BRITAIN'S UNEMPLOYED

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 219, 13 September 1923, Page 5

BRITAIN'S UNEMPLOYED

! . . SUGGESTED PANACEA. GREATER EFFICIENCY. HIGHER WAGES. (By Cable.—Press Association—Copyright.) (Receitrd V2.?,0 p.ia.i ; LONDON', September 12. j The Right Hon. C. A. McCurdy, K.C., 1 M.P., in the first of a .-pries of articles in the "Daily Chronicle" on unemployment, says there are 1,300,000 unemployed in Britain, excluding farm labourers, domestics, youths, and girls. He declares: "Nobody seems to lie bothering about the matter. The 'ioverument is providing a few more, doles, hut no constructive proposal is offered." I Mr. McCurdy compares this with ■Franco"? policy of assisting rehabilitation of manufactures, and points out that in the United .States the working man is getting double British wages, not by working longer hours, but because the imiustrial organisation is far ahead of the British. If Britain is to maintain her position as a manufacturing nation she must increase her productive oapa- , city and industrial efficiency within a (.■eneration. , Mr. McCurdy says: "We ought <<> raise the British worker:.' standard of life to the American standard. Our policy should he £1 a day for the British worker, with the assurance that n shnll get value for it. That alone would mean doubling the Home market. We. must raise wages and reduce tlic cost of production. AVithoiit increased vvajreH no great industry ever increased its production."—(A.' and XX Cable.) The Minister of Labour lately outlined hi the House of Commons tho plans whien the Government has so far settled for dealing with the evil of unemployment during the coming winter. Schemes proposed, and amounts to lie spent, include the following: — Ministry of Transport.—Schemes costing £7,5011,000, giving a full year's work for 27.000 men. Post Office.—Two schemes, at a cost of £500,000. Admiralty.—Requirements for lf>24-2."> to be anticipated to the cxient of £500,000. War Office, Air Ministry, and Colonial Office.—Acceleration of programmes where possible. Unemployed Grants Committee. —'Provision macje fur rather more than £2.000,000 worth of work. Financial provision for work during , the coming winter is to he made on tin , same lines as before, with a new scheme of financial co-operation between the revenue and non-revenue producing proposals, which, it is hoped, will he n real hel}> to local authorities. The provision made for schemes submitted by BUeh bodies is up to £10.000,000. and it is estimated that work for 300,000 men will result.