UNEMPLOYED IN ENGLAND.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 261, 28 October 1908, Page 2

UNEMPLOYED IN ENGLAND.

IHE (iUVUKXMKNT'S PROPOSALS APPROVED. Ivl'.il! lIARDIE'N DISSATISFACTION. MIS AJJUCE TO I liK L'NKMPU)VKI). IIIE lillilll to LIVE .MEAVs TU(-' H t(iIIX TO WOHK.I" Received 11.lu p.in." London, October 27. ill the House o: I'mumoiis, JJ r j^ c j r llnrdio, on behalf of the Independent Utbor Party, moved- -"That, whilst jvcognising the importance of ij r , j,. quilli's promise to introduce early 'legislation dealing with unemployment on a permanent basis, and welcoming lli • promise to administer with more elas- ' ticity the existing Act and provide more money, this House is of opinion that the proposals are quite inadequate to meet Ihe pressing needs of this white, and that the general unpreparedness of the country to meet the present unemployed crisis is due to the neglect of (lie Government to make provision for u stale of affairs clearly foreseen." The motion was rejected by 230 to OS. JJr. Percy Alden (Liberal and Labor member for the Tottenham Division of Middlesex) then moved the following resolution: -"The House welcomes Mr. Asquith's statement regarding the national importance of the problem of unemployment, and approves the steps proposed to deal with the matter." This was carried .by 190 to 35. llie .Speaker rejected an amendment by Air. Moulding in connection with fiscal reform on the ground that it was outside the scope oi the Government's proposals dealing with the present emergency, which narrowed the debate to the adequacy or inadequacy of the prof posals.

Mr. Alden hoped the palliatives were intended to precede real and effective blows at the causes of unemployment. Mr. Hardie endeavored to belittle the proposals. w His efforts in this direction raised protests from liberal members. Mr. Hardio went on to remark that everybody except Mr. John Burns, woo. like the old mau of the sea, had his arms round the neck of the Government, knew the present crisis waß coming, He contended that emigration was no longer available, and that there were numbers of unemployed in Canada and elsewhere. The policy of dumping our unemployed in the colony, lie said, was straining the loyalty of many of the workers there. He appealed to the Government not to leave the distribution of the grant to the Local Government Board, but to appoint a special committee from the Cabinet to supervise the spending of the money. He threatened that if the worst came to the worst he would go out among his own people and take the responsibility. The advice he gave to them was that the right to live meant the right to work. If tlicy were unemployed and unprovided for under the law, they could not be asked to obey the law.

Tiiii GOVJiKMMENT'B REPLY.

Received 28, 0.23 a.m. Loudon, October 27. Mr. Keir Hardie said the country must be shocked out of its inaction. ill*. Will, Crooks and Mr. Ramsay Mac Donald attacked the Government. Mr. John Burns, President of th®' Local Government Board, vigorously defended the Government, which, he said, was not a distress committee. The crisis was not as bad as that existing when the Employment Act was passed. Accelerating work meant the expenditure of five million pounds before Marc); next. The Ijocal Government, Board had tile best agencies for work; also it was better acquainted with the deserving than a central body could be: Mr. Bums expressed surprise at the Opposition mentioning the system, introduced in 100(1. allowing a maximum of 10,000 reservists to go to the colonies without forfeiting their pensions, adding that there were now 0300 in the colonies.

Mr. Balfour strongly complained of the refusal of the Government for a two days' debate. Referring to the unfit labor employed on special relief works, he described this as contrary to free-trade principles, inasmuch as the Government was buying the wont goods in the dearest market. The Premier (Mr. 11. H. Asqulth) defended th*> proposals, which, he said, gave within their immediate resources the widest and most effective relief at a minimum of risk, demoralisation, and humiliation.