A TRIP ABROAD.

Northern Advocate, 19 April 1923, Page 6

A TRIP ABROAD.

CONDITIONS IN BRITAIN. MUCH UNEMPLOYMENT. Recently returned from a twelvemonths' visit to America and 'Great Britain, Mr Robert Hogg, Johnson\ille, lias much of interest to say regarding things seen, and his impressions whilst away. Ho was surprised, h" told a "Dominion" representative, at the amount of unemployment observable in the seaport towns of America, and considered it due directly to the hftennath of the war. Even ex-sol-diors were asking for money in the streets. There was a great deal of un employ ment in Britain, con'-imied Mr Hogg, and the position was very acute in London, Liverpool, what is known as the Black District, an 1 Glasgow. He -lid not think that i-overfly was so gaunt as it used to be. because of the system of doles. Tlio system, however, was not a good one. It had a certain demoralising effect, z.nd was good neither to the individual nor the State. The flooding of the English markets with cheap goods from Germany was referred to, Mr Hogg mentioning'that safety raz'or blades, made in Germany, and equally as good as the American ones, could be bought at penny each, while safety razors with a dozen blades were procurable at each, and for the best make 1/3$ was paid. The English, he found, were all opposed to the French invasion of the Ruhr. Mr Hogg was in the House of Commons when Mr Bonar Law made his speech on that question, and the general opinion was left to himself, the Prime Minister would break the Entente. However, other influences were brought to bear. Although, the I'Tcnch invasion w r as "vndemned as unwarranted, and not likely to securo the desired ends, at the same time the working classes of Britain felt that the German workers of the Ruhr were as much to be blamed as the French, in that they struck and refused to work. As workers their objection should have been to being exploited and not as to who was exploiting them. It soomed to be generally considered amongst all sections that the French 'policy deserved to fail, would fail, and must fail. Affairs in Ireland, said Mr Hogg, were much worse than he had been led to believe. The state of the country was awful. Glasgow was being inundated with people flying rrom Ireland. The present Government in Britain was popularly considered but a stopgap ono for a future Labour Government. The Labour Party would have considerably increased its members in the House haid it had more financial assistance and more candidates. There was a lack of both. Things in England were improving, and shipbuilding yards and iron factories were again beginning to get busy. The cost of living was dearer than in New Zealand. Ham was 3/4 per lb, but' ter 2/4 to 2/6, while milk was unpjnocurable in some parti. House rents had increased out of all proportion. The rent of the house in which he had lived 23 years ago • wi\s now exactly three time's what it was then. - Touching upon international questions, Mr Hogg said no was convinced that the United States could not remain outside of European affairs, and the economic stabilisation of Germany was necessary to the creation of employment throughout the whole of Europe and in America. The American bankers and business men were in sympathy with England. The antipathy came from those who were not pure Americans. In his opinion it was not England who was paying to America the interest on her debt to that country, but the American working people through the creation of an adverse rate of exchange. To have sat in the House of Commons for thirty-two years and to have made only two speeches there, as was reported last week of Lord Biddulph, docs not establish r. recofd. Sir Charles Burrell, who sat in the Commons for nearly sixty years, made but one solitary speech in the whole period, ond- that was when he introduced a Bill providing that housemaids must ( not bo made to clean windows from the outside. General Forestier-Walker, who sat for Much Wenlock for fortysix years, did better still, for he never spoke o.nce during the entire period. Now Zealand has had at least one legislative councillor who sat for several years and was silent throughout, ljut the hope that this new mode would become popular in Parliamentary circles was disappointed. WILSON'S WISDOM-ISMS. THE MAN WHO "GROWLS." Most men "growl" a bit. It's their prerogative. Some dii it from poUiy. Prut of suggests "I'm boss ot' this houcs," and helps to command respect. Bu f when a man growls at the weather, sneers at his food, snaps at his children and finds fault 'with everyone and everything, there's something wrong. Overwork or mental strain, likely. "Maltoxo" (Wilson's Malt Extract) will "buck him up," restore his "pep," bring back his natural, even temper, and kind disposition.