UNEMPLOYMENT

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 54, 27 November 1929, Page 11

UNEMPLOYMENT

BRITISH INSURANCE BILL SECOND READING DEBATE RATES DISSATISFY LABOUR’S ’ LEFTWING (United Press Association.— By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (Rec. November 26, 7 p.m.) London, November 25. Resuming the debate in the House of Commons on the second reading of the Unemployment Insurance Bill, Mr. J. Devlin, in his first speech in the present Parliament, said that for the first time in his life he sympathised with the Government. As Parliament had admitted the principle of an unemployed allowance, the only question was whether it' was adequate. The Government was dealing with the relief side of unemployment very modestly. A real National Council, representing all sides, might do a good deal towards a solution of the problem of finding work. Mr. T. Shaw (Secretary for War), winding up the debate, said nobody regarded the Bill as ideal. The Government believed it represented as much as it could get from Parliament. The Bill was only a stop-gap, and not intended to be permanent. The Conservative amendment was defeated by 299 votes to 213, and the Bill was read a second time. Fortyfour Liberals voted with the Government. The members of the Labour Left Wing, who were most dissatisfied with the Bill’s rates of benefits, supported the Government against the amendment, but state that if there had been a division on the motion that the Bill be read a second time they would have abstained from voting as a protest. [Major Elliot moved a Conservative amendment rejecting the Bill on the grounds that an unfair burden was cast on juvenile insureds, the vague and unsatisfactory nature of the tests and the grave additional burden cast on the Exchequer.]

INTEREST PAID IN DEFLATED MONEY

SIGNIFICANT STATEMENT BY MR. SHAW (Rec. November 26, 8.15 p.m.) London, November 25. The newspapers give prominence to a passage in Mr. Shaw’s speech on unemployment insurance, in which he stated: “We are now paying a hundred millions per year too much to people who have not the smallest moral right to it During the war money was lent to the Government at inflated rates. We adopted a post-war policy of deflation, and are now paying interest in deflated money. That fact has got to be faced before this country can get on its feet again.” There is much comment on the speech in the lobbies and speculations whether Mr. Shaw spoke with Mr. Snowden’s assent, and whether the speech signified legislation at the expense of holders of war stock.