Page A
THE CHINA MAIL, FRIDAY, AUGUST
ARE WE ASKING TOO MUCH OF
LEADERS?
D
OUR
WIGHT Eisenhower's
recent
record of
Illness also has 11 crucial lesson for all of us in Britain. For it spotlights a British problem too, a problem which grows more threatening with each decade the problem of how We are to dent with the enormous burden which we now load on to the and bodies men.
of
By the Right Hon. HERBERT MORRISON
C.H., M.P.
Ernest Bevin used to to that by his system he had bed at 20 reasonable hour been asleep in bed during the perhaps in early be 10 p.m. But afternoon while the rest of us minds he was called at 5 am, to start were working. our public his day's work.
Sir Stafford Cripps followed Ho roughly the same routine. Take Just the three chief aimed to get to bed by 9.30 p.m. offices of State Prime or p.m., and to be awakened Minister. Foreign Secretary, at 4 am, or 5 am. He would then work at home before get- Ex- of Chancellor
the
ting to his Ministry at 9 a.m.
chequer.
sge there, and back-used to be one of the perks of a Minister's job.
to bo
But travel by air today tins Iwo scrioua drawbacks. The Journey itself is tiring; and it is over before you have time relax. A Minister may working in Whitehall one day and be facing television cameras on the tarmac in New York or Genova the next.
I see that the Chief Medical rocom- Officer of I.C.I. hos Nevertheless, even Sir mended that to avoid strain-
executives should Winston's rock-like constitution corporation bogan to crack in 1953, when take at least one lap of their he took over the Foreign Office trips abroad by boat. The Goy- Sir Anthony Eden's emment, I believe, should take
his advice too. illness.
during
with
Compared
Ministers suffering strains liko these, Disraeli and Gladstone-ut their
than of leisure
Since 1945 a total of 1 men to work on until three or four busiest-can be classed as men have occupied these posts. Yet in
I have been only three or four
of the escape the danger_list.
Of
the
.
the
In my own case, I preferrext
morning. Moro
I ance. when stayed
Street, i would mo Downing dawn breaking as i went to bed.
lo-Eric (રાધ
of
01
Even Asquith and
Big enough
11. Bakitvin had a far coay time of BUT nice holidays and
Bevin and Sir Stafford Cripps The birds would be singing in St James's Park: and I would -were killed by the strain work.
think, "It's all very well for you to sing, you have had a night sleep."
Five more—Earl Attlee, Sir Winston Churchill, Sir Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan, and myself-have been put
of
action at one time or another by serious illness,
Why? Why?
66/HY is this?" the ordinary
"Why Ministers 50 are you modera much less tough than Gladstone or Disraeli, who continued office tili a ripe old age?"
eluizen may ask.
In
My Answer is that Gladstone and Dlaraell bore scarcely any all for the responsibility economic
they
#1
iffe
of the country governed. There were Even almost no social pervices. foreign
then involved affalry only comparatively simple rela- and tionships with the Couris
Governments of Europe.
How different is the situation During just the last few today.
Government present
days tho
has had to deal with such vital problems as the Trinidad
Deal, the
prices
01
of coal, gas,
electricity, and the sackings in
the ear industry.
Work doubled
THEN there is the Cold War THEN
Sir Anthony Eden told me he returned 10 the
-when
Foreign Offer In 1951-that the work had doubled since he left It in 1945.
на
extra
а
leuding
The effect of all this work on the lives of
Minister is startling.
at
He must not only work at full pressure at his Ministry each he must morning;
not only deputations and speak receive
conferences; he must not only sit and debate in Parliament and attend Cabinet tick com- mitice meetings; he must not only shine ni publie functions on a number of evenings. if he
is going to keep in command of he must also take home affairs, a great mass of documents and
it.
Solution
gooth VET what can the nation do?
How are we to solve
DWT
course.
this
Then thero Is Sir Winston problem?
He hast his
It is no use saying: "Thesa Churchill.
of shifts, of system
men chose to be Ministers, They During the war he would often asked us to give them the job, deliberately keep meeting If they want to work themselves
n
going until 1 am, or 2 am, silly, why should we worry?" and
かぐ
would still
wo
be fresh while his
colleagues yawned, Yet
knew
to
hours
Sir
written reports erch might master before he goes to bed.
Look at the kind of which
a Minister has to keep
08 result.
Anthony Eden. HIS serious illness come in 1953.
It is not a question of worrY - ing about the Ministers them- Kelves.
It is not even a question of worrying about losing a num→ ber of valuable men through death or
от sickness, It
of the effect on their question all-important work. suffering from strain or sick- news may not be
prosperity or rulni.
is
A
man
01
10
Lake
com-
fortable travel will not solve the basic problem of a Minis- ler's life today. They will not solve the problem of too few men chasing too much work.
What can be done? Should we have more Ministers?
Certainly not. The total mum- The ber is big enough already. Scottish Office, for example, is
congested shamefully
with Ministers.
The trouble at the moment is the way
the work is shared. Every Department has at least one Minister of the Crown and one Junior Minister. Sometimes there Bro Oven
two Junior Minister Ministers, sometimes a
senior vet
Бе some of State. Ministers will make all the de- cisions,
answer almost all the
dicetalons involving war or peace, Parliamentary questions, speak in all the debates on their de- partments' work while the STOW almost 1 Junior Ministers cio
frustration desperate with having little of interest to do.
Thton suggest?
uction what
Share it!
at
· 1956.
our
ROUND ONE
Cummings
A 7 LB CHALLENGE
ΤΟ EVERYONE
By TREVOR EVANS
Erhard cut taxation to viously the new springboard help firms finance their own for further achievements. reconstruction. He appealed
to
And now they claim that averyone, or nearly every off than be one, is better fore the war.
to keep With startling candour entrepreneurs ORMALLY one doesn't
their prices down, and this their experts talk in this talk about work-even someone else's work book claims his appeal was 788-page book of their next were plans to invade the market Laws successful. IL around.
offends
I passed to prevent cartels of Europe, the dollar coun- bad. traditions. Too
tries, and beyond the Iron- make no apology-for aud- and monopolies,
Curtain, particularly in the of denly I find myself in &
East. without, Far cannot situation where I
course, contaminating their democratic principles... keep quiet.
And all because of a book
And as for Germany's future dropped on my
that must desk.
The number working in defence expenditure,
be prepared to "harmonise with Dropped is the right word.
a continually rising standard of It is the industry rose by 40 percent, And in Parliament the Oppo- It weighs 7 lb.
and ba k-bunch MP.s sition
the sort of book most people wages and salaries doubled, living."
turnover general
tripled, must be prepared to face
the shelf They must be would put on
turnover and export consequences. prepared to cunt their protests without opening, so forbid creased seven times. when a Junior Minister at times ding is its massiveness,
a debate in the place
Othe
First, I ask for a new attitude from the nation as a whole, from the ordinary electors who Do put the Ministers in office. not sneer if you read about
BVIOUSLY the Ministers of Minister taking things easily on
future must share out holiday abroad, or if you see a
among Minister sitting in a railway their work Increasingly been their junior colleagues. has compartment which
In- entirely reserved for him.
that he stead take the view deserves every second of relax- ation he can get.
Next there is the question of
Foreign confer
air-travel. ences abroad-with a
men
sea voy- answers
of his chief.
"Since 1945, eleven
have
held
Britain's top
posts. I have only
three or four of them es- first.
cape
seen
the
in-
Dr Erhard himself gives the clue to what
the is probably
But this book filled me There has been an in- with fascinating melancholy, crease in real wages, so that secret of Germany's success. He It is the story of Germany the vast majority of the says: "It was no miracle but the better off result of the honest efforts of a
whole people," since the war, told by Ger- workers are far mans with a pride that than ever before. would be arrogant if it were not justified.
It makes one envious.
I am forced to
to
TREVOR - EVANS
and may lead it out of want. wonder towards now and helpful friend- tempera- ships, for he who helps himselt
beneft wilt not fall to and others
help him."
The full-ranking Minister, of course,
take Anul will still responsibility for everything dope in his department-but the Opposition must be prepared not 10 press this principle to the
This volume concedes: "Civil servants, salaried em- whether Germans are utmost when it is the Junior Minister who has slipped.
It is called "Germany's
pensioners, and mentally destined ployces, the work:
Publisher WII- Share out
Comeback." moro
of the professional from losing wars. part power to the Junior Ministers Ham S. Boss and his team classes were
not able to Herr Boas, the publisher. Certainly, success is more of a. the prescription will strain some
present this volume to tho of our Parliamentary
same extent seems to have had this in mind magnet than failure. I feel ko benefit to the
wrote: Western world to tell them from the free market policy, when he
"A people grinding my teth and swearing, suffered which has
so preci- "What the Germans can do the pitous a fall as the Germans_in' British can do better." 1945
may yet derive great strength from the complete The trouble is that teeth- collapse of ita national and grinding and just wishing
which, not enough.
ideas
**
BUT WHICH IS WORSE to place a strain on our Parlia
Or to strain the minds and muscles of our danger list." entary methods?
chief Ministers until they drop?
IN NASSER'S CLUTCH: TONS
OF AMMO FROM BRITAIN
From HUGH POND and DONALD WALKER
HERE is another prize finger to prevent acizure of the
vast stores and facilities.
the
within
Nusser's grnsp Suez Canal Zone, Whon Suez Contractors, the biggest military base in management organisation
tory
re-
The 300 tonks loclude 200 old American Shermans ond 100 Valentines, many of thom doubtful runners, 40 modern Centurions supplied under tig
The artillery is mosity British 25-pounders and. 17-pounder anti-tank guns, “
the world, from which the moved in last year they took about 100 outdated Czech, light presenting six British firms, Anglo-Egyption Trenty, and last British troops pulled over 50,000 tons of ammunition. T-345. but in June.
300,000 tons of ordnance and The only Britons there engineering stores, 2,000 mili- vehteles, 30 Locomotives, now are civilians, who main- and 100 rallway wagons, tain the base installations and look after its materials: And if the Egyptian Army moved in, they could not lift a
{CYPRUS]"
TURKEY
SYRIA
Reconditioned ammunition, military stores, and vehicles are drawn from this dump to supply the British forces, which have moved to Cyprus.
What else is there in the zone? Power stations, accommodation
AIR FORCE this is predomi nantly Russian equipped, with 150 MIG fighters and about 50 Ilyushin-28 bombers,
Vampires, and one squadron of Other planes: B0 Meteors and
for '50,000 troops, railways, BOW: 30
alow Halla bombers
tho
i parts, and huge workshops, AREN' fgirting - abilities,
There are the former RAF Egyptians have improved since bomber and fighter bases. A
Tafuci-Amb, conflet,
There is enough material, Western intelligence sources.
ready for the taking, to equip
a large armysel What is Nassor's army like? In numbers it can be raised to 180,000 mon in a few days, made up of 100,000 « regulars (70,000
them 80,0
1000 tran
of
National Guard.
But they claim that the Israeli soldier/in: still more, than
match for any Arab trooper and 3 Israel can mobiilse 250,003, mea, in 48 hours:
War Ones
[POCKET CARTOON by OSBERT Lancaster
how lucky we are to have Western Germany #3 απ ally. Herr Bous, In his refers to the foreword, "German Miracle" with
Teutonic modesty.
"It will be an important, political life, strength task of the coming years to Let's be fair to the Ger- ensure that they come In mans. They have a right to for a proper share.”
be proud of themselves.
And we have a duty to
This book claims: "The object of the free market ourselves to study how they polley is not the creation have done what they have of a social Welfare State, in these last nine years, for where all citizens live on we will be the principal
sufferers of their continued the charity of the Gov- ernment, but the establish. progress,
ment of a prosperous State, Ever heard of Dr Ludwig in which every citizen is in Erhard? He was born 50 a position to acquire private years ago at Fuerth, property with which to Bavarin. He has always shield himself and his been a professional econo- family from distress and mist. He lost his job as make provision for the director of the Nuremberg future, and to participato Institute for the study of actively in economic life by economic trends in 1942 be- saving, "taking out In- cause he refused to join the surance, of investing Nazi Part
Becurities,"
in
This
tome further claima: "Even Erhard's political enemies now ack For the rest of the war nowledge the bright sides he became an independent and successes of his policy economic adviser. But and are about to abandon now he is the Federal Minis- their ideas of a controlled ter of Economics, and in ECONOMY. this tame he gets the big- gest bouquet of all for Ger.
batwar recovery
hard
German Socialiate
used, the pr
Cone
~?
DID YOU KNOW
On the 3rd of February, 1956 the Medical Research Council reported that, eating choco- lates, sweets or crunching SUGAR does not cause bad teeth Doctors taking part in the investi- gation fed over 250 children on a diet contain- Ing as much as 234 lb. of SUGAR per child per week. All of them took part in the tests for
ok part more and it was found that a year or more teeth decayed no faster than those, children, whose diet contained only 11 oz a week.
TAIKOO SUGAR
FINED SINCE
מזח