THE "DOLE."

King Country Chronicle, Volume XX, Issue 2066, 13 January 1925, Page 6

THE "DOLE."

BAD EFFECTS IN ENGLAND. INDUSTRY SLOWED DOWN. A puzzling state of affairs presented itself to the New Zealander who visited the English manufacturing districts last year, stated Colonel A. A. Corrigan, who returned to Wellington last week after a visit do the Old Country. This was particularly so, said Colonel Corrigan, when one came into eluiso touch with manufacturers of woollen and textile goods. Orders placed from four tfb six months previously remained unexecuted, and no promise in a number of cases could be oxaoted as to whether the goods would bo delivered. Yet the mills waald bo working on half-time or three-quarter time. When -ilhe question was put as to wljy they could not speed up by bringing th© mills into full-time, flhe answer was never convincing. Some with much indefiniteness would make reference Lq ,raw materials ; sometimes it would be rates of pay; and again demands by labour as to homrs and conditions. It would appear, however, stated Colonel Corrigan, that at the root of he trouble was tho existing dole to the unemployed workers. The dale appeared to influence tho manufacturers to tho view that the larger number who were employed, and the larger number ineligible for the dole, the better would be the position of prospective settlement and of national production. The tftrn of what promised to be a stable Government, had occasioned great relief, and had resulted in the re-opening of factories which had been nlosed down.