RIGHT TO WORK BILL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 497, 3 May 1909, Page 7

RIGHT TO WORK BILL.

; \ ' ,; REJECTED IN COMMONS. ,' ; : ; .';/:' |DI TKnECUAMI—ritESS ASSOCIATION—coriiiaHT.) '. /'::> -.(Bee. May 2, 4.30 p.m.) : : i. : . London r May 1. /■■■Via-the House of Commons the Labour party's' Eight to Work Bill was rejected on its ..second reading.- : The division, was as follows:— ' ■.' .',;'. ' j . . fV'; Against, the; Bill : ; ..; / •'.„•'■ 228'-'•■.'"■ f ■•"' ' ••'• : -. n s, "'■':■. Majority against •.....„' 113 .'■■■ i.Th'e. President of the Board.of Trade/Mr/ John Burns, strongly; opposed the Bill.:■ i LABOUR'S; DEFENCE OF THE BILL.;'' . -The. Labour parvy's Eight to Work Bill was ' rejepted on-its second reading last year after : a memorable debate. Mr. Ramsay llacdonald, ' am. w^ u " knolv ' n 'Labour member, writes:— the labour '.party,, recognising that palliatives ; only stave oft ;• the evil for a time, and seeing that insurance lis impossible for very large numbers of workpeople, impose upon the btate the responsibility of providing .work for the unemployed, ;;• and their. Eight to Work ■mi dmi •P, .wrgoly in' recent controversy. •7m. } been'much misrepresented.' _ -It does not recognise the right of a man to ; '■ Select what work suits him. It assumes a difficultv m providing work, and.creates the'best possible machinery-local distress committees an advisory:body of experts at Whitehall can be either national or local, or both; The J genuinely unemployed.man will then register " himself and '.his case will-be inquired into. 1 If a form of out-relief is best for him and is necessary, he.will have it. This would bo given in practice,'no doubt, oh condition that < the.. man submitted ■to ■ some • educational dis- ■ oiphne during his unemployed period, so that \ he-would emerge from it letter than he entered it. Or the-proposal might bo made part of (( au insurance scheme, -\ ... '.'No;.shirking...would be tolerated! Shirking ] is possiblo only on temporary relief. works" < wnica--are closed beforo they are properly or- < gamsed.. A clause; in the Bill also provides. : that if a man mil not work he.may be sen- l tenced to a working colony: The full Bill - with comments on its various provisions, has \ been published by the Independent labour , party The Eight to Work proposal has been ' ifora long time the special proposal of Social- ' ists,.but : it,has now been accepted, by the Trade Union Congress, the Labour Party'An- ' nual- Conference, -and every important [lathering of organised labour.", •'■-..''■.,■