BRITAIN'S TROUBLE

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 27, 1 February 1924, Page 8

BRITAIN'S TROUBLE

EXCESS OF FOREIGN TRADE

'MR.■ 'MASS'eY ■'CONDEMNS' THE , "WRETCHED DOLE."

The bad industrial conditions existing in Great Britain to-day were remarked upon by the Prime Minister at the New. Zealand Cluß luncheon this afternoon. slr, Massey also referred to the subject, of Empire trade and its 'relation to the unemployment question. , Mr. Massey: said it was.deplorable to notice the amount of unemployment in Britain, but the worst thing was that since'" the war many boys—tens of thousands—had'left school and had done no work since, but lived on "that wretched dole." What, he wondered, was the effect going to be on the future of the race? It was the most demoralising thing he had ever heard of. He saw no immediate hope for the future, although the Exhibition would help things along, but he did not think that revolution would be bred by the unemployment,' because that was contrary to the British character. THe new Government had chosen its Ministers pretty well, he thought, considering the material available. ■ .

Mr. Massey then: dealt with the issues placed before the British electors by Mr. Baldwin's Government and pointed out how it had been expressly stated that foodstuffs were not to be taxed.. What Mr. Baldwin wanted was- Protection for British industries, which were suffering by foreign competition. However, the cry of takes on food had been raised, and Mr. Baldwin was defeated.

The Prime Minister reiterated his views on Free Trade along the lines of his speech on Monday, and said the present system was taking bread ouf-of the mouths of the British workmen. Just how long that sort of thing .would last he could not say. . , To show how Britain was suffering from excess of, foreign imports, Mr. Massey. quoted the. following ■ figures ■ taken from the British Board of Trade return^ for 1922. The excess: of imports into Britain over , exports to the United States was £145,3315,*,.*); tW excess of imports over exports to the Argentine was £33,156,302, and the excess of imports over exports to Denmark £26,609,972; making a total of imports over exports for these three countries of £205,102,524. ''Well;" commented the Prime Minister, "you cannot expect a country to be prosperous, when that sort of thing is going on." Yet" every Doll minion had huge unoccupied areas, and the people of Britain were getting supplies from foreign countries when the Empire could produce all the food it wanted, not only. for the present population but for requirements of many years to come.