Club Member

One thing Britain's House of Commons agreed upon was that Production Minister Oliver Lyttelton's second speech was not as bad as the first one. The first one was terrible.

Captain Lyttelton's maiden ministerial speech, on March 24, was so contradictory, so shocking in its bald admission of things undone that one M.P. demanded his impeachment. Last week M.P.s were still bored by the Minister's indecisive presentation, but they perked up their ears at what he had to say:

>> "We have now reached the point in the mobilization of our people where we cannot increase production by cutting our civilian consumption. But we can improve production by better planning, better design and greater openness of mind."

>> Since June 7, a Joint War Production Staff has provided a means of proportionate allotment of national production between too-often loggerheaded naval, army, air and civilian requirements. U.S. and British production also has been integrated. Example: the U.S. is to supply uniforms for British troops in the Middle East, while Britain makes uniforms for U.S. soldiers in the United Kingdom.

This was encouraging. Nevertheless, the left-wings kept shouting about "vested interests." Over the ominous British and U.S. shipping losses they repeated their old refrain. Emanuel Shinwell charged that British shipbuilders have mucked up production by insisting on types of ships with the greatest possible post-war commercial value. At week's end the Government took the debate into a secret session amid cries of "No, No."

Left-wing view is that, while the Government has made some concessions to radical thought, it keeps control in the hands of men it can trust. Increasingly such trust has been centered in a Churchillian inner group ("The Club"), of which Captain Lyttelton is a representative member.

Yes & No. Tall, toothy, socially charming Captain Lyttelton has oversize shoulders and an expanding paunch which he overemphasizes by wearing double-breasted waistcoats. His mother is a Dame of the British Empire. His father was a Cabinet minister. After Eton young Lyttelton went to Cambridge. He married Lady Moira Godolphin Osborne, fourth daughter of the tenth Duke of Leeds. As an Empire businessman trained in London's City, Captain Lyttelton fathered the world tin cartel, became managing director of giant British Metal Corp.

Drafted, willingly, into political life at 46, Captain Lyttelton was first Metals Controller, moved through chairmanship of the Board of Trade to Production Minister. Because Britain needed men of ability and know-how, he was talked of as a progressive Tory candidate for Prime Minister. He spoke progressively, acted like a hard hitter. But last week Lyttelton's career was stalling. He had not yet shown those qualities--whatever they are--that make an Englishman love a Tory.

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