A National Burden

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 280, 16 February 1928, Page 12

A National Burden

UNEMPLOYMENT PROBLEM ADDRESS-IN-REPLY ADOPTED By Cable.—Press Association. — Copyright. LONDON, Tuesday. The debate on the Address-in-Reply was resumed to-day in the House of Commons. Mr. E. A. Harney, K.C., Liberal member for South Shields, moved his party’s amendment. j r PHIS expressed regret that the j King's Speech did not contain any | indication that the Government appreciates the hardships of social and industrial life, or contemplates their amelioration by measures for the development of the national resources, the provision of work for the unemployed, or a solution of the slum problem. The mover described the policy of the Government as one of “Trust in God and do nothing.” Everything else could wait, but young women must have the vote. Instead of spending money to relieve unemployment, the Government had gene to the opposite extreme. Last year the Chancellor of the Exchequer had raided the Road Fund to the extent of £20,000,000, a sum which would have given steady occupation to 130,000 men for a year. The poor law system was breaking down. In the black areas a sum of £50,000,000 out of £150,000,000 was paid from the rates. Unemployment ought to be made a national burden.

LLOYD GEORGE’S ACCUSATION The Leader of the Liberal Party, Mr. Lloyd George, accused the Prime Minister, Mr. Baldwin, of not having faced the facts about the trade situation, and of not even mentioning agriculture. If Britain’s export trade had made the same progress since the war as It did from 1900; to 1913 the present export quantities would be 130 per cent, of the 1913 figures. But they were actually only 80 per cent.

Before the war Britain advanced from £200,000,000 to £300,000,000 a year to the Dominions, colonies and foreign countries. This came back in the shape of purchases of goods. The United States .was now making the loans and taking a corresponding share of the orders. The situation was not irreparable. The first need was for a sort of economic general staff to investigate trade problems as a whole. Industry must be partially relieved from the crippling burden of rates and agricultural production must be increased, because the foodstuffs which could be produced at Home were now one of Britain's largest Import Items. AMENDMENT DEFEATED Mr. Churchill characterised Mr. Lloyd George’s speech as a marshalling of admitted and disquieting facts, and then recommending as a remedy the Liberal Party’s recent Yellow Book on Industry. Throughout the existence of this Government it had contributed to the relief of local burdens to an extent never before witnessed. Moreover, under the heads of old age, widows’ and orphans’ pensions, education and health services and housing, the Government had provided £17,000,000 a year, which was not provided when it took office. Regarding the relief of rates everything depended upon the state of the finances at Budget time. The Government had a series of legislative and administrative propositions prepared, but Mr. Churchill said he believed it would be better to wait to operate them until they could be used as a lever, not as a sop. The amendment was defeated by 310 votes to 140, and the Address-in-Reply was adopted.—A. and N.Z.-Sun.