UNEMPLOYMENT IN BRITAIN.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17418, 31 March 1922, Page 7

UNEMPLOYMENT IN BRITAIN.

THE INSURANCE BILL.

PEEATE IK HOUSE/or COMMONS. (Bj Olble—Prees Association—Copyright.) (Aurtralian and N.Z. Cable Association.) LONDON, March 29. " In the House of Commons, the Minister of Labour, Dr. T. J. Macnamara, moving the second reading of "the Unemployment Insurance Bill, said that since .January 10th the number of totally unemployed had fallen from 1,934,000 to 1,762,000, and of partially unemployed from 803)900 to 236,000, but the engineering and shipbuilding dispute ■uhreatened to throw the country back. There should be a resolute determination to settle the dispute equitably, in order to take the fullest advantage of the turn in the commercial tide. The new Bill was necessary to continue the unemployment doles of lfis a week for each man and 12s for each woman, together with os for each man's wife and Is ffi- each child. The Bill provided for fifteen weeks' benefits to the end of October, in three instalments of five weeks each, with gaps of five weeks betwoen.

Dr. Macnamara told a questioner in the House of Commons that tho total unemployment benefits paid by the Government amounted to £16,900,000 in 1920, £62,500,000 in 1921, and for the first 'quarter of 1922 the estimated amount was £16,500,000.

Mr J- H. Thomas (Labour, Derby) explained that while the Labour Party supported the Unemployment Insurance Bill, he wished to reaffirm their protesta against this method of dealing with unemployment A change of Government could not solve the unemployment problem. It was an international problem. , Mr Austen Hopkinson (Co. Liberal, Mossley) moved the rejection of the Bill. Like many quack remedies, ho said, it only added to the gravity of the disease. After a debate, the Bill was read a second time without a division.