ADVERSE MOTION

Southland Times, Issue 21096, 30 May 1930, Page 7

ADVERSE MOTION

HOUSE OF COMMONS

GOVERNMENT SURVIVES

UNEMPLOYMENT DEBATE

MAJORITY OF 29 VOTES

(British Official Wireless.)

(Rec. 5.5 p.m.) Rugby, May 28. The debate on unemployment in the House of Commons was opened by Mr Baldwin, who moved to reduce the salary of Mr J. H. Thomas, Lord Privy Seal, who has been in charge of unemployment. Mr Baldwin declared that anything less drastic than duties for safeguarding of industries would not meet the case. He agreed that high tariffs were a bar to business, but they could not get those tariffs reduced while the British market was the dumping ground to which all cheap goods could be sent. The safeguarding of home markets was the essential basis for the development, of markets within the Empire. A reduction in foreign tariffs had resulted from bargaining between one protected country and another. < Mr MacDonald declared that in countries under protection unemployment figures had mounted more rapidly than was the case here. Twelve months ago the problem was one of home conditions in relation to normal foreign markets. That was not the problem to-day. Let them take any industrial country and it would be found that world causes had knocked the bottom out of prices, and every country dependent on export trade had suffered. He instanced Germany, where the unemployment figures had risen from 1,700,000 to 2,700,000, and the United States, which a year ago had practically no unemployed and where there were now between 5,000,000 and 6,000,000. They were facing a totally new problem, ■and the Lord Privy Seal, Mr Thomas, had done an enormous amount of work to relieve the situation.

Temporary Depression. Mr MacDonald detailed some of the schemes put in hand, and asked if they could not, in the face of the special growth of unemployment, undertake emergency measures to tide over a period which every authority which had been consulted agreed was temporary. As soon as confidence was re-established orders now withheld would be placed, and they were just aS likely to have a period of immediate boom. In the provision of large schemes municipalities were held up sometimes by technical difficulties, and he asked if the parties in the House of Commons could not join in the measures to expedite such work. Municipalities also might be encouraged to do more than at present, and the Government proposed to summon a conference of representatives of municipal authorities. The question of unemployment might' well become a subject for co-operative action. Mr MacDonald, in appealing for the cooperation of the parties to expedite unemployment schemes, emphasized the fact that the Government could not join in safeguarding. Sir Oswald Mosley's Views. Sir Oswald Mosley, who recently resigned from the Ministry, said that in order to grapple with unemployment it was necessary to have a revolution in the machinery of government. The Government bound itself largely to nationalization, but this would not be a cure nor would the expansion of exports. The money which the Government was now providing to meet unemployment was scarcely more than the programme of the late Conservative Government.

Mr Lloyd George congratulated Sir Oswald Mosley on his powerful speech. The Chancellor need not be afraid about his conversion loan. If the country was engaged in military operations it could raise thousand of millions; indeed, the country was now spending £100,000,000 per year on armaments. He agreed that the problem should not be treated as a party matter. Mr Churchill said he favoured a wisely extended policy of safeguarding or tariff for revenue, particularly on the more highly finished forms of manufacture. The real permanent hope of industry lay in reconstruction, re-equipment and rationalization, which would make factories more efficient and give them a fair chance in export markets. It would be sheer madness to raise 2200,000,000 for unemployment without first formulating definite schemes. Liberals Abstain From Voting. The adverse amendment moved by Mr Baldwin was defeated by 270 votes to 241. When the division was taken Messrs J. Maxton, D. Kirkwood, A. Fenner Brockway, G. Buchanan and C. Strephen, all Labour members, remained seated. Most of the Liberals also abstained from voting. The majority of 29 was just about what had been expected. The Government was never in any sense in danger during the debate.

There was general agreement that Sir Oswald Mosley’s speech was a personal triumph.