THE DOLE.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18899, 14 January 1927, Page 8

THE DOLE.

DEPENDENCE ON STATE, SLACKNESS IN ENGLANfi. "The working classes in many parts of England and Scotland appear to bo j losing their independence ami lo be content to subsist oii the dole," said Dr. ll 1\ G. Gibson to a representative of The Pbes? yesterday, when speaking of his observations in the Old Couu- f try during the' past few months. "The 8( younger men are the chief offenders in * this respect," he' ftiid, "and they ore C satisfied io dopend on what they can Z obtain Without working, particularly if t' it comos from the State. A generation ii has grown up which will not work if it can possibly avoid it, and the economic y system is in a very difficult position. Of course, the English workman is oho of . th© best in the world if he is in em- j ployrrient, but it appears that the young ' men are not being absorbed." c Dr. Gibson arrived in England at the " end of May of last year, during the * aftermath of the general strike, and he | heard numerous stories of the humour ' and philosophy of tho pooplo during c that crisis. Ho found that it was the ' forco of public opinion which broko up y the strike, aided by the policy of the r strikers in muzzling thn Press. This « action, contrary to their expectations, J alienated the sympathies of the people. j The coal strike was in progress all the ' timo he was in tho country, and the | general feeling was that it would have • been stopped i.ad Mr Baldwin's policy ; of non-interference been observed, and that it Was due it the efforts of Mr Winston Churchill and the clergy, who h&d a sentimental interest in wishing to brihg it to a close, that the situation prevailed for so 16ng. One good aspect of the strike was that there . was ft clarltv of atmosphere in London that was almost unknown, and more blue sky and sunshine than ever in times of industrial prosperity. An instance of this was the manner in Which curtains arid collars remained clcnu for a longer period. In Notts, there wore.ft great many men on strike, but the feeling was that most of them would rather have been at work. Most of the bitterness was to be felt in Wales and tho Midlands, where the strikers were hostile to everyone who wished to work, and, indeed, to everybody in general. Care of' Children. j "The children were better nourished | than ever before," continued the doc , tor, '' and in Stifling and Perth I sa\V I Bcho6l children lined up and served with j two good meals a day. in London the j alum areas are' n great deal cleared up, j particularly in the region of Guy's Hospital, a, district with which I was vory | familiar. In 1906 it was-the exception I to see a, child with boots on, whereas now they all ha-Ve them. Here, too, , the children were' better nourished, and the milk supply is tun on A, splendid system. During the strike the management of the milk supply was little short of marvellous. There was a. head depot in Hyde Park, and the tfansp6rtation was remarkable. New Wide streets have been out through the old slum areas, and this has had a great, enfiiit in tho cleaning up 6f tho bad loGftllThe theatres, hotels, and shops ot ; London were all crowded, said Dr. Gibson, and it was apparent that tho women from the suburbs now enmo" to ' the city to do their shopping. • the in« ' creaßod facilities for transportation had ' made that possible, and the women filled 1 up the shop? and the picture houses iu\ the afternoons. The theatres wore 1 crowded, but the people in the' stalls. 1 seemed to bo of a different type front ! what they were in years gone by. They ' were more careless in their dress, and " there was not the same atte'ntidn dis- [ played. . v