Unemployment

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 59, Issue 34, 12 March 1930, Page 8

Unemployment

(British Official Wireless.)

UNIVERSAL" PR0BLEM Siump In Primary Produce Blamed ENGLISH DEBATE,

RUGBY, March 10. This afternoo'n Mr Lloyd George raised a debate in the House of Commons on the question ef unemployment. Added interest was given to tKis debate by a statement from the Liberal Party headquarters, which, referring to the intention to challenge the Governmens, said, "The period of ignoring this question is now definitely at an end." Mr Lloyd George pointed out that the unemployed figures had increased from 1,100,000 to over 1,500,000 since Labour had been in office. We could not get below the present figures unless " a hold and definite policy • were adopted. Even assuming that all the merits of the tariff issue were on the side of the Conservatives, he did Tiot know whether Mr MacDonald wanted a dissolution, but he advised him not to seek it with a million and a-half unemployed. SQUARING DOMINIONS. The. Conservatives' plan depended on ari effective majority. Squaring the dominions was not as easy as squaring Lord Beavefbrook. By scaring him they could not scare the dommions Even a referendum meant time. He pointed out 'that Britain was lagging hehind agriculturally, , electrically and lp road traffic improvement. ' Mr Lloyd George ihaintained that the time had" come for a very candid and serious review of the^ whole position, not so much' in a spirit of criticism or censure, hut if possible. in a spirit of helpfulness, and, if he might call it so, m a spirit of converting the House into a council of state. He thought the House of Commons ought to shoulder its supreme responsihility in the matter and insist on action' being taken. Everyone would admit that the Minister in charge of the unemployment problem had worked hard. but so far as his remedies were conoerned he had taken too narroiv liihfts in the broad view of his responsibilities. He advocated a big scheme of road development as the most useful( means of employirig labour. TRADE REACTIONj BLAMED. Mr Thomas, replymg, admitted that the unemployment figures were had,but th? Government was In 110 way responsihle, There was 9. world reaction in trade. Germany had 3.258,000 unemployed ; Italy had 408,000 wholly and 21,000 partly unemployed; in America one Senator spoke of 6,000,000 unemployed and another put the figure at 3,000,000. ... " Based on the same data as our figures, Mr Thomas believed the American figure would he nearer 6,000,000. The real cause of our abnormal situation was the slump in raw material For the past six months cotton had been falling, with the result that no manufacturer woqld take the responsibility of giving orders. Compared with twelve months ago, there was an increase in Lancashire alone of 146,000 unemployed. THE WOOL TRADE. What was the state of cotton was equally true of wool. It was also true of silver. He pointed out the repercussion of' the drop in the price of silver on the Lancashire cotton trade, which bought raw material on a gold basis and sold manufactured articles to countries on the silver standard, with a rfesulting depreciation of £30 in everv £1000. Reperc(ussions of the recent American slump were also being' felt here. We were' feeling -tlie feffcts of the hew Australian tariff. * Mr* Thomas- gave an account of schemes already sanctioned by his department- to provide employment". ■ ' ' . . * - They involved £56,000,000 ; in developing . railways, _ docks • and harbours, water supplies, electricity and roads. There were factors, however, which gave eneouragement. He believed the reduction in the bank rate would be helpful, and he pointed to * the better aspect of the shipbuilding industry, which produced last year 56 per cent of tlie world tonnage and showerl a decrease of 8000 unemployed far the vear. Mr Thomas referred to a citv firm's circular advising peonle to transfer thejr money abroad. "I say any one guilty of that conduct onght himself to leave the country. It would he hetter withouthim." (Cheers). MEMBERS SURPRISED. Memhers of the House of Commons, surprised at the moderatkm of Mr Lloyd George's speech, are asking what has happened to change his tone. There are no signs of relentless attack against the Labour Government. On the contrary. whilea urging _ Mr Thomas to strong action he pointed out that Britain was not a crumbling nation. We still had the biggest export trade,: the masses of the people were hetter off than ever, and retail trade was doing well. As a result the debate fizzled out. It is disclosed that he sent a messace to a meeting of Liberal memhers later to discuss tactics on the Coal Mines Bill to-dav. saying he was suffering from a chill.