HOMELAND UNEMPLOYMENT

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 March 1930, Page 7

HOMELAND UNEMPLOYMENT

ULTIMATUM TO GOVT. FROM OWN SUPPORTERS [by CABLE —PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.] (Received March 28, 9 a.m.) LONDON, March 27. The dissatisfaction by a group of Labourites with the Government s unemployment policy, reached a head at a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party when bolder measures were demanded. In spite of Mr J. H. Thomas s explanation, a resolution was carried without a division, calling on the Government to submit to the meeting a fortnight hence, its considered opinion regarding the secret Mosley-Alnsbury memorandum, stating the reasons for rejecting all or any of its suggestions. These include removing the young and aged from industry, by raising the school age, and pensioning workers over sixty-five; establishing an Imports Board to regulate imports in the interests of the workers, and starting direct works financed from a special development fund.

IN PRAISE OF THE DOLE. “One hears a lot of unkind things said about the dole, but when you liave been in the industrial areas ot England for any time you cannot help realising that it is in many respects a fine institution. I find myself wondering what the position of a large proportion of the workers of industrial England would be at the present day were it not for the dole. Of course, it is abused, but what benefit has ever been given to mankind that has not been abused, and numbers of cases in which it fulfils the original intentions of its inventors far exceed those on which it is abused.” This was the opinion expressed to a “Daily Telegraph” representative by Mr. W. Huhne, of Napier, who has just returned from a sfx-months’ trip to the Motherland, during the course of which he spent a large proportion of his time in the cotton-milling areas of Lancashire. Mr. Hulme went on to say that in his opinion many of the people who condemned the dole did not really understand the system. The money paid out to the workers was all found by the workers in payments under the National Health Insurance Scheme. Evei*y workers had a certain amount to pay out of his wages weekly, the benefit of which he reaped when he was unemployed. A very careful supervision was exercised by the authorities to assure that men drawing the dole were actually on the look-out for work.

U.S.A. DEVELOPMENTS. WASHINGTON, March 27. The American Federation of Labour, in an estimate based on their trade returns, have reported the first decrease in unemployment since last August. The unions of twenty-four cities have reported that 21 per cent, of their members were without work, compared with 22 per cent, in February. . 0 Mr. Green, President of the Federation, stated: “While these figures show that the rising unemployment has been checked for the country as a whole, the improvement is not yet general. Only ten of the cities that have reported showed a decrease of unemployment. .In ten others the unemployment has been still increasing in March, while in four there has been no change. The greatest improvement, is in the seafaring trades, while the unemployment among the musicians has increased.”

GOVERNMENT’S‘ BIG SCHEMES. WASHINGTON, March 25. The Senate has passed the Agriculture and Public Buildings Bill, carrying appropriations of federal aid of 383 million dollars in road building throughout the country, as the first concrete support of President Hoover's Employment Relief programme. GERMAN CABINET RESIGNS. (Received March 28, 1.30 p.m.) BERLIN, March 27. The Government has resigned, owing to the impossibility of reconciling the divergent views of the component parties on finance. The main divergence concerns unemployment insurance. The People’s Party, representing the employer's, objected to the increased State subsidies, and demanded that the fund should be self-supporting. The Socialists refused to accept diminished unemployed relief, DUNEDIN’S 600. DUNEDIN, March 27. Over 600 men have been enrolled on the Trades’ Hall unemployment register. The secretary has replied to the Minister of Public Works, expressing resentment at his wire, casting doubts on the authenticity of the figures. The Minister of Railways was invited this morning to examine the register, but preferred waiting to return to. Wellington before acting. The Hon. W. B. Taverner also informed the Unemployment Committee that the men put off from forestry works did not belong to the employed.

CHRISTCHURCH ART! SANS. CHRISTCHURCH, March 27. Mr. G. T. Thurston (secretary of the Canterbury branch of the Engineering and Allied Trades Union) reports that many men in the engineering and motor trades in Christchurch are out of work. ‘•Unemployment is more prevalent now than it has been for a good while,” Mr. Thurston states .