BRITAIN’S UNEMPLOYED

Evening Star, Issue 21254, 8 November 1932, Page 6

BRITAIN’S UNEMPLOYED

RECOMMENDATIONS OF COMMISSION DUAL SYSTEM OF INSURANCE AND RELIEF ADVOCATED (British Official Wireless.) Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright. RUGBY, November 7. (Received November 8, at 1 p.m.) The final report of the Unemployment Insurance Commission, which is expected to form the basis of legislation in the Parliamentary session which begins on November 22, was issued to-night. The chairman (Judge Holman Gregory) and four members sign the main report, and there is a minority report signed by the other two members, but the recommendations of the commission are on many points unanimous. The main proposals are, briefly, a dual system of insurance and relief. An insured worker who paid the minimum number of contributions would be entitled to a fixed payment for a limited time without inquiry into his needs. Workers who were not insured, including those over the income limit of £250 per annum, and insured workers who had exhausted their insurance rights, would be relieved according to their needs under a relief service administered by local authorities, and supervised by the Minister of Labour. The retention is recommended of the unemployment insurance scheme substantially on the lines that are at present in force as a “first line of defence for the great majority of the unemployed,” and it is made clear that each scheme, together with an unemployment assistance scheme which they propose, should be linked up with arrangements for the training and occupation of unemployed. The Ministry of Labour should be generally responsible for the control and development of the now service, for maintaining, through the employment exchanges, contact between persons affected by the service, and opportunities of employment, and for ensuring that the test needs are administered in accordance with uniform principles throughout the country. Some variations between areas may be desirable by reason of differences in the cost of Jiving, cost of transport to work, and other local circumstances, but they should be limited.

The main coat of the new service should be borne by the Exchequer, but local authorities should contribute a share, as they must have a financial interest in their divisions.

The principles for guidance of local authorities in grants under the proposed scheme of unemployment, separate from the poor law, are that assistance should be subject to proof or need; the need of the applicant should be judged after an assessment of the resources of the household of which ho is a member; the amount of payment must be less than wages; the standards to be established should be those which experience shows to be required to relieve theneed.

The commission expresses the view that the insurance scheme must possess flexibility in order to permit of adjustment to the changing industrial conditions, and recommends the establishment of an independent statutory commission as an advisory body to the Minister of Labour, and to keep the scheme constantly under review. This body would report annually on the finances of the scheme, and make suggestions for* keeping the insurance fund solvent and self-sustaining. The commission warmly commends the existing schemes, official and voluntary, for providing young unemployed with vocational training, and urges that they be developed. WAY OF SAVING OUTLINED LONDON, November 7. (Received November 8, at 1.10 p.m.) The proposals in the majority report aim at saving over £14,000,000, including reductions in the dole of between 3d and Is a 'week, chiefly recipients under twenty-one, but increasing the period in which the dole is obtainable. The scheme at present is in debt £115,000,000, costing £5,600,000 in interest. UNEMPLOYED FIGURES IMPROVEMENT INDICATED (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 7. (Received November 8, at 1 p.m.) A substantial diminution of the number of unemployed is shown in the monthly return issued by the Ministry of Labour. The return shows that at October 24 there were approximately 9,397,000 insured persons, aged from sixteen to sixty-four, in employment in Britain. This is 246,000 more than in the month before, but 51,000 less than a year before. Of the increase since September 26 in the numbers of insured persons in employment, approximately half is due to resumption of work upon the termination of the dispute in the manufacturing sections of the cotton industry. Unemployed on the register on October 24 numbered 111,005 less than the month previously.

DEBATE IN COMM DNS

(British Official Wireless.)

RUGBY, November 5.

Many private members, as well as others of the Government and leaders of the Opposition, contributed to the first stage of the three days' debate on unemployment yesterday. Many references were made to the excellent voluntary efforts undertaken by civic and national organisations for providing useful occupations and healthy, ro-

creation for men who were without employment, and suggestions were made for tbeir development. The Minister for Labour (Sir Henry Betterton) confirmed the forecast of, improved employment, statistics and; details of which will be available ou Monday night. POLITICAL LEADERS’ VIEWS RUGBY, November 7, (Received November 8, at 1 p.m.) In the House of Commons the Prime Minister made a contribution to the three days’ debate on unemployment.Mr MacDonald urged that they must concentrate upon the stimulation of trade in order to create a national demand for labour. The real trouble in Britain was that it was part of a world struck by an economic blizzard. Thero was very little hope of real healthy natural trade until accommodations were reached for exchange of goods. He was convinced that the land must plav a greater part than it hitherto had done in schemes for assisting unemployment. The Government was now devising ways to assist agriculture, but that industry must prove that it was using the tariffs to advance efficiency in marketing and other directions. Dir Lloyd George strongly advocated the development of small holdings, which employed a largo amount of labour and provided training for later agricultural employment. The workers should be placed on the soil or in occupations. LABOUR MEMBER’S PLEA LONDON, November 7. (Received November 8, at 1.35 p.m.) Major Attlee (Labour) urged the Government to take a national view of a national crisis. It could insist that British ships should be manned by BnUshers, and it should take war-time powers and occupy land and buildings and put 300,000 unemployed on allotments. It should use the* present cheapness of money to convert municipal loans and thus save £9,000,000 or £10,000,000 a year. the hunger marchers (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 6. The remainder of the 2,000 unemployed marchers left for their homes to-day by train. They expressed their appreciation of the generous offer of the railway companies to reduce the fares. Only a handful of their number have been arrested as a result of disorders in London, which shows that they did not come for violence or illegal purposes. The general impression is that the march was manipulated by a few hotheads, who desired to create disorder and the demonstrations gave an opportunity for rowdy metropolitan elements to cause trouble,.