WORK IN BRITAIN.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 69, 18 February 1939, Page 11

WORK IN BRITAIN.

DEBATE IN COMMONS. MINISTER DEFENDS POLICY. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, Feb. 16. Replying to the Labour resolution on unemployment in the House of Commons, the Minister of Labour (Mr Ernest Brown) denied the existence of what had been described as a standing army of 2,000.000 unemployed. Actually. when the figures in the next count were revealed, they would show the total' was not 2,000,000. Of the total unemployed at the last count on December 5, 72 per cent, had been out of work for less than six weeks. The overwhelming majority .was not, therefore, a “standing army.” Grants for public works last year amounted to £300,000,000. There had been a change in the number of longterm unemployed, which must be considered gratifying. The constructive work done by the Government was having its.-effect in that they were dealing now with a smaller number of longterm unemployed than for years, said Mr Brown. The Minister reviewed the work of Government training, and expressed the hope that its success would solve the problem of long-term unemployment, namely, the lack of training. There were 20 residential instructional centres and two non-residential. At anygiven time there were 22,000 in the residential and 4000 in the non-residen-tial.

Mr Brown proceeded to discuss the opportunities for employment in the home defence programme, including the provision at an expense of £20,000,000 of. a vast amount of constructive work in strengthening basements and the provision of domestic and communal shelters. He claimed that the Government had made great efforts to set up new industries, but a live policy of allaying tension at home and abroad, and securing peace, must be the best and surest way of providing more employment for the people. Major Lloyd George (Independent Liberal ; Pembroke) urged the neces--sity of measures for reviving the export trade and advocated full inquiries into the conditions of agriculture. COMPETITION ABROAD.

Mr Anthony Eden (Con.; Warwick) reterred with approval to the recent declarations by Mr Oliver Stanley (President of the Board of Trade) and Mr It. S. Hudson in reference to the new form of competition abroad which had to be met. If all the nations would join in putting into force the van Zeeland report there w.ould be a great improvement, but unfortunately some nations were not yet convinced of that. Mr Eden recommended the consideration of construction camps, which he believed would make an appeal to the younger unemployed, and drew attention to the success attending such a development in the United States. air Eden also advocated the extension to other areas of scheme such as thoso already put into operation in the special areas, and said he saw no reason why Britain could not have its own Pour-tear Plan, comprising construction camps, amenity schemes, and special housing schemes. Mr Oliver Stanley said the Government would like to see the van Zeeland report operating, hut, loking over the countries of the world, he did not believe that a world conference for the lowering of trade barriers could be anything but an ignominious failure. Britain’s hope for the future lay in the export trade. If Britain could hold and increase it in the coining year an effective inroad would bo made on unemployment Mr Stanley believed the whole country was ready for a forward move if the fear of war could be removed. There were countries complaining of a shortage of raw materials which would get less if all their demands were granted than was obtainable by a stroke of the pen in removing the tension they created. He believed there had been a lightening of the tension in the last few weeks. The House defeated by 334 votes to ]46 the motion moved by Mr Arthur Greenwood.

The Labour resolution moved by Mr Arthur Greenwood regretted the continued failure of the Government either to produce definite plans for the provision of work and wages under the. present svstem or to initiate a po icy which recognised that the problem could only be solved by the application of Socialist principles. The van Zeeland report was compiled by the eminent Belgian cconomis M Paul van Zeeland, and contained a 'survey of economic conditions in many countries in Europe.