Cylchgronau Cymru

primarily upon his parliamentary duties. Much of his time and energies were inevitably channelled into his lucrative directorship with Lever Brothers. But he did play an important part in drawing the attention of the Ministries at Westminster to the problems of poverty and deprivation in rural Wales.72 The attempt to minimise the hardships and sufferings of Montgomeryshire and similar counties became one of the central themes of his career. At the end of 1934, the Montgomeryshire Express could justifiably thank Davies for his 'continued interest in the county', for, 'No reasonable appeal for his assistance in the affairs of Montgomeryshire has been turned down'.73 Some months later the paper appealed for his re-election to Westminster if only because of his 'yeoman service to the county and to Wales'.74 He served as an effective liason officer between the local authorities in his native county and the Westminster Parliament. The climax of his work for Wales came in the second half of the 1930s with the campaign for the appointment of a Welsh Secretary of State and, more particularly, with his chairmanship of a Committee of Inquiry to investigate tubercolosis in Wales.75 When the so-called National Government decided to appeal to the electorate again in 1935, there seemed little prospect of a contested election in Montgomeryshire. The local organization of the Conservatives had all but collapsed. But doubt surrounded clement Davies's intentions. His health was far from robust and his commitment to Lever Brothers was so onerous that retirement from politics was inevitably an attractive prospect. Sir John Simon was anxious that he should remain in Parliament. 'You know how warm and indeed affectionate is my regard for him', he wrote to Mrs. Jano Clement-Davies, 'I should deplore his giving up: he can hold Montgomeryshire & a successor might not; we appreciate his companionship & he is too good a colleague to lose'.76 Sir Henry Morris-Jones recalled that Davies 'gave very effective support to Sir John Simon, particularly at our party meetings', where his knowledge of Commercial Law and 'legal economics' proved of great value.77 In the face of this pressure brought upon him to stand for re-election, Davies consented. But his re-nomination by the Montgomeryshire Liberal Association was not achieved as readily as he might have expected. At a meeting of the Association's Executive Committee on 21 September 1935, a number of local delegates expressed their concern at the apathy and inertia which characterized local political life. Much the most forthright attack came from G. F. Hamer, the Llanidloes representative, who described the town as 'politically dead'. He proceeded, 'The general Liberals of Llanidloes oppose Mr. Davies's relationship to the National Government'.78 Many claimed to be impressed by the meetings held in their localities by Lloyd George's Council of Action and expressed concern at the paucity of Davies's political speeches and appearances in his constituency. Although a motion was carried to the effect that the Executive recorded its 'continued con- fidence in [Davies] as a convinced Liberal" 71 it had become evident that a substantial minority was uneasy over his relationship with the National Government. 72See David M. Roberts, 'Clement Davies and the fall of Neville Chamberlain, 1939-40', Welsh History Review, Vol. VIII, no. 2 (December 1976), p. 189-91. 73Montgomeryshire Express, 29 December 1934. 74Ibid., 17 August 1935. 75Roberts, loc. cit., p. 189-90. 1 hope to examine this Committee of Inquiry in a future article in the National Library of Wales Journal. 76N.L.W., Clement Davies papers J25/1:: Sir John Simon to Mrs. Jano Clement-Davies, 30 May 1935. 71 Ibid., T5/32. 78Montgomeryshire Liberal Association, Newtown, Mont. Lib. Assoc. minute book, 1920-60, Executive Committee minutes, 21 September 1935. "Ibid.