THE BRITISH UNEMPLOYED

Maoriland Worker, Volume 10, Issue 422, 9 April 1919, Page 2

THE BRITISH UNEMPLOYED

TO EASE UNEMPLOYMENT, PROBABLE COST, £30,000,000. Tin* intentions of the British Government with respect to after-war unemployment were out lined in an interview with Mr. G-. N. J-iarne--, in th<» Clarion in lnid-XovcmlyM - . Mr. Barnes • was Labor representative 'a tho Government at that time, and doubtless tho policy then outlined will be- carried out by the new- Government. After stressing the importance and difficulty of the transition period from war to peace and industry, the interviewer asked: "And in the mean time . what of the wage-earners?" "Well." said Mr. Barnes, "the Government is making provision for thorn. It is proposed to pay, during a period of six mouths, unemployed allowance?, such sums not to be drawn for more than Ifl weeks be any one recipient." "Will this scheme, apply to nil industries " "Yes," answered Mr. Barnes. "And on what basis are the. amounts j fixed?" i "The idea is," replied Mr. Barnes, "to pay such a. sum as will enable the workers to carry on under decent conditions while Unemployed. At the £ame time the Government has had to take into consideration the possibility that a too generous allowance might prove an incentive to holiday-making to certain individuals. We don't, want workers to become demoralised by unnecessary idleness. Consequently, we have tried to fix thn maintenance allowance at. such a point that both the evils of hardtop and. the evil of demoralisation will be avoided." 7 "How much do you propose to nl : . low?" "The sum for a man over 18," said Mr. Barnes, "is fixed at 24/- per week, for a woman 20/-. For dependent children under 15 there will bo allowances of C-- for the first and 3/- for tho others. For unemployed juveniles between t h e ages of 15 and 18 the allowance- will be 12/- for boys and 10/----for girls, conditional on their attending a course of instruction/ "Thi sscherne is only for six months. Suppose things don't settle down within, that time?'* "Then wo shall have to make further arrangements," said Mr. Barnes. " "We have under consideration a scheme of general insurance for all wage-earners, to which they would contribute. I myself think such a plan much preferable to a. system of State--allowances, because if you demand State allowance? for unemployed, the wage-earner would be bound to submit to such control over his industrial activities as would not be in harmony with his sens© of freedom. Of course, the present echeme is only designed to meet the present abnormal circumstances. We hope it will be adequate for the purpose, and that it will not be necessary for trade unions to disburse benefits in addition, and so deplete their funds." "In the ehaiig-e over, some firms will be able to carry on part time. How will ! their wages be treated?" I. asked . "It 3 9 proposed that under such conditions the wage-earners shall be paid a'i wages a minimum iv tho case of I nit!?) of 30./-, and women <zr>!-, jind of, I «-nd girl 9 12,6 per I<T "*ftheir actual earnings are less they will bo paid the minimum by the employer, who will be reimbursed by. the State." WOMEN WORKERS DEMONSTRATE. In London during th© third week in November 5000 women munition workemployees at" Woolwich Arsenal, marched in procession to the Ministry of Munitions, It was stated by the cable that the demonstration was "entirely spontaneous/ and organised in consequence of a rumor that 20,000 -women workers were to be dismissed from the Arsenal at once, 1 Delegates interviewed the Ministry, 'or somebody representing it, aad were assured that the dismissals to be made would bo gradual, and that a scheme of "unemployment donations'' to civilian war-workers would begin on November 25. Subsequently, the Ministry for Labor published particulars of the donation scheme, which provides that demobilised soldiers, sailors, and airmen will be entitled to "out-of-work policies," available for one year. Civilians earning I«S3 than £1 60 a year are entitled to 1 similar policies for six months. I The rates of "donations" were set 1 forth in detail. I Payments begin on the fourth day of i unemployment, but applicants must not refuse work offered them by the Gov--1 ernment or the Labor Exchanges. At a subsequent meeting of the Wool- ' wich Workers-" Union, a resolution, de--1 manding that the "donations" should :be raised to the pre-war wage rates 1 ; in various districts, with additions to I meet increased food prices, was carried. I Pretty clearly to be read between the lines of the cable conveying the above intelligence is a strong dread on the part of th© Government k hat disturbances might ensue among those- thrown out of employment through the cessation of fighting. ! A London paper estimates' that the "donation" scheme will entail an expenditure of .£30,000,000, and, probably enough, this total is regarded a's insignificant compared with what any gen--1 eral upheaval among British demobi- ■ Used soldiers and workers would involve.