THE UNEMPLOYED

Hokitika Guardian, 9 November 1932, Page 5

THE UNEMPLOYED

BRITISH DEBATE

POLITICAL LEADERS’ VIEWS.

(British Offic'al Wireless.)

RUGBY, November 7.

The House of Oomit ms continued its tiiree days’ deoaie on the unemployment. Major Attlee urged the •Government to take a national view of the national crisis. It could insist that British ships be manned by Britishers, taka war-time powers to occupy land and buildings, put 300,000 unemployed on allotments, use the present cheapness of money to convert municipal loans, and save nine or ten millions a year. Dir Lloyd George strongly advocated tine development of small holdings, which employed a large amount of labour and provided training for later agricultural employment. The workers should be placed oil the soil or in occupations.

Mr Lloyd George stated that since the war, some countries had recovered 100 to 150 perl cent, of theif share of international trade, while Britain never ,gbt higher than 86. This was .partly due to the fa - fc that British braids, capital ‘ and equipment were organised for competing with industries in many parts of the world. He added: “We have only 1,200,000 unemployed, compared with Germany’s seven and a-halff millions. This is the only country in the world where the labourer is landless. It would >pay to give farmers the- unemployment dole for every additional man they employed, as this would strengthen (lie country’s food production.” Mr Ramsay MacDonald urged that they must concentrate upon the stimulation of trade, in order to create a national demand for labour. The real trouble in Britain was that it was a part of the world struck by the economic blizzard. There was very little hope of real healthy natural' trade übtil accommodations were reached for the exchange of goods. He was convinced that land must play a greater part than it hitherto had done in the schemes for assisting the unemployed'. The Government was now devising ways to assist agriculture, but that industry must prove it was using the tariffs to advance efficiency in marketing and other, directions. .

, Major Elliott (Financial Secretary to the Treasury) said the present problem of the Ministry of A,griculture was not to put more people on the land, but to keep those on already there, and prevent' people from the countryside flooding into the cities, creating a drifting unemployment with which the United States was familiar. The difficult thing was to decide how much this country could afford to produce and consume. It could not cut imports without considering how much action would affect coal and other industries. They must balance one thing against the other.

FIGURES SHOW IMPROVEMENT.

RUGBY, November 7

A substantial diminution in the number of unemployed is shown in the monthly return issued by the Ministry of Labour. Unemployed on the \ register on October 24, numbered 111,000 less than a month previously. The return shows that on October 25 there were approximately 9,397,000 insured .persons aged 16 to 24, in employment in Britain. This was 246,000 more than a month before, but 51,000 less than a year before. Of the increase siuce September 26, in the number of insured persons in .employment, .approximately half was due to the resumption of work upon the termination of the dispute in the manufacturing section? cf the cotton industry.

NEW 'SOUTH WALES CONDITIONS SYDNEY, November 8.

Mr Hawkins, Assistant-Minister of Labour, speaking in the City, said that if it had not been for the impositions, it would! be possible to give more liberal relief in cases of general distress. Official investigations disclosed recently that while the State was spending five millions per annum on relief, 29 to 25 per cent, was going to importers. The cost of social services in this State wais equal to £3 10s per head of population. In no other State did it exceed £2, The Government, in endeavouring to balance the Budget, had to choose between keeping the benefits at the lowest standard, and reaching a point at which the payments could not be met.