UNEMPLOYMENT PROBLEM

Evening Star, Issue 20634, 6 November 1930, Page 11

UNEMPLOYMENT PROBLEM

HOUSE OF COMMONS DEBATE CONSERVATIVE AMENDMENT DEFEATED Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. ■ LONDON, November 4. In the House of Commons Mr Lloyd George, resuming tho debate on the Conservative amendment to the Ad-dress-in-Roply, expressed tho opinion that Freetrade and Protection were irrelevant. Ho said that both Freetrade and Px-otectionist countries were suffering from unemployment. All were seeking national development works to give work to their unemployed people, but the British Government had not attempted a really energetic and convincing effort within tho boundaries of the present system to deal with the situation. Ho well understood that the Conservatives were fighting to get back to office, but Mr Baldwin was responsible for putting Mr MacDonald into power. He probably preferred to have Mr MacDonald in office to either Lord Boaverbrook or Lord Rothcrmoro. The Liberals had to tighc both tho Conservatives and Labour, but he believed in giving the Government a chance to develop what tho Liberals regarded as its progressive policy. Why not adopt the Liberal scheme for providing work, even if it involved the raising of a development loan ? Mr Baldwin attacked tho Government for permitting Russia to damage British industries by the export of dumped products, thus adding to unemployment. He said that Russian dumping went far beyond the cost price, and was thus something new in world history. Mr MacDonald said that it was absurd for tho Opposition to claim that the fact that there were 2,000,000 unemployed was duo to the Labour Government being in office. He detailed the Government’s efforts to get trade reorganised, but ho was bound to say that its experiences were not helpful. If members in such a trade as cotton imagined that by holding up reorganisation they were going to get better terms, then they were not going to succeed. Tho amendment was rejected by 281 votes to 250. The Address was agreed to and the House rose. The hulk of tho Liberals, including Mr Lloyd George, abstained from voting. Five, including Sir Donald Maclean and Mr Walter Runciman, supported tho Government. The members of the Independent Labour Party voted with tho Government. CHIEF LIBERAL WHIP RESIGNS LONDON, November 5. (Received November 6, at 10 a.m.) Sir Robert Hutchinson, who voted against the Government last night in defiance of his party’s decision, has resigned his position as Chief Liberal Whip.