QUESTION OF THE UNEMPLOYED.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXIX, Issue 7725, 19 February 1909, Page 4

QUESTION OF THE UNEMPLOYED.

Per Press Association.—Copyright.

LONDON, February 18. Notice of thirty amendments to the Address-in-Reply has been given. Mr Barnes, Labour member for Glasgow, m dealing with the inadequate proposals regarding unemployment, declared that the twin causes were private ownership of land and capitalism. He demanded land taxation, the nationalisation of canals and railways, shorter hours of labour, and passionately declared: " I would rather be outside the House if time is wasted. The Labour party would be better employed rousing the country." Mr John Burns, m an emphatic speech, which aroused much dissent, attributed unemployment to violent fluctuations of industry among engineers, shipbuilders, boiler-makers and the building trade, and the difficulty of dealing witli unorganised unskilled labourers. If a tithe of the money spent m drink were spent m insuring against unemployment much misery would be saved. The Government was considering the afforestation report, and would deal with the Poor Law Commission this session. The new Irish Land Bill, by preventing the annual influx of forty or fifty thousand Irish labourers into the north of England, would do much. The amendment of the Old Ago Pensions Act would involve an expenditure of a further three or four millions. Mr Will Crooks described the King's Speech as all window-dressing. Labour exchanges were a bogey, useful only for a few clerks. Unless the Government dealt wih unemployment this session the Labour party would raise such a campaign that tho Government would be sorry for its great betrayal of starving people. Mr Winston Churchill said that the Labour Exchanges were a gateway to industrial security.. Unemployment insurance would follow later, and afforestation and Sweated Industries Boards would be helps. Tariff reform as a solution was a mockery, an irrelevance and an impertinencel. Tho amendment was defeated by 205 against 101.