POLICY OF FULL EMPLOYMENT

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26032, 8 February 1950, Page 5

POLICY OF FULL EMPLOYMENT

SUCCESS CLAIMED BY MR GAITSKELL

(Rec. 7 p.m.) LONDON, February 6. The British Minister of Fuel and Power (Mr Hugh Gaitskell) haid, at an election meeting in his oWft constituency of South Leeds to-night, that in Leeds there had been nearly 10 times as much unemployment in November, 1938, as there was now. “It is not enough for Tories just to want full employment,” Mr Gaitskell said. “The real issue is whether we are prepared to adopt and carry out those policies which are essential, if it is to be achieved. One thing is certain: it cannot be done without economic planning, and planning cannot be effective without the use of economic, industrial and financial controls. These are the controls which the Tories are never tired of denouncing as vexatious. bureaucratic tyranny. “The historic achievement of the Labour Government is that through a combination of work for all and great advances in the social services, including food subsidies, acute poverty has really been abolished in Britain.” Saying that the Conservatives wished to cut Government expenditure. Mr Gaitskell claimed that if they did so, they would have to cut the social services and food subsidies. The people who would get the main benefit from these cuts would be the well-to-do.