Great
Powers, noverthelessastands out from .among the smaller
States and possesses h i s t o r i c a l arid c u l t u r a l claims to
a seat on the Council ana who, unless e l e c t e d to a
permanent s e a t , must in the normal course presently
make way f o r some l e a s important Power.
The case of Poland rested on the ground that her
inclusion might tend towards strengthening the prospects
of peace in Europe.
distant future,
I t was c e r t a i n t h a t , in -the not
difficult
questions would a r i s e in regard
to the points of contact between Germany and Poland:
e.g.,
in Lanaig and the " c o r r i d o r " , Upper S i l e s i a ,
etc.
In considerihg these matters Poland would be placed at
a disadvantage i f Germany was a member of the Council
and she was not.
The success of the Council had been
found in p r a c t i c e to depend t o a considerable
extent
on the establishment between i t s members of a r e l a t i o n ­
ship comparable with that of Cabinet c o l l e a g u e s .
In
these e ireumstanees a nation outside the Council (as had
been f e l t
in the case of the Mosul dispute) was almost
i n e v i t a b l y at some disadvantage in a dispute with a
Member of the Council whose r e p r e s e n t a t i v e was, in
respect of other matters before the Council, working
iii close and c o r d i a l co-operation with his c o l l e a g u e s .
Agreement in regard t o disputes between Poland and Germany
.$
would almost c e r t a i n l y be e a s i e r to secure i f "both p a r t i e s
approached the question on equal terms, and more p a r t i c u l a r l y
if
a better s p i r i t had been engendered between the two
countries by c o l l a b o r a t i o n in the other work of the Council
in which no opposition of i n t e r e s t s ^ e x i s t e d between them
and by the s p i r i t
of f e l l o w s h i p and c o n c i l i a t i o n which
grows up among i t s members.
The same object Would not be
achieved by temporary membership f o r Poland, as 'such member­
ship must lapse a f t e r a comparatively b r i e f term of y e a r s ,
and the d i f f i c u l t i e s
between the two countries were too
fundamental to be disposed of w i t h i n so short a p e r i o d .
A S regards the claims of B r a z i l , which appeared to be
weak, Sir Austen Chamberlain was i n c l i n e d to put on that
country the onus of e s t a b l i s h i n g that the South American
States supported i t s c l a i m s .
In the' discussion which followed the Secretary of
S t a t e ' s remarks, a caveat was entered l e s t the
effectiveness
of the Council should be diminished by increasing i t s
size.
The Cabinet v.ere reminded that the p r i n c i p l e on which the
permanent membership of the uouncil had o r i g i n a l l y been
fixed at the Paris Peace Conference had been to include
only Powers whose i n t e r e s t s were no world-wide that they
could be regarded as concerned in the settlement of
serious i n t e r n a t i o n a l d i s p u t e ;
Apart from the
every
existing
permanent members - Great B r i t a i n , France, I t a l y and Japan ­
i t had always been hoped that the United States of America,
Germany and Russia would eventually
become permanent members
and. i t was in a n t i c i p a t i o n of t h i s that two more non-permanent
members were added.
Of those suggested'as new permanent
members Spain had a stronger claim than the others both
h i s t o r i c a l l y and because of her very wide c u l t u r a l
interests.
i t was pointed out that the B r a z i l i a n claim would
cause resentment i n Chile and in the A r g e n t i n e Republic, '
v
m
which was on the brink of a decision as to whether to
r e - j o i n the League or n o t .
Tfie grant of permanent membership, owing to the
existence of grounds of acute controversy with a State
which was already a Member of the Council was c r i t i c i s e d
as providing a- dangerous precedent.
I t was pointed out that Poland had not in the past
been a v e r y good Member of the League and had f l o u t e d
the League in s e i z i n g and r e t a i n i n g V i l n a .
Her e l e c t i o n
to permanent membership would cause resentment in some
countries, p a r t i c u l a r l y in Germany, Lithuania and CechoSlovakia.
Two a l t e r n a t i v e s were s u g g e s t e d : ­
(i)
That the forthcoming Meeting o f the
Assembly should be confined to
considering the claims of Germany
only, l e a v i n g the claims of other
countries to be dealt with l a t e r
a f t e r Germany had become a Member
of the Council.
(This coursej however, had already
been t r i e d , without success.)
( i i ) To agree to the admission of Spain;
as regards B r a z i l , to enter i n t o an
understanding that Members of the
Council would use t h e i r influence ,
to secure that e i t h e r the Argentine
Republic, B r a z i l or Chile should
always be a temporary Member; and,
as regards Poland, to discourage her
from applying f o r permanent membership,
but f o r Members o f the Council t o
support P o l i s h claims f o r temporary
membership, and even f o r an extension
t h e r e o f on i t s t e r m i n a t i o n .
I t was a l s o suggested that the great success, of
the p o l i c y of the S e c r e t a r y of State f o r Foreign
Affairs
had been due t o the i n c l u s i o n t h e r e i n of Germany f o r the
first
time on terms of e q u a l i t y , and that support t o
P o l i s h membership of the Council would tend t o weaken
the p o p u l a r i t y of the p o l i c y both at home and in the
Dominions.
The Secretary of State f o r Foreign A f f a i r s
informed
the Cabinet that he had reason to know that the report
that Spain would v e t o Germany's claim, to- become a
permanent member of the Council i f the Spanish claims
were not acceded, t o had no a u t h o r i t y ,
Chamberlain said t h a t ,
s i r Austen
incConversation with the French
Ambassador, he had suggested that the f r i e n d s of Poland
might, in view of the opposition t o her claims, do w e l l
to advise her not to press f o r a permanent seat on
the Council but to concentrate on obtaining a temporary
seat.
At t h i s point the Cabinet adjourned t h e i r dis cussion,
PRIVATE
MEMBERS'
BILLS.
4
1
T
h
9
Cabinet agreed —
That the Secretary should take i t
as an i n s t r u c t i o n to place on the
Agenda for future Meetings of the
Cabinet any P r i v a t e B i l l s to be
introduced by Members at the Friday
s i t t i n g s of the House of Commons.
4.
The Cabinet agreed —
That the Secretary should take i t
as an instruction to place on the
Agenda for future Meetings of the
Cabinet any P r i v a t e B i l l s to be
introduced by Members at the Friday
s i t t i n g s of the House of Commons.
m
.gg CRIMINAL
js*lCE
f(
UICREASE OF
Ualties)
[PRIVATE) BILL.
5..
The Rome Secretary -informed h i s colleagues
that -the general e f f e c t o f the Criminal Justice
-"(increase o f P e n a l t i e s ) B i l l to be Introduced by
a P r i v a t e Member on Friday next was to enable a
Court o f Justice to substitute penal servitude
f o r consecutive terras o f imprisonment.
gave e f f e c t
The B i l l
to suggestions made by the Lord Chief
Justice in a recent criminal appeal.
The Cabinet agreed —
That the Home Secretary should have
authority to indicate that the
Government were in favour of the
Criminal Justice (increase of
Penalties) B i l l .
i ALLOTMENTS
6. During the Meeting a Note by the Secretary
Scotland)
PRIVATE) BILL,
for Scotland, in regard to the Allotments
(Scotland)
B i l l (Paper C P . - 7 8 ( 2 6 ) ) , to be introduced by a
P r i v a t e Member on Friday next, was handed round
to the Cabinet.
The Cabinet agreed —
That the Secretary for Scotland
should be authorised to announce,
on the Second Reading, that the
Government approve the Allotments
(Scotland) B i l l , and w i l l do what
i s possible to grant f a c i l i t i e s
for i t s passage i n the event of
i t s proving generally non-contentious.
-6­
7. The Cabinet had under consideration the
a t t i t u d e to be adopted towards the Town Tenants
B i l l to be introduced by a Private Member on Friday
next.
The Cabinet agreed —
That i t was d e s i r a b l e , i f p o s s i b l e ,
to avoid the discussion of the Town
Tenants B i l l at the present stage,
and at'any r a t e that a Division
Should be avoided.
The Secretary for Scotland
indicated that the discussion' of the
B i l l r e f e r r e d to in the previous
Conclusion (The Allotments (Scotland)
B i l l ) would probably occupy the
g r e a t e r part of the s i t t i n g .
RE-ELECTION
OP MINISTERS
(Previous
Rsferenoe:
Cabinet 4
(26), Con­
olusion 2.,)
8.
The Cabinet had before them a Memorandum by
the Home Secretary asking for a dacision as to
the a t t i t u d e which the Government should take on
the amendment to the Re-election of Ministers
( P r i v a t e ) B i l l , propos ed by S i r John Simon^ that
the B i l l should not operate during the l i f e t i m e
of the present Government (Paper C.P.-68
(.26)).
For the reasons states in t3!&a Home Secretary !
1
Memorandum, the Cabinet agreed —
That the Home Secretary should be ­
authorised to oppose S I X John Simon's
amendment.
-8­
ft :
9 . Tli3 Cabinet had before them a Memorandum by
the Lord Privy Seal i n regard to the unsatisfactory
fa of
conditions i n which the House of Lords has to carry
out i t s l e g i s l a t i v e functions (Paper C P . - 5 3 8 (.25)).
jjrencet
Inet 59
Obn­
fcion 12.)
The attention of the Cabinet was drawn to the
f a c t t h a t , on the recommendation of the Committee of
Home A f f a i r s , a considerable -number of B i l l s had
already been scheduled for introduction in the House
o f Lords.
The Prime M i n i s t e r undertook,, before
the next Meeting of the Cabinet., to
consider the d e s i r a b i l i t y of appoint­
ing a Cabinet Committee to consider
the Lord Privy Seal s Memorandum.
1
5AFF GUARD TNG
0? INDUSTRIES .
Iron and
jteal Industry.
Previous
jeferenc e:
Cabinet 2
126)., Con­
jiusion 8.)
10. In respect of the application "by the Steel
Industry for an Inquiry under the Safeguarding of
Industries Procedure i n regard to iron and s t e e l
w i r e , wire netting and woven w i r e , possibly wire
rods, and s t e e l j o i s t s and g i r d e r s , the Cabinet
had before then) a Memorandum by the Minister o f
Agriculture and Fisheries (Paper C..P..-48 (26 )
and a Note by the President of the Board o f Trade
(Paper C P . . - 67 ( 2 6 ) ) covering a Memorandum p r e ­
parsd j o i n t l y by the Eoard of Customs and Excise
and the Board of Tra.de in accordance with the
Cabinet's decision of January 29th on the subject.
The President of the Board o f Trade informed
h i s colleagues that a perusal o f the Joint Memorandum
of the Board of Customs and Excise and the Board of
Trade led to the conclusion that, i f wire was
considered as a whole, the application f o r an
Inquiry under the Safeguarding o f Industries P r o ­
cedure would have to be refused.
If
sub-sections
of the wire industry were considered, they could
not be regarded as s u f f i c i e n t l y
Important to
justify
an Inquiry under that Procedure.
On the advice of ths President of the Board
of Trade, the Cabinet agreed —
That the President of the Board of
Trade should be authorised to reply
that the decision of the Government
i n regard to the a p p l i c a t i o n of the
S t e e l " Industry f o r an Inquiry under
the Safeguarding o f Industries Pro­
cedure would apply also to the
sectional explications now under
cons i d e r a t i o n .
SI
GUARDINGINDUSTRIES.
Linen
try
ication..
3
1 1 . The Cabinet had before them a Memorandum by
the President of the Board o f Trade in regard to
an a p p l i c a t i o n which has been ms.de under the Safe­
guarding of Industries Procedure by the I r i s h and
S c o t t i s h Linen Industry (Paper C.P.-61 ( 2 6 ) ) .
The Cabinet agreed
—
( a ) That the President of the Board
of Trade\should be authorised to
refuse the application by the
I r i s h and Scottish Linen Industry:
( b ) That the Chancellor of the Exchequer
should consider a suggestion f o r the
imposition of a tax on imported l i n e n ,
in connection with the other pro­
posals f o r luxury t a x a t i o n .
-11­
St
ivIL SERVICE
$CREATION
jSOUNDS .
;
12. The attention of the Cabinet was drawn,
as a matter of urgency, to an a g i t a t i o n which had
grown tip against an announcement made at the C i v i l
Service Dinnar to the e f f e c t
that £50,000 a year
f o r four years was to be included i n the Estimates
f o r the provision of recreation grounds for the
Civil
service.
The Cabinet were i n f o w e d that the decision
to provide these grounds had been taken a year ago
a f t e r careful examination of the question.
In the
case of other classes of public servants, such as
s a i l o r s , s o l d i e r s and airmen, provision was
usually made f o r recreation amenities i n connection
with barrack accommodation, e t c .
The *-ama custom
prevailed among the best employers of the country.
The C i v i l Servants f o r whom the provision now pro­
posed was intended consisted in the main of
working-class employes in arsenals, dockyards,
factories,
etc.
Having regard to the importance, o f maintaining
the p o s i t i o n of the Government/ as a good employer,
the Cabinet agreed —
That the Chancellor of the Exchequer
should be authorised to g i v e f u l l ,
explanations, but to make i t clear
that the Government f e l t bound to
go forward with the provision of
these recreation grounds.
Whitehall Gardens, S .
February 17, 19?,6 .
1,