MEANS TEST.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 250, 21 October 1932, Page 7

MEANS TEST.

GRIEVANCES OF IDLE.

Labour Supports the Right

To Demonstrate.

MR. MacDONALD'S RETORT. (United P.A.—Electric Telegraph—Copyright) (Received 12 noon.) LONDON, October 20. The Leader of the Labour party, Mr. George Lansbury, in the House of Commons yesterday drew attention to the unemployed disorders in London and the provinces. He said the trouble was very widespread and was due to the conditions laid down for the treatment of the unemployed by the late Government and the present one. The demonstrators had the right to advertise their condition, said Mr. Lansbury. The police should provide facilities for doing this peacefully. The means test should be revoked. The Home Secretary, Sir John Gilmour, said the demonstration in London was organised by the National Unemployed Workers' Movement, which mainly was a Communist organisation whose campaign had been in progress since July, when it was started at Bristol.

The police had discharged their duties under great difficulty and facing ruthless brutality.

After Sir Stafford Cripps (Lab., East Bristol) and other Labour members had complained of the means test, the Prime Minister, Mr. Mac Donald, promised to make a statement as to the Government's intentions regarding that test. In the meanwhile, lie appealed to members not to find excuses for rioting or to make it easy for those who were not out to help the unemployed, but to "kick up a row." Mr. J. Maxton (Lab., Bridgeton, Glasgow) : The Prime Minister has no right to say that. Mr. Mac Donald: Nobody knows better than the honourable 'member that what I said was perfectly true. A new measure which the Government is preparing to deal with the grievances of the unemployed is not expected radically to alter the administration of the Unemployment Insurance Fund, but is designed for the guidance of Public Assistance Committees in assessing applicants' need of relief. There have been complaints from all parts of the country arising from lack of uniformity in the application of the means test. This was introduced by the late Labour Government and now applies to more than 1,000,000 unemployed who are receiving transitional benefits. It is expected that the new bill will contain definite instructions for taking into account applicants' war pensions, small investments, house property or other private means when assessing the amount of benefit. Sir Henry Betterton, Minister of Labour, in reply to questions, said that approximately £8,000,000 woul I be saved in the current year through the operation of the means test to unemployed.

Mr. Mac Donald told a questioner that the Government did not propose to take advantage of the present low interest to raise a loan for a large-scale national development plan in the interests of the unemployed.

The Prime Minister announced that the second reading the Ottawa Agreements Bill would be concluded on October 27. OTTAWA DEFENDED. Sir John Simon Replies to Critics. BRITAIN'S GREAT CHANCE. (Received 1.30 p.m.) RUGBY, October 20. ' Sir John Simon, in the House of Commons, dealt with the contention put forward by Sir Herbert Samuel that it was unconstitutional for an executive to bind the House in negotiating commercial treaties involving taxation, for inore than 12 months.

He cited instances to show that there was nothing new in undertaking a treaty which bound Parliament for_ a number of years with regard to duties which might be imposed upon particular kinds of goods. If such matters were to be opened to review every six or 12 months, they would be creating a paradise for those who indulged in lobbying on behalf of particular interests. Sir John stated that it was absolutely untrue that Ottawa had precluded Britain from bargaining successfully with foreign countries. _ Since the recent changes in the tariffs policy the Foreign Office had been visited to quite an unusual extent by representatives of different countries desiring to negotiate on tracle matters. He recalled the efforts of the late Mr. William Graham, as President of the Board of Trade in the Labour Government, to promote an international tariff truce, and said that they had failed because Britain then had nothing with which to negotiate. As a result of the Ottawa agreements, Britain had an opportunity such as she had never had before for making bargains with other countries. The resolution giving effect to the Ottawa agreements was carried by 451 votes to 84. PRINCE VISITS POPLAR. UNEMPLOYED DEMONSTRATE. (Received 12.30 p.m.) LONDON, October 20. An unemployed demonstration marred the visit to Poplar of Prince George to open a wing of the Seamen's Rest. A section of the crowd that had previously attempted to rush the building was ejected, and the gates were closed. When the Prince arrived there was some booing and cries of "We want bread._ You've got a motor and we are starving." A large body of police arrived and maintained order. There were three arrests.