MINISTER’S DENIAL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 42, 20 February 1939, Page 7

MINISTER’S DENIAL

NO “STANDING ARMY” UNEMPLOYED IN BRITAIN A REPLY TO LABOUR [ British Official Wireless. ] RUGBY, Feb. 17. Speaking in the debate in the House of Commons on unemployment, the Minister of Labour, Mr. Ernest Brown, denied the existence of what had been described as a standing army of 2,000,000 unemployed. Actually, when the figures in the next count were revealed, they would show that the total was not 2,000,000. Ol the total unemployed at the last count on December 5, 72 per cent, had bean

out of work for less than six weeks. The overwhelming majority was not, therefore, a “standing army.” Grants for public works last year amounted £300,000,000. There had boen a change in the number of longterm unemployed, and this must be considered gratifying. The constructive work done by the Government was having its effect, in that it was dealing now with a smaller number of long-term unemployed for years.

He reviewed the work of Government training, and expressed the hope that its success would solve the problem of long-term unemployment, namely, the lack' of training. There were 20 residential instructional centres and two non-residential. At any given time there wore 22,000 in the residential and 4000 in the nonresidential.

Employment in Home Defence. Mr. Brown proceeded to discuss the opportunities for employment in the home defence programme, including the provision at an expense of £20,000,000 of a vast amount of constructive work in strengthening basements, and the provision of domestic and communal shelters. He claimed that the Government had made great efforts to set up new industries, but a live policy of allaying tension at home and abroad and securing peace must be the best and surest way ol providing more employment for th? people. Major G. Lloyd George (Independent Liberal) urged the necessity for measures to revive tne export trade, and advocated lull inquiries into the conditions ot agriculture. Mr. Anthony Eden

referred with approval to me recent declarations by Air. Oliver Situnley and Mr. R. S. Hudson in reference to the new form of competition abroad which had to be met. If all the nations would join in putting into force the Van Zeeland report there would be a great improvement, but unfortunately some natio<ns were not yet convinced of that. He recommended the consideration of construction camps, which he believed would make an appeal to the younger unemployed, and drew attention to the success attending such a development on the United States. Four-Year Plan In Special Areas. He also advocated the extension to other areas of schemes such as those already put into operation in the special areas, and said he saw no reason by Britain could not have its own four-year plan, comprising construction camps, amenity senemes, and special housing schemes. The President of the Board of Trade, Mr. Oliver Stanley, said that the Government would like to see the Van Zeeland report operating, but, looking over the countries of the world, he did not believe that a world conference for the lowering of trade barriers could be anything but an ignominious failure. Britain s hope for the future lay in the export trade. If Britain could hold and increase it in the coming year an effective inroad would be made on unemployment. He believed the whole country was ready for a forward move if the fear of war could be removed. There were countries complaining of a shortage of raw materials which would get less if all their demands were granted than was obtainable by a stroke of the pen removing the tension they created. He believed there had been a lightening of the tension in the last few weeks.

The House defeated by 334 votes to 146 the motion moved by Mr. Arthur Greenwood regretting the continued failure of the Government either to produce definite plans for the provision of work and wages under tne present system or to initiate a policy which recognised that the problem could only be solved by the application of Socialist principles.