GOVERNMENT'S PART TIME SCHEME

Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 48, 25 February 1921, Page 7

GOVERNMENT'S PART TIME SCHEME

THE VOICE OP EXTREMISTS

(KIIOM OCR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) LONDON, 7th January. The Government has "t forward a proposal that part-time "be adopted as a means t>£ alleviating the distress due to .unemployment, and a letter has been sent by Dr. jUacnamara, Minister of Labour, to nil Joint. Industrial Councils, Trade Boards Interim Industrial R-econ-stmction. Committees, , employers' organisations, -and trade unions, suggesting that ■ the application of the proposal should be done by co-operation between trade unions and employers in the several trades, and. urging that the matter should be taken in hand without delay. The, scheme, which embodies the principle of a little less for each and something for all, as Meeting with a, good deal of criticism from both employers and Labour leaders.

The proposals have been widely discussed. For tho manufacturers it is urged that the scheme ia "laudable, but impracticable," and that the Government should {jo t° the root of the trouble by removing the excess'profits duty or deelating a definite policy thereon, and by giving protection from competition of countries where the exchanges have collapsed. Labour leaders point out that the principle of sharing available work is familiar in many trades, and, while not opposing it now, they .claim that a living Wage must bo guaranteed. It is suggested that each industry should accumulate a "pool" to provide for unemployihent crises. There is a fear in certain quarters that a reduction of hours among those now employed so that the Unemployed may also have a little work might lead to a," general lowering pf the standard of subsistence of. the workers. Sir. Will Thorne saya it may mean " semistarvfttion for all." One suggestion is that those who, through shorter hours, suffered a reduction of income below a certain level should receive a proportion of the unemployment donation. It has been suggested that the adoption of shorter hours for any extended period may lead to the growth of the' " ta' canny" spirit which has already had so serious an effect upon production. LOWERING OF WAGES. Other Labour leaders have taken up a distinctly bellicose attitude. Mr. A. G. Cameron, chairman of the National Labour Part.y, speaking at Manchester, said : " This, in my opinion, is a scheme designed to prepare the workers for a general lowering of wages. Unemployment is greater in industries where piecework and payment ,b.V results obtain. You cannot do one and a half day's work in one day and expect to be fully employed. As a step in the right direction, all overtime should immediately cease, and the Government should be called upon to find maintenance for all men and women and their dependents who' are in a state of distress. Failing that, they milßt shoulder the responsibility of the misery existing in Europe owing to the. insane terms laid down at Versailles." DOCKYARDMBN'S OPPOSITION. A niass meeting of dockyardmen at Poi-tsmollth voiced a. "most. emphatic protest against the introduction of short time in the R«yal dockyards and naval establishments as unnecessary, unjust, and vicious—unnecessary, because of the Government's nssurance that there is ample'work in the aforementioned establishments to employ existing staffs; unjust, because the proposals place the burden of alleviating the present unemployment solely, on the shoulders of the industrial workers, _ w.ho have no responsibility for the creation of Unemployment thus introducing an invidious class distinction for which there is no justification ; vicious, because we recognise these proposals, which are indicative of the widespread policy of the Government,-as a sinister attempt to reduce the status and standard of living of the working classes. We therefore urge the employees' side of the Admiralty Industrial Council to maintain their opposition to this pernicious system." EXTREMISTS' OPPORTUNITY. The Daily Herald, the organ of the extremists, is even more outspoken. In its comment* it describes the Government, scheme as a "filthy plan" for the "semi-starvation" of all workers, and it, denounces the Cabinet's "ci'uei trickery." It is apnw'ant that the extremists have sel/oa tow opportunity to do the utmost damage to tho Government, fof

the economic 'situation is sufficiently involved to be able to deceive the ignorant revolutionary section of the public. The contention of many of the spokesmen of the Labour Pa-~ty is that it'is possible in times of trade depression to maintain the same rate of wages as in times of trade prosperity. They prefer "to endorse the delusion of the man in the street that the capitalist—or, failing the capitalist, the Government—has got some unlimited supply of wealth from which .money can be drawn indefinitely to satisfy whatever demands Labour chooses to put forth. ■ • . "We may safely assume that the writers on the Daily Herald know the real facts of the situation," says the Financial Times, "but they also know that, if the 'maintenance or work' schemo which they advocate were adopted and carried to its logical conclusion, in* a very brief time complete industrial chaos would result, and thus the door would be opened to the social revolution at which they are aiming. "If goods are to be more cheaply produced wag.is must come down. Thin is a hard sny.ing, and it is easy to understand how bitterly it must be resented by men who have enjoyed a brief period of prosperity and ncVseo that prosperity slipping from them. But unless this temporary sacrifice be made, many industries are in danger oi collapsing altogether, which would mean an immensely greater volume of suffering. Today we have to deal with a special problem, the very definite fact that British goods havo been, and are being, produced at a cost so high that our foreign customers cannot afford to buy them. Therefore we must bring down the cost of production, and that 1 must involve a reduction of wages. In the meantime the sufferings .which result from shortage of employment can in many trades best be mitigated by distributing the work over the whole body of employees instead of turning off the men on to the streets." - • ' RIOT OF REVOLUTIONARIES. j A riot as the outcome of uneniployjnent, bu; organised probably by unemployables, took"-place, at Islington this week, when SCO men, marched to the public library and tried to . wrest it from J/he police . who had previously ejected a party from it. Information of the intended demonstration had readied the authorities, with ths "result that, when a large body of unemployed marched to the library, they found it strongly guarded. Tho main body went to the Town Hall/where-they demanded to see the Mayor, but were told he was not in the building. Their attitude became so aggressive that mounted and foot police, with .batons drawn, charged and diapewed the crowd. The disorderly Meties lasted about ■an hour, miring i*hich a- mounted policeman was unhorsed and about 20 arreste were made. A number of the men carried pieces of iron rail concealed about their clothing, othcn'ij had revolvers and daggers, which it was alleged were distributed by the ; organisers, of the demonstration. On olio man was found a rush basket .containing three bottles of petrol and copies of the Workers' Dreadnought. : The Mayor of Islington, who is doing everything possible for the unemployed, announces that tho dtmoiisttatoi's were not the genuine unemployed, but were unemployable. Some of them had been offered work by the Borough Council, but had declined it. EXCESS PROFITS DUTY. The opinion of a very largo section of tho employers with regard to the Government's scheme.' and _ unemployment generally is probably voiced in the following statement ;na4s by the principal of », Jarga. engineering, linn. •"Without: a shadow of doibt, .were the Chancellor' ■of the Exchequer at once to remove the excess profit* duty every employable man would be at work within a. very, few weeks. Manufacturers and'traders'form the b-ickbaiie of the country's, financial success, but they are at present entirely crippled by the lack of knowledge of what they will have tp meet in the forthcoming yea.?, and ''"hew enterprises, which are so sadly needed to find' employment, are necessarily held up while this feeling'of uncertainty prevails. lam certain, that the rank and file of working classes are willing and anxious to do., thoir.'share, although, as is usual, their voices are generally silent, whereas the extremists continue to 'be well to the front." THE 8.P.1). A deputation representing the Drapers' Chamber of Trade, the National Chamber of Trade, the Furnishing Chamber of Trade, the Federation of Grocers' Associations, and the ■ Ironmongers' Association has been received by Mr. A. Chamberlain, the Chancellor of the Exchequer', in regard to the Excess Profits Duty. The leader of the deputation said that more than three times pre-war capital was now required to run a business owing to the advance in values and the increase in* overhead charges, while heavier local rating and taxation and the Excess Profits Duty did not parpiit of the accumulation of capital to meet current needs. He asked for the abandonment of the Excess Profits Duty, the total decontrol of industry at the eariie3t possible moment, and the limitation of Government expenditure to bring^it well within the scope of the taxable capacity of the,nation. Mr. Chamberlain replied that it was far too early to anticipate ths trend of the next Budget, and that should he have any statement to make with regard to the withdrawal of the Excess Profits Duty it should first be made to the House of Commons. THE DRY EOT OF INDUSTRY. The Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce has passed a unanimous resolution demanding the abolition of the Excess Profits Duty. The resolution declares that it,is responsible for the dry rot in our national industry. The influence of the E.P.D. on trade at the present time is given in the concrete case of a manufacturer who had. 10,000 garments oA hand, which he sold, losing £5000 on the bargain. But it was riot air his loss. He has made his profit for the year, arid E.P.D., super-tax, and income tax would havo bitten into this £15000 to the extent of £4500. .What he ■ actually loses by dumping these goods on to the public is only £500, and Tie is glad to do it, clearing stocks^ turning over money, and providing further employment. 32s 2d IN THE £. To continue a special scale of relief given during Christmas week, the Norwich Guardians have decided under pressure to levy a supplementary poor rate of 3s 5d in the £. This, with the borough and district rate, means 16b Id for the current half-year, or at the unprecedented rate of 32s 2d) in the & for the year. The Belief Committee had decided after Christmas week to give only the ordinary scale of relief, but a communication was received from the Chief, Constable that if the relief were reduced the unemployed, had determined to use 'direct action,' and that the police did not want any disturbance. The Chairman of the committee said it was probably the first time in the history of Norwich and of tho guardians that the police had had te> take such a, step and had Been over-awed by a threat from the unemployed. The Christmas scale was 12s each for married couples, 8s for children, 12s for single men living in lodgings, iitid 8s for single men living tit home. Undof the new rates a man living in a house rented at £60, with rateable value £45, has to pay £73 7s 6d o yeal* in rates, or £12 7s 6d more than hie rent. i ' ■ i