LIBERAL POLICY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 325, 12 October 1908, Page 7

LIBERAL POLICY.

UNEMPLOYED PROBLEM AND HOME RULE UNSKILLED LABOUR. A REMEDY: TEACHING OF TRADES. WEALTH'S SACRIFICE. (BY IELEGKAPn—I-RESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIOHT.) (Rec. October 10, 4.30 p.m.) London, October 10. Tho President of the Board of Trade, speaking to his constituents at Dundee, delivered an important speech on points of policy. Ho described the Liberal party as a Homo Rule party. Ho added that the party would not find itself vory successful at the next election if it did not present a policy for the proper pacification of Irish claims.

Discussing tho underlying causes of unemployment, ho enumerated various unhealthy industrial conditions which must be attacked in order to find a remedy. "This," ho said, " will entail special measures of a social and equally of an economic character, carrying us into new and untrodden fields in British politics." He enumerated tho lack of any central organisation of industry or any general concerted control of ordinary Government work or of extraordinary relief work. Tho Hoard of Trade, he thought, might estimato the degree of unemployment in any winter, and some Government office should arrango tho distribution of Government contracts accordingly, or might expand certain work which would not compete with private enterprise, as, for instance, afforestation. Mr. Churchill condemned tho gross and increasing evil of casual and boy labour. Tho evil of the under-employed, he said, is tho taproot of unemployment. He hinted that the casual unskilled labourer is not the result of accident, but the result of economic causes which have been too long unregulated. Ho should be manufactured into an article required to suit tho convenience of industries at particular times. A'- practicable means existed for a great diminution of this evil. Up to 18 yoars of age, every boy and girl ought to be learning a trade, as well as earning a "living.. He believed that thousands of wealthy people would bo willing to make the necessary sacrifice to secure more elaborate social organisations,

The higher taxation of wealth, in order to provide rovenue for social reform, has been hinted at by soveral members of ,tho present freetrado ■ Government, and has been strenuously advocated by the Labour party, who have formulated a scheme of increased income tax. Mr. Churchill's scheme would appear to be to mitigate unskilled labour by technical training.