ALFRED MORITZ MOND, BARON (1868-1930), British politician, was born at Farnworth, near Widnes, Lancs. on Oct. 23, 1868, the son of the famous chemist Ludwig Mond (q.v.). He was educated at Cheltenham and St. John's college, Cambridge, and afterwards at Edinburgh Univer sity. In 1894 he was called to the bar, and afterwards joined the North Wales and Chester circuit. He entered the firm of Brunner, Mond and Co., becoming a director in 1895, and subsequently chairman of the Mond Nickel Co. and a director of the South Staffordshire Mond Gas Co. and various other companies. He was elected to Parliament in 1906 as Liberal member for Chester, los ing his seat in 1910, but the same year was elected for Swansea and created a baronet. In 1913 he was sworn of the privy council. On the formation of Lloyd George's Ministry in 1916 Alfred Mond became first commissioner of works, and in 1921 minister of health. He lost his seat at the general election of 1923, but was returned for Carmarthen in October 1924. In January 1926, owing
to his profound disagreement with the principles embodied in Lloyd George's land policy, Alfred Mond seceded from the Liberal party and transferred his allegiance to the Conservative party. Mond was created a peer, with the title of Baron Melchett in 1928. In 1928, he organized the "Mond Conference," at which problems relating to industrial reorganization and industrial rela tions were discussed by a group of employers, headed by Lord Melchett, and the T.U.C. General Council. The first report of the Conference, which appeared in July, 1928, embodied a pro posal for the establishment of a National Industrial Council, whose functions would be to further Britain's industrial progress, (a) by consultation, (b) by the establishment of suitable machinery for research and conciliation. He published many articles on the alkali trade in scientific and economic journals, besides a volume of essays, Questions of To-day and To-morrow (1912).