INDUSTRIAL BRITAIN

Evening Star, Issue 20135, 27 March 1929, Page 6

INDUSTRIAL BRITAIN

THE UNEMPLOYMENT ISSUE DISCUSSION IN COMMONS Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright, LONDON, Maid. I’d. in tho J louse ol Commons Mr 1). 1L Grenfell CLabour) moved an amendment to the Civil Kslimates as a protest against tlic Government's unemployinent policy. He asserted that tlio seven-hour day was tho chief cause of unemployment in the mining industry, and those who were out of work were being driven to vagabondage, degradation. and demoralisation. 'They had failed to receive a welcome in Canada, where those departing outnumbered the immigrants. Canada and Australia, before settlement by whites, maintained few people because thy were hard countries to live in. Sir Arthur Steel-Maitland, in replying. criticised the absence ol Mr J.lovd George in view of the latter’s grandiose pledge to cure unemployment. Since the Government had been in office unemployment had been reduced from JO.!) per cent, to ,10. d. Mr Lloyd George's schemes were absolutely impossible. Neither of the Opposition parties’ projects went to the root of unemployment, which was chieti.y due to a tailing off in emigration, which throw an extra ,'-DU.OOO or 4.1)0,1)00 persons cm the labour market, and the decline in foreign trade, which was responsible for 700,000 to 800,000 people being out of work. The amendment was defeated.—Australian Press Association-United Ser-