Mexborough and Swinton Times April 3, 1936
Labour Rally
Don Valley MP at Conisbrough
Analysis of Present Crisis
Mr Tom Williams, MP for the Don Valley division, was a principal speaker at the 16th annual ralley of the Conisbrough Labour Party (women’s section) in the Welfare Pavilion, Conisbrough, on Saturday. Mr Williams apologised for the non-attendance of Mr W. E. Jones (Rossington).
About 200 people were present at, and after the meeting which followed a social was held. Those present included Mr Ben Roberts, Mrs H. H. Wray, and Messrs G. Oldfield, H. Gomersall, and J. Letherland.
Mrs S. C. Urch, presiding, mentioned that she had the privilege of attending all the 16 annual rallies. Last year they set out to obtain 100%. membership. They enrolled about 80 paid-up and pain members, but owing to dismissals at the pit received a setback. They had lost some of those members, but they were hoping this year to obtain others.
To give them some idea of what their members were doing, they had one member on the local District Education Subcommittee, one member on the County Public Assistance Committee at Wakefield, one member a Justice of the Peace, one representative on the local Boots for the Bairns committee, six on the child welfare centre committee, nine on the old folks treat committee, three on the local hospital committee, about 12 in the Conisbrough nursing division, and they also had one member a candidate in the Urban District Council elections, and she had a very good chance of being returned. One member won a Don Valley scholarship last year and nearly won the South Yorkshire scholarship.
“The Hand That Rocks the Cradle”
Pastor A. E. Gibby, Minister of Epworth Methodist Hall, Denaby, said he had a high regard for what woman had done, the stand they were taking at the moment, and what they had done for the Labour Party. The men of the world had failed to solve the great question of war and peace, and he believed that the decision of the future destiny of the human race way with the woman of this country and the world. It was the mobilisation of their common sense and intelligence that was necessary. At the last election the issue at stake was never playing with for them. The labour movement was divided, but the political intelligence of the mining industry was too high to be filled, and he thought that reflected great credit on South Yorkshire and other parts of the country.
Careless Search for Peace.
Mr Tom Williams said it was the duty of all nations all the time to be studying the root causes of war and to build up machinery to prevent war. The world, however, was saturated with imperialists, who wanted to dominate a large portion of it for economic reasons. They wanted colossal sums of money in preparation for the war which would not take place. As a nation they were fooled at the last election, just as they were in 1924 over the Russian bogie.
During the last four or five weeks in the minds of millions of people had been on edge; they had been in fear and trembling of war – solely because Germany, France, Italy, Abyssinia, Britain, China and Japan had not the will to peace.
When the National Government took office in 1931, they had five major nations in the league of Nations, but before the last election Japan and Germany had departed, Italy have broken the law of the league, and they had almost departed. In other words, the only instrument to prevent war than the machine to overcome the causes of war had well nigh been destroyed, and their own government of imperialists in association with France where almost wholly responsible for it. Belgium and the other small nations had no confidence in the league; it had failed because it had failed to do its duty.
Germany had said that everybody seemed to be doing as they liked, and they would do the same.
Mr Williams declared that the Labour Party did not want to see millions of young men hurried into another war. They preferred to get down to the causes of war. The present international crisis could be laid at the doors of their own Tory government and a similar Tory government in France. Those two government should have attempted to make the League of Nations a real power instead of spending two or 300 million on armaments. They might then have been able to spend the two or 300 million is in extending their social services.
Peace Ballot Lesson.
There had been, however, a demonstration which no British government dare forget. The peace ballot was such that any government would have to take notice of it. The nation was definitely for peace.
Turning to agriculture, Mr Williams declared that the government could give large subsidies to the farmer yearly, but for the agricultural labourers unemployment benefit they could only give 14 shillings a week. If an agricultural labourer had a wife and three children he received 30s. A week, but if he had a wife and six children he still received the same amount.
Discussing the question of pensions for M.P.’s Mr Williams referred to the comment in last week’s “Times,” which had suggested that he himself would be entitled to a pension at the end of the next year. He would point out however, that he would not be 65 next year. He would have to sit in Parliament for more than 30 years before he would be entitled to a pension.