“IDLE ARMY”

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 March 1940, Page 6

“IDLE ARMY”

LORD STRABOLGI CRITICAL TOO MANY UNEMPLOYED IM BRITAIN. COMPARISON MADE WITH GERMANY. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received This Dav. 11.55 a.m.) LONDON. March 5. Lord Strabolgi. in 11m House of Lords, cril wising the high level of unemployment, said Germany’s ‘mobilisation of workers and use of slave labour in Czechoslovakia was a challenge to Britain. The gre'flt idle army in Britain numbering 1.300,000 was and must be disquieting and provided material for enemy propaganda.

The tempo of the Government’s efforts was too slow, Lord Strabolgi declared. Despite the need for increased production to meet war requirements and avoid inflation, the estimated number of unemployed had actually increased by half a million on last year. There were about 600.000 registered workers available for immediate re-employment and 400.000 business and professional people without work. This was due to a maldistribution of labour. POSITION CHANGING DEMANDS OF NEW FACTORIES. EARL STANHOPE’S REPLY. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 12.10 p.m.) RUGBY. March 5. Replying in the House of Lords today for the Government, after a debate on the unemployment position, Earl Stanhope declared that when all the new factories which had been contracted for were completed. he had not the slightest doubt that the additional labour that would be required would exceed the total number now unemployed. Referring to the position in agriculture, Earl Stanhope said that our of 30,000 applications to join the Land Army, the number who had actually enrolled on January 1 was 16.650. Of 4,200 volunteers who had completed four Io eight weeks’ training, about 2,000 were now in agricultural employment. A further 250 were placed in employment but had since resigned. A further 550 resigned after training, and of the remaining 1,400 half had returned to non-agricultural work until they wore actually wanted on the land.