BRITAIN'S DRIVE

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 62, 15 March 1933, Page 7

BRITAIN'S DRIVE

AGAINST UNEMPLOYMENT

OCCUPATIONAL CENTRES

A campaign to * establish '' occupational centres" for the unemployed, apparently similar in pkin to the hundreds of barter associations now operating in the United States, ia making surprising headway . in Great Britain', writes Ferdinand Kuhn, jun., in Vthe "New York Times.".

Briefly, the plan involves the opening in every hard-hit. industrial city of buildings where the unemployed can. work at their Tegular trade. It may be rough carpentry, shoemaking, tailoring, or - decorating, but. the object in each 'case is the same—to'Tieep workless men and women busy. The plan ! also helps the families of the unemployed who need new clothes, shoes, or furniture in .their homes. '~ ..

'•■•■ "It gives the unemployed a change from years of inactivity," saidthe Prince of Wales after inspecting., one of these centres -in a drab Lancashire town. "It gives them something; to do, something ..to occupy.. _the.ir__hands, and something to keep themselves fit in these terrible years of. Tdepression."

Hundreds of these work centres are in. existence already—no one ' knows exactly how many. Dozens of dth'era are being started, with littler groups of three or' four unemployed "men aa the nucleus.' A.call for more will be sounded throughout the year with the active assistance of the Prince ;of Wales, Premier Mac Donald, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and other.leaders of the nation in all walks of life. ' STARTED BY INDIVIDUALS. :'; Unlike previous attacks on theunemployment problem in Britain, the "new: movement does not depend on the Government for new financing, but is being started by private individuals and pushed by the unemployed .themselves. It bears some resemblance to the system of .self-help which the'unomployed of Seattle began two years • ago, but, unlike vthe Seattle plan; it has the Governments blessing, and ia spreading with active" co-operation from the managers of the .Government's unemployment exchanges. . In addition, it has the indirect benefit of the £130,000,000 the' British Government is - spending' each-year in" doles t<s keep-the unemployed •from' starving. v ; A practical advantage, of the work centres iis that' they" need 'comparatively little, money. A million pounds, in fact, be more than enough to . honeycomb, industrial Britain witfi. them.. .Private citizens or municipalities supply unused factory sheds or vacant shops and later gifts of tools, lumber, and.' other materials of which there is a surplus. r Almost the only direct expense is for heat, light, ancL management, but in some instances the unemployed help to pay for these by : a yfew pennies from -their weekly dolei In' districts like Lancashire, where thene are many types of industries, the new .work centres already are functioning easily by themselves; but in the blackest areas of unemployment, likethe coal-mining valley of South .Wales, i outside help will be needed to teach, the' unemployed miners new trades. THE TRADE UNIONS. ,;The .greatest.obstacle to. the scheme is expected to be the jealousy of the trade unions and'hofetility of, the Communists, who may regard' the 'scheme as a mere charity" intended to lull the unemployed into contentment. It is true that the initial impulse of the movement comes, "from above," but l its organisers—the National Council of ' Social; Seryice-^-insist its ; real- motive i power must come from the unemployed, themselves. They are convinced' that ; workless men and women all over the country will be glad of: a-.chance to • work again.. They prove ."their case by , citing one small town where a work ■centre and a. gymnasium'for'the unemployed were 'established side by i side. The work centre was ; always full and the- gymnasium nearly always empty. There will be no ; attempt to sell the- goods' madein the'new work . centres, but instead all will: l)e -distributed among the unemployed- themselves. .' ■. -_ -'..... ■ ■ ....

..', No one contends that the movement t -will remedy unemployment or. do; any- '■ thing more than <cpreserve ■■ the , morale ' of part of Britain's army 0fn3,000,000 ■workless. But progressive-minded Britons, from the Prince ' of; Wales down, believe the' new scheme \ will counteract the worst effects of prolonged unemployment,, and.it may even be ! that from these modest beginnings will spring a -revival of the genuine handicrafts in Britain. ,