“EVERY PLEDGE BROKEN”

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 511, 14 November 1928, Page 9

“EVERY PLEDGE BROKEN”

BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND UNEMPLOYED LABOUR AMENDMENT LOST fAustralian aml N.Z. Press Association) (United Service) LONDON, Monday. The House of Commons to-day resumed the debate on the amendment to the Address-in-Reply to the King’s Speech, moved by Mr. J. R. Clynes, Labour member for Platting, Manchester. on behalf of the Labour Party, regretting that, although the Government had had four years of office, the country was burdened with unemployment in a more acute form. The Leader of the Labour Party, Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, said the Government had broken every pledge it gave regarding unemployment. It was now trying to flounder out of the morass it had created. Mr. Churchill had talked a lot about migration, but what had been done? Four years had been wasted. The Government had acted as though the pressure of unemployment did not exist. Then at the last minute it outlined a programme of public works that was ineffective, migration promises that had not been thought out, and transfer of labour proposals that were quite inadequate. OUTLOOK IMPROVING The Secretary of State for War, Sir Laming Worthington-Evans, replying to Mr. MacDonald, said he had not offered one single suggestion that would give a day’s work to one single unemployed man. Unemployment had declined each month until the general strike came. Sir Laming denied that the Government was proposing to use the Dominions as a dumping ground for unemployable persons. It was trying to help capable workers to find new homes overseas. Lord Lovat, chairman of the Overseas Settlement Committee, had done a great work in Canada, The fact that 53,000 migrants had established their homes in Canada last year showed that there were great possibilities. The general outlook was improving. The relations between capital and labour were better. Peace at home and abroad seemed to be secure. The nations had balanced their budgets and stabilised their currencies, and wealth was being re-created. The world’s trade ought shortly to revive. Mr. Clyne’s amendment was rejected by 321 votes to 151.