UNEMPLOYMENT.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17123, 19 April 1921, Page 5

UNEMPLOYMENT.

PLAIN WORDS TO BRITISH LABOUR PARTY. (jßOit X SFBOIAL COBBESPONDjnTT.) LONDON, February 24..' Correspondents from all parts of the country report that the depression in various staple trades is becoming more and more acute. Fourteen days' notices terminating their contracts have been served upon thousands of miners in South Wales, including clerical staffs. Eighteen thousand Monmouthshire miners are unempoyed, and 26,000 are under notice. A situation of the gravest posible character has arisen in the Khondda Valley with regard to unemployment. By-product plants are closing down, and fears are entertained that many of the collieries will also be closed indefinitely unless unexpected new contracts come along. Conditions are reported to be very bad in Lancashire, thousands ot workers wholly or partially unemployed. The position is rendered worse by the state of union»funds, which are nearing exhaustion in many cases. It is dwlared that very shortly over 80 per cent, of Lancashire textile trade unions will have reached the end of their resources. Those in the leading centres have already suspended contributions and benefits, ajid witJh the approaching termination of relief under the Insurance Act,' the statutory limit having been reached, the condition of thousands of opeiatives will shortly be distressing. Messrs Orampton, Ltd., shipbuilders, who were to have carried out the refit of the White Star liner Arabic, but for the intervention of trade, union officials, state that they had all tho labour necessary for that £IOO,OOO job in the town, and the statement by trade unionists that they would have to import it was quite incorrect. Since the Arabic dispute two other vessels, which were to carry a thousand emigrants, had been lost to the port, and had gone to the Continent for refit.

"Debate in the House. Unemployment was the theme in the House of Commons a few days ago, when the Labour Party moved an amendment to the Address, regretting that "in view of the serious distress consequent upon unemployment, and the lack of preparedness <m the part

of the Government to deal with' the situation, there is no mention of legislation recognising the right of the gen uine unemployed to work or adequate maintenance." The amendment was moved by Mr dynes, the new Leader of the Labour Party. "Maintenance or work—preferably work," was the burden of hie speech. But when he was closely pressed to say what his particular proposals were, he stubbornly refused to enlighten his questioners. "If the private employer cannot provide enough work," he said, "let the State do it." But he did not say who would buy the products, nor did he set any limit to the loss. Anyone could run State, factories if he had a limitless purse. Mr Clynea minimised what Ministers had done or were doing. On the whole his speech was ineffective, and did not help at all to deal with the existing situation.

The Building Trade. * During the course of his speech Mr Clynes had rashly throvyn douDt on tho existence of the 60,000 ex-Service men to whom the building unions are said to be refusing admission. He did not believe that anything like that number were anxious to enter the locked gates. "You give them the chance!" was Dr. (Minister of Labour) indignant retort, and he then proceeded to riddle the arguments adduced by these selfish unions for their recent almost unanimous rejection of the Government's oifer. They said that they had 64,222 unemployed on their booKs on February 3rd. But ■ half of .theso are labourers, and of the other half 25,000 are painters, 3500 carpenters, and 1.028 plumbers. The number of bricklayers, however, is only 238, and all these are men just changing over from one job to another. Yet there are 6576 registered vacancies for bricklayers, and the registrations would be increased live-fold if employers thought it worth wliile if) notify the jobs. Here is the crux of the whole problem. It is tho scarcity of bricklayers and plasterers which throws tens of thousands of other men out of work. Building contracts, for example, have been signed for 147.000 l'.ouses. But dperatious have only be:>n started on one-half, and even here the work is 11,000 bricklayers short. And yet the building unions still keep their doors tightly locked'l It is a perfectly shameful situation, and the Minister for Labour grew hot with indignation as ho exposed the case in all its naked ugliness. Labour simply shrugirad its shoulders. 'Dr. Macnamara declined with emphasis that the Government were resolved to fulfil their pledges to the ex-Service men, but excused himself from explaining how just now, ci.i negotiations with the unions have not been finally broken off.

Plain Truths. It was Mr Barnes, however, who exposed the hollowness of Labour's affected indignation. Tin's trusted and experienced Labour leader promised to deal faithfully with both sides, but the primary effect of his argument was to destroy the Labour disc almost in its entirety. Mr Ciynes, he said, had failed to offer any practical suggestion, and had given no indication that ho* would induce Labour itself to take its part in getting the country back to normal conditions. Mr barnes told his old friends that they were deceiving their followers when they encouraged them to build their hopes" on a renewal of trade with Russia. "There is nothing in Russia," lie said emphatically. On the point or '"Adequate maintenance," he described to the House a talk he had had with a shrewd workman who caw that one, two, or three millions of unemployed could not be maintained at full rates without a colossal burden being thrown on to the trade of the country and on those who remained at work. He plainly told the Labour Party that lack of confidence, owing to the wapton strikes of the last two years, was responsible for much of the present unemployment, and he denounced scathingly, but. still in suiet

tones, the cruel action of the building unions. Then, finally, he begged the Labour Party to act as citizens and not as members of a class, and to give up the foolish denunciation of the Government as being responsible for the present system/' and all the evil effects of capitalism. _ „ ' , , , Sater on, Mr G. H. Roberts also preached the same good, wholesome doctrine that we should not be able to compete in foreign market* until employers, and workmen got together m an atmosphere of goodwill to discover and recognise the facts of the situation. He said that he wanted to see trade lifted out of politics and away from Government control, and he also' prophesi >d that "a drastic cut.in wages" was inevitable unless there was improvement in output. V £62,000,000 in Donations.

Dr. Macnamara, in the course of his reply to Mr Clynes, revealed the tact that the number of registered^ unemployed on February 11th was 1,039,000. Of'these 368,000 are ex-Service men. About 600,000 others are on short time. The figures are very large,, though they have been larger in previous times or unemployment, but their .gravity is much accentuated by the high range ot prices. Towards meeting the problem the Government and local authorities have found work in all for about 70,000 men, including 6000 on short time in Government establishments. All the Departments have done what tihey could. but the Mhvster admitted frankly that it was very little among so many. The Government will also have spent a lnulion moro on benefits by March_3lst, owing to the amendment of the Unemployment Insurance Act, and four millions on the extension of the period or donation to ex-Service men. Since the armistice 40 milUons tiavo been spent in donations to these ex-soldiers and 22 millions to civilians.

What Revived Trade. One of the most effective speeches was that delivered by Mr George Kenwick, a shipowner at Xewcastle-on-Tyite. He said quite bluntly that they were driving, and had driven, the trade away by the continual upset of the last two* years. "I never knew such madness," 'he said. "We had the ball at our feet. We have thrown the opportunity away bv strikes and threats of strikes." He spoke of R ship which oufht to have been delivered twelve or cightceu months ago, 1 at a cost of £'>Co,ooo. It has just been finished at a cost of £350,000, and the firm which ordered it cannot afford to take it ab the price. He spoke of works of his own on which half a million had been spent being held up by lack of bricklayers on tiie new power-aouse. It was enough, he said, to make him weep to see employment for hundreds of men thrown away by wilful folly. He spbko, too, ot : the moulders' strike, and said that the effects were still with us. "That's what 'has rained your trade,\' he cried. Unemployment is rife Decause the costs of production are too high, higher than they are on the Continent, and he counselled I'ho Labour Tarty to give less of their time to conferences and running round Europe, throwing their arms round the necks of foreign comrades, who are making goods which are pouring into this country to undersell their own productions. There was no bitterness in this Breech. Mr Renwick pjeaded for co-operation between employer and employed, and said' that he for one preferred ti> pay high wages so long as a good return was given; what evidently worried him '/as the folly shown in spoiling the unexampled opportunities .which presented themselves to British indnetiy after the war.

Trade Credits. Mr Lloyd George, in reply, said thai 180.000 building contracts were let. Work on these would absorb 50,000 men"; - but the trade unions—who clamoured for this "right to work" —stood in the way. The Government were asking the builders to insist on a fair proportion of ex-Servioe men being employed.

If the "unions refused, the Government would stand by the employers in -whatever action they took. _ The people of Central Europe (he went on) were in need of our goods, machinery, and clothing, but oouldn t pay. He hoped to secure them ft supply of wool. The whole difficulty was the establishment of credit. Everybody wanted t)he Government to take the whole risks. That was not fair. Government had provided a fund of 26 millions to establish credits, and were taking 80 per cent, of the riskßj leaving only 20 per cent, to the private traders. The, Government had tried to interest the banks in this scheme./ The banks were quite'willing to come in if the Government would take all the abnormal. - risks. That was not fair, and he should feel happier if he was # quite clear there was no politics in (.heir attitude. It was very short-sighted policy on their part not to come in, because it was as much to their interest as it was to everybody else's to see that trade revived, and that the machine which had tot stuck in the slush of Europe should e started again. Up to the present they had not been willing to take any share of the abnormal risks. He earnestly appealed to the banks to take their fair share of the riiks'bf trading They were the only people who could really help. It was better for tihe Government, the manufacturers, and the banks to co-operate and increase trade than to find doleß for unemployment (Cheers.) After two days of debate the House rejected the Labour Party's Unemployment Amendment to the Address by 262 to 84.