The Guardian (And Evening Star, with which is incorporator the West Coast Times.) FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7th, 1923. THE BRITISH ELECTIONS.

Hokitika Guardian, 7 December 1923, Page 2

The Guardian (And Evening Star, with which is incorporator the West Coast Times.) FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7th, 1923. THE BRITISH ELECTIONS.

) Tin-: I’nitod Kingdom is to-day in the 3 throes of the greatest political contest 3 since pre-war times. During the war j period we had khaki elections, as also j “win the. war” elections; and after the ) war, coalition elections to win the ) peace. Now the necessities of the war 3 and its aftermath from a national polij tica.l viewpoint, have petered out, and j in place there are the conditions that a T. been, created by the con sequences > < f the war. The dislocation of trade 1 and commerce, together with the reJ adjustment of industry after the period of upheaval, have created a state of unemployment which i;s not only costing I the nations millions of money, hut which is it most disturbing factor in | the domestic outlook. Few- realise what j unemployment relief is costing Great I Britain. And really the monetary outIlay is tho least serious matter for reflection. The grave position is the unrest among the millions affected, I am! the trend of national thought towards a possible upheuvul as a means to I escape the thraldom of unemployment. I About the middle of October, a London financial journal published the fo]- . lowing remarkable .statement as to what unemployment relief was costing the British taxpayers. The paper said: i "‘Extended Government plans for the I ivlief of unemployment were outlined I by Sir Montague Barlow, Minister ot [ Labour. Altogether the new expendiI turn for work amounts to about £50,000,000, included in which is ail additional £10.000,000 for grants by Lord St. Davids’ Committee. making I £20.000,000 ill all, while for roads and bridges development an expenditure of £ t-1,600,000 has been sanctioned. Bailwav and other private companies aro contemplating large schemes to absorb further labour, and the acceleration of Admiralty ami War Office work and Crown Colony land development aro being arranged. The 'Export Credit programme still allows of some £16.000009 of risk being undertaken in pioper oases, and an additional £12,000,000 I as been provided under tho Trade Facilities scheme.” An amount of moTtey so great as that aggregated in the foregoing, indicates what a very present financial danger unemployment at Dome is. AVith the figures just quote-*, in mind it is not difficult to realise- Row anxious Premier Baldwin is to escape from such a financial entanglement as .unemployment which, with its doles, surrounds the Government. His panacea is a modicum of protection where- ' bv it will he possible to foster latent industries and expand others which ( under a fnvora.h]c taiiff will lie able + o compete with the foreign article nowgoing into Britain and underselling the ; local manufactured article. Mr Bald- ] win’s policy is very immature—,-pvobah- f ly so for tactical reasons. He tvouid ; net be- anxious t-o disclose his financial j prapofialfi in advivWT, Th>v{ pan of £

course be understood. He recognises, too, that he is attacking the settled policy of England for decades and lie must move warily, lint- at least he is piopoutidiiig a- definite piinciple, and is lmiking a direct attack against the established Dee. trade policy of the country. This Ini' brought the two political panics of ancient opposition times into direct conflict again. The old of war times is severed. It seems stiangc that with the national interests at stake as much now as in war time, the common desire, tor .sell preservation is not as strong as it was when a visible enemy was openly at the gat-es. The enemy is at the gates again. Hut it is an unseen combatant, v.ho cannot lu* visualised or individualised. So the great masters ol the political schui l.s are boxing seriously with each other. They are fighting on thousands of platforms, giving and taking hard hitting in the endeavour mi l desire to sway public thinking to tlieii own ideas ol what is right and proper.