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fsJjOClMENT IS THE PROPERTY Off HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY" S GOVERNMENT).

I A

l o j i ' COPY MO. ;

C A B I N E T 50(25)

Meeting of the Cabinet to be held at

10, Downing S t ree t , S-W.1., on FRIDAY,

OCTOBER £3rd, 1925, at 11.30 A.M.

ADDENDA TO AGENDA.

Add the fo l lowing papers:-

Item 1. GOVERNMENT BUSINESS *

Memorandum by the Chief Whip. ( C P . 442(25) - Circulated herowith) .

Let ter from Seoretary of State fo r India to the Lord Chanoellor.

( C P . 443(25) - Circulated herewith) .

Item 3. SUPPLY AND TRANSPORT ORGANISATION - THE QUESTION rOP VOLUNTEERS. '

Memorandum by the Minister of Health. ( C P , 441(25) - Circulated herewith) .

Item 4. BRITISH DYE INDUSTRY.

Noto by Lord President of the Council oovering copy of l e t t e r to Lord Haldane.

( C P . 433(25) - Already c i r cu la ted ) .

(Signed) M.P.A. HANKEY,

Secretary to the Cabinet.

2 Whitehall Gardens, S.W.I . ,

October 22nd, 1925. .

1

5 DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT). 39

C A B I N E T 50 ( 25 ) .

Meeting of the Cabinet to be held at 2.0, Downing

Stree t . S.W., on Friday, October 23rd, 1925,

at 11.50 a.m.

A G E N D A .

1. GOVERNMENT BUSINES S.

Note by Secretary, covering Lists of Government Bi l l s ,

( C P . 418 (25) - Already c i rcu la ted ) .

Recommendations of Home A f f a i r s Committee. (H.A.C. 17th Conclusions (25) - already c irculated.

2. POOR LAW REFORM

(Reference Cabinet 25 (25) Conclusion 1 ( e ) ) .

Memorandum by the Minister of Health, ( C P . 410 (25) - already c i rcu la ted ) .

3. SUPPLY AND TRANSPORT ORGANISATION THE QUESTION OF VOLUNTEERS

(Reference Cabinet

Memorandum by the( C P . 427 (25)

Memorandum by the( C P . 439 (25)

BRITISH DYE INDUSTRY,

(Reference Cabinet

' "

47 (25) Conclusion 2 (b ) and ( c ) ) .

President of the Board of Education, - already c i rcu lated ) .

Home Secretary, - to be c i r cu la ted ) .

44 (25) Conclusion 10 ) .

Report by the Chairman of the Committee of C i v i l Research,

(C.P. 430 (25) - already c i r cu la ted ) .

TO TAKE NOTE OF:

PAY OF THE FIGHTING SERVICES - PAY OF TRADESMEN IN THE A IR "PCRT?E7 "

(Reference Cabinet 48 (25) Conclusion 3 ( a ) ) .

Report of Cabinet Committee, ( C P . 429 (25) - already c i rculated . )

(Signed) M.P.A. HANKEY, 2 1 i V h i t eha l l Gardens , S.W.1.

21st October, 1925, Secretary, Cabinet,

'TWT3 BQQTM^WT IS THE PROPERTY Off HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENTW

S E C R E T . COPY NO.

(? A B I H E I 5Qf£5)

CONCLUSIONS of a Meeting of the Cabinet held at 10, Downing Street, S.W.I., on FRIDAY,

OCTOBER 23rd, 1925, at 11.30 A.M.

PRESENT:-

The Bight Hon. Stanley Baldwin, M.P., Prime Minister. (In the Ohalr).

The Right Hon0 The Right Hon. Austen Chamberlain, M.P., Vlsoount Cave, G.C.M.G., Seoretary of State for Lord Chancellor, Foreign Affairs.

The Most Hon. The Right Hon. The Marquess of Salisbury, W.S. Churohill, C.H..M.P., E.G. .G.C.V.O. , C B . , Chancellor of the Exchequer. lord Privy Seal.

The Right Hon. The Right Hon. Sir William Joynson-Hick3, L.S. Amery, M.P., Secretary Bart. .M.P., Secretary of of State for Dominion Affairs State for Home Affairs. and Secretary of State for

the Colonies.

The Right Hon. The Right Hon. Sir laming Worthington-Evans, The Earl of Birkenhead, Bart,.G.B.E. ,M.P., Secretary Seoretary of State for India. of State for War,

The Right Hon. The Right Hon. Sir Samuel Hoare, Bart.., Sir Phi-ip Cunliffe-Lister, C.M.G. ,M.P., Secretary of X.-B.E. ,M.C. ,M.P., President State for Air. of the Board of Trade.

The Right Bon. The Right Hon. Neville Chamberlain, M.P., E.F.L. Wood, M,P,, Minister Minister of Health. of Agrioulture end Fisheries,

The Right Hon. The Right Hon. Sir John Gilmour, Bart..D.S.O., Visoount Peel, G.B.E., First M.P., Secretary for Scotland. Commissioner of Works.

The Right Hon. Sir Douglas Hogg, K.0..M.P., AttorneywGeneral.

THE FOLLOWING WERE ALSO PRESENT: -Commander The Right Hon.

B.M. Eyres-Monsoll, R.N.,M.P., Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury. (For Item 6) .

M . P . A . Hankey, G.C.B Secretary,

FOREIGN POLICY.

CHINA,

[(Previous Reference: Cabinet 46 (25), Con­elusion 2 .)

THE GRAECO-BULGARIAN SITUATION.

Previous [Reference: Cabinet 44­(25), Con­

fclusion 12 1(b).)

[IRAQ.

luestion of Turkish Re iSL ­Borcerent-s .

iyria.

Inference: ibinet 49 5 5 ) , Con-Luslon 5(f ) ,)

1, The Secretary of State for Foreign Af fa irs 41

reported to the Cabinet that the situation in China

was one of extreme confusion, and no-one could

prophesy what was l ike ly to happen. He was inclined

to ant ic ipate , however, that the Tar i f f Commission

would f ee l unable to proceed in present circumstances.

The Secretary of State undertook to c i rculate a Memorandum to the Cabinet in regard to the situation in China, explaining, in ter a l i a ^ t h e various personal i t ies referred to in the telegrams were.

2 . The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs

reported that both o^ the parties to the Incident

which had arisen on the front ier between Greece and

Bulgaria had approached the Bri t ish Government with

contradictory accounts of what had occurred. Up to

the previous day his reports had led him to hope that

the incident would not prove ser ious. This morning,

however, he had received information that Bulgaria had

appealed to the League of Nations, and M, Briand had

summoned a Meeting o^ the Council, which ha himself,

as Secretary of State for Foreign A f f a i r s , f e l t bound

to attend.

The Cabinet, while conscious of the stra in which this would impose on the Foreign Secretary so soon after his return fror­ his arduous labours at Locarno, recognised th"; des i rab i l i t y of Mr Austen Chamberlain attending the forthcoming meeting of the Council.

3. The attention of the Cabinet was ca l l ed , as a

matter of urgency, to telegrams from Beirout reporting

that the Tvirks were seeking authority for 6,000 Turkish

troops to pass by r a i l through the French mandated

t e r r i t o r y in Sy r i a (Beirout telegrams Nos .53 and 54 ) .

Previously i t had beer understood that the passage of

600 troops had been authorised.

RUSSIA.

(Previous Roference: Cabinet 43 (25), Con­elusion 1,)

A

The Secretary of State for Foreign A f fa i r s

said he had spoken to the French Ambassador on the

matter on the p r e v i o u s day, and a note of his con­

versat ion would be c i rcu la ted . He had pointed out

to the Ambassador that the Turks probably did not

mean to attack Mosul, but these troops could

hardly be used for any other purpose than to had

threaten, and he/expressed the-hope that the French

Government would not allow them to pass unless an

equal number were sent westward, The French

Ambassador had undertaken to report his repre­

ssntations to Paris , and had intimated that he had

reason to be l i eve that the French Government had

already made representations and a protest at

Constantinople. He had also b r i e f l y discussed the

s i tuat ion in Syria with the Ambassador.

4 . The Secretary of State for Foreign A f fa i r s

re ferred to the anxiety which had bean expressed

spontaneously both by the French and German

representatives at the Locarno Conference in regard

to the att i tude o(f Soviet Russia. M.Chicherin

appeared to be somewhat alarmed "at the f a i lu re of

his po l i c y . Russia required credi ts and could not

obtain them without the goodwil l of the Western

Powers. Mr Austan Chamberlain intimated that

before long he might have to ask the Cabinet to

consider th-: pos i t ion .

5. The." attention of the Cabinet was drawn to a

number of recent instances of leakage of secret and

conf ident ia l information in the Press in regard to

the Cabinet Agenda Paper, other Cabinet Papers and

Departmental matters outside of the Cabinet business.

Among other instances were , - the g is t of the Report

of the Cabinet 'Gomir.ittee on Bri t ish Dyes; the

Safeguarding of Industr ies; Poor Law Reform; Agr i ­

cul ture ; National Health Insurance; questions

before the Cabinet Economy Committee; and the arrest

of Communists, of which l a t t e r even the Cabinet had

no t had know ledge ,

The Cabinet agreed —

That each Minister should c i rculate a Memorandum in his own Department ca l l ing attent ion to the fact that there had b-en some serious leakages, and enjoining upon a l l the necessity of exercis ing the utmost care in

- regard to matters of secret and conf ident ia l information.

6. The Cabinet "had before there; the fol lowing docu­

ments in regard to Parliamentary Business:­

.; A Note by the Secretary, covering Lista of Government B i l l s (Paper CP, -418 (g5) )J

Recommendations of the Committee of Home Af fa i rs thereon (H.A,,C. 17th

-Conclusions ( 2 5 ) ) :

A Memorandum by the Chief Whip (Paper 0 o P o -442 ( 2 5 ) ) :

A Let ter from the Secretary of State ; for India, to the Lord Chancellor,

asking tnat the . Government of India Civ i l ?co-vice? £ i l l , which had boon Cls &3lf l-rd by the committee of Home' A f fa i rs in Cist A ,2 , should be promoted to L i s t A.1 of essential B i l l s Gird oli.must be proceeded with, and of fer ing that the Indian Divorce B i l l should be transferred froro category A .2 to l i s t C," 0 i l l s for introduction only"(Paper G,P*­445 ( 2 5 ) ) ,

The Prime Minister mentioned that he was aiming at

the House r is ing a week before Christmas, which

would render possible an extra day* S Parliament ary

time in the.case of.""great urgency,

A discussion took place in regard to the Rating

and Valuation B i l l , which, i t was reported, was

unpopular with some sections of the Governments

supporters * There was general agreement, however,

that there could be no question of dropping so

important a measure which had already reached an

advanced stage, but i t was suggested that i t s passage

might be f a c i l i t a t e d i f the Minister of Health

found It possible to make any concessions.

Among the contir.genci.ea fo r which Parliamentary

time would be required the fol lowing were mentioned:-

The Locarno Conference^ Tho French Debt,, The Mosul Question, The act ion of th* Government In dealing

with Cor.v-unistsr

The Supply and Transport Organisation,

f o r V;hi. ch 1 1 f a a co ns i d r e d ne c e S S a ry t o a 11 aw f i v e

Parliamentary days in the aggregate .

SAFEGUARDING The President or the Board of Trade reported OF INDUSTRIES BILL. that he was about to c i rcu la te a preliminary draft

of the Safeguarding of Industries B i l l , for which (Previous Reference: he estimated that from 6-3f to 7 Parliamentary days Cabinet 48 (25), Con- would be required. elusion 6,)

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, while agreeing

in the des i r ab i l i t y of passing the Safeguarding of

Industr ies B i l l at the present stage, warned the

Cabinet that the P i l l would meet' with very serious -

obstruction from, the Parliamentary Opposition,

which would probably be extended to cover the whole

range of Government business, in order to embarrass

the Government . NORTHERN IRELAND The Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Home INSURANCE BILL. Secretary undertook to enquire and to Inform the

Chief Whip as to whether i t was essential to pass (Previous

the Northern Ireland Insurance B i l l in the present Reference: Cabinet 44 (25), Con- Session, The Chancellor of the Exohequer stated elusion 13 .)

that the B i l l would be ready for Cabinet considera­

t ion at an early da te . EAST AFRICAN LOAN BILL. (See f o 11 ow ing Minut e . )

R3PRESENTA- The Home Secretary undertook to enquire as to TION OF THE PEOPLE (ECONOMY whether i t would be possible to postpone the PROVISIONS) BILL. , Representation of the People (Economy Provisions)

[Previous B i l l unt i l next Session. Rsference: Cabinet 32 '35) Conclu­sion 9,)

MINING SUBSIDY,

(Previous Reference: O&binet 45 (g5), Con­elusion 7.)

PUBLIC ORDER BTLLo

(Previous Reference: Cabinet 48 (25), Oor.­olualon 2*)

NQN--CONTEN-T-IOUS B I L L S ,

THE LAND SETTLEMENT FACILITIES

r;\C' f f t v j ^ -MF.UT) "':ILL.

\ I 7- ! or . 3

Reference: Cabinet ,36 (24), Con­eiusion 9) .

TEE MINING WELFARE BILL.

(Previous R^ e pnc;S: C&bim-t 20 (25) , Con­ftluoion la.)

THE AUTUMN SESSION,

(Previous Reference: Cabinet 41 (24), Con* ftlufiioti 5.)

The Chancellor of the Exchequer undertook to

enquire and to inform the Chief Whip aa to whether

a Vote was required, in connection with the Mining

Subsidy.

The Lord Chancellor reported that the Public

Order B i l l should be ready for consideration by

the Cabinet shortly a f ter the.return of the Attorney-

General from The Hague.

Among the non-contentious B i l l g for which i t

was hoped Parliamentary time might be found, the

fo l lowing received part icular mention:-

The Land Settlement F a c i l i t i e s Ac t ( Amendment) B i l l ,

The Mining Welfare B i l l .

The attent ion of the Cabinet was cal led to th0

inconvenience which had arisen from beginning the

Parliamentary Session in the Autumn of tha previous

year, which, without averting an Autumn Session in

the present year, had nev r ihelesa led to conaid&r**

able congestion of bus ins. s3 .

The Chief Whip warned the Cabinet that the time­

table was already ofewded to extreme l i m i t s .

The Cabinet agreed —

(a ) To approve the proposals of the Committee of Rome Af fa i rs (H.A.C. 17th Conclusions ( 2 5 ) , and of the Chief Whip ( Paper CP.-442 (25 ) , subject to the above remarks and subject' to the inclusion in L ist A . 1 , "essent ia l B i l l s " , of the Government of India. C i v i l Services B i l l , o r i g ina l l y included by inadv.'rtence by the Committee of Home Af fa i rs in L ist A .2 , "B i l l s be l ieved to be non-controversial and to be proceeded with unless ser iously opposed''.

. fb) That the Rating and Valuation B i l l should be proceeded w i th .

( c ) That the Locarno Conference should ne put down for discussion at an ear ly date, and that the Chief Whip should arrange, i f possible , that the Parliamentary. Debates should take pla.ce before the debate in the Reichstag on November 20th.

(d) That the Chief Whip should arrange to put the Safeguarding of Indus­t r i e s B i l l as l a t e in the programme as would allow su f f i c i en t time for i t s passage, in order to g ive time f o r the completion of inquiries by Committees now s i t t i n g .

IRISH ( e ) That i t might be necessary to provide BOUNDARY time for discussion of the Report COMMISSION, of the I r i sh Boundary Commission

i f this should be received during the Parliamentary Session, and that

(Previous the question should be placed on Reference: the Agenda at the next Meeting o f Cabinet 51 the Cabinet. (24) , Con­olrjsion 1) .

In the oour3e of the discussion referred to

in the preceding Minute, attention was drawn to the

Memorandum by the Secretary of State for the ColonieE

proposing an East African Development Loan (Paper

C.P.-434 ( 2 5 ) ) .

The Cabinet agreed

( a ) To authorise the for the Colonies

Seer etary ­ of State Immediately to

th^ir pol icy in the fol lowing announcestatement, which had "been agreed to by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for the Colonies: ­

"The Cabinet have decided to approve in pr inciple the recommendation o f the East Afrioan Commission for an Imperial guarantee for loans raised in connection with transport develop­ment in East Afr ioa up to an amount not exceeding ten mill ions s t e r l i n g . A B i l l w i l l be required to give the neesseary guarantee. Surveys, e t c , , w i l l be eat on foot at once, and the precise wcrke to be undertaken w i l l be set t led a f te r thorough 00rutiny Of the f inancial and economic prospects of each individual pro jec t . I t is anticipated that the work w i l l in the main consist of new railways in Tanganyika Terr i tory and Uganda, but proviaiovi f o r improvements in harbour and port f a c i l i t i e s and for o^rtain psrmarent bridges or. main roads is also aor.templatod. A small percentage of the loans w i l l be a pea t a l l y earmarked for capita l works and equipment in connection with the further development of e o l en t i f i c ree sarch.1 1

(to) That i t wo&ld be unnecessary to pass a B i l l In the present Session.

8 . The Cabinet had before their- a Memorandum by the

Minister of Health, on the subject of Poor Law Reform

(Paper CP.-410 (25) ) .

The Minister of Health impressed on the Cabinet

that he was not asking them to commit themselves to

any part icular Poor Law Reform B i l l , or to a B i l l

at a l l , at the present stage, but. that he only sought

authority fo r discussing the question with Local

Author i t ies on the l ines indicated in his Memorandum.

On this understanding the Cabinet agreed —

. (a ) That the Minister of Health should have authority to open negotiations with the Local Author i t ies on the l ines proposed in his Memorandum, but that he should make/it c lear that the Government were not committed to these proposals or to a B i l l :

(b) That the Secretary for Scotland, keeping in touch with the Minister of Health, should proceed on similar l ines .

SUPPLY AND TRANSPORT OR&AMISA­?I0N.

Question of enrol lins; Volunteers .

Proposed Instructions to local Author i t i as .

(Previous Reference: Cabinet 47 (25), Con­elusion. 2 (b) and Co) . )

g The Cabinet had before them the following

^documents relat ing to the question of enrol l ing

volunteers in connection with the Supply and

Transport Organisation with a view to safeguarding

the essent ia l services of the community in the event

o f a s t r i k e : -

A Memorandum by the President of the Board of Education (Paper CP. -427 (25) ) : -

A Memorandum by the Home Secretary (Paper CP.-459 (25 ) ) .

They also had und--;r consideration a draft l e t t e r ,

c irculated by the Minister of Health at the request

of the Home Secretary, describing the emergency

organisation and raising; the question as to whether

the c i rcular should be issued forthwith or held over

unt i l a f t e r the local elections (Paper CP . -441 (25 ) )

In accordance with the suggestion of the Home

Secretary (Paper CP.-439 ( 2 5 ) ) , the whole o f the

above documents were remitted in the f i r s t instance

for consideration by tha Supply and Transport Commit­

t e e , who were to be asked to report before the next

Meeting of the Cabinet, i f poss ib le .

i,

BRITISH II,' The Cabinet had before then? the fo l lowing DYES. .

documents on the subject of the Br i t i sh Dye Industry

(Previous A Report by. the Chairman of the 'Refer21 nee: Committe- of C i v i l Research (The Cabinet 44 ' 7-arl of Balfour) (Paper 0 ,0 , - .

Con- 43 0 (25) ) :

A Mote by The Earl of Balfour covering a copy of a l e t t e r to Lord Haldane (Paper CP.-4S3 ( 2 5 ) ) .

The Gabinet agreed —

(a) To approve the fo l lowing reeommenda­t ions contained in the Report of "the Chairman of the Committee of C i v i l Research:­

1. That the Government should not attempt to continue the pa r t i ­cular relat ions which have h i therto existed "T^i-veen thera and the Brit ish Dyes tuffs Cor­poration, and should withdraw the-ir re pre s en tat ives from the Board and terminate the i r e x i s t ­ing r ights of veto and contro l .

2, That the Treasury should therefore be authorised to dispose of the

. Government's holding to tho Cor­porat ion o*- the best terms obt&in­able t

o. That aa a condition of the foregoing the Corporation should be required —

(&) to give an undertaking under aeai that they would not, a l t e r A r t i c l e 38 ( l ) of the i r Ar t i e l ea of Association, which provides that not more than 25 par cent, of the i r shares should ha.held by fo re igners ,

(b ) To give an assurance that in a l l matters of" technical information and research they -*ould keep in touch with the Government in a\ioh manner as the President of the Board of Trade for the time b*?ing might d i r e c t .

4, That these changes, i f adopted, Increased rather than diminished the necessity o f maintaining the po l i cy err'bodied in the provi sions of the Dye-stuffs (Import Regulation) Act, 1920, and the protection afforded to the f ine chemical indxxstry by Part I of the Safeguarding of Industries Act, 1920.

b) That the Committee?a recommendation in favour o f provision being made for research in chemical invest iga­t i ons , which was an integra l part, of the arrangement recommended in the i r Report, should be considered as part of a general review of research expenditure to be under­taken by the Cabinet Economy Committee.

c ) "hat the President of the Board of , Trade should be authorised to inform^ the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Br i t ish Dyestuffs Corporation of the d e c i s i on^ His Majesty's Government as set forth in Conclusion ( a ) above.

11 . The Cabinet took note of, and approved, a

Report by the Acting Chairman (S i r Arthur S t ee l -

Malt land) of the Cabinet Committee on the Rates of

Pay of Army and Air Force tradesmen (Paper C .P.-429

( 25 ) ) .

-13­

Hm ARREST I P nth­O T r e S a c rOP COMMUNISTS. 3 t a r y read to the Cabinet a

0 fSeizure of d o c u m e n t s which had been seized in D t S " - - n n e c t i o n with the recent arrest of Co^unis ts .

(Previous Reference: Cabinet 48 (25), Con­elusion 2(a) . )

2, Whitehall Gardens, S.W.1,

October 23, 1925.