§ 51. Mr. Liddallasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that further attempts to secure future stability in the cost of living by subsidies from taxation and loans creates, eventually, the injurious effects of inflation; and if he will now, therefore, begin to operate the alternative plans based on a policy of national stabilisation of wages so as to avoid hurried remedial action at the last moment?
§ 52. Sir Reginald Blairasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is the policy of His Majesty's Government to stabilise wages in the endeavour to give effect to the expressed intention of His Majesty's Government to secure the greatest possible stability in the cost of living; and what has been done in that direction?
§ Sir K. WoodI believe that the country generally is alive to the dangers of inflation and the destruction of wage standards which would be its inevitable consequence. The policy of the Government, as was explained at length in my Budget Speech, is to guard against such dangers by a variety of measures, and in particular, to create conditions to enable the wages situation to be held about where it then was. The Government propose to maintain that policy.