THE MEANS TEST

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 18 December 1936, Page 5

THE MEANS TEST

LABOUR MEMBERS’ SPEECHES MINISTER REPLIES TO CRITICISM NO SINISTER MOTIVE (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) (Received 18th December, 12.40 p.m.) LONDON, 17th December. Ex-King Edward VIII’s tour of the distressed areas in South Wales and the attitude of the Church towards him, were mentioned during the House of Commons debate initiated by Labour members on unemployment and the means test.

Mr A. Bevan (Labour, Mon., Ebbw Vale) said the Minister of Labour had declared the unemployed had not resented his assistance scheme. Every--1 one was astonished during the late ! King’s tour of South Wales, by the I absence of any demonstration against the Minister of Labour (the Rt. Hon. Ernest Brown) who, on that occasion, took advantage of people’s attitude towards the late King. Mr Brown protected himself against the attack that was due to him. If he believed there was no resentment, let him go to South Wales again without the shelter of the Royal Purple. He would see plenty of resentment then. Mr J. McGovern (Independent Labour Party, Glasgow, Shellleston) said “If a plebiscite had been taken on the means test, the Government would have been defeated, just as if the issue of the late Monarch had been put to the country, it would have beaten Cabinet. Cabinet and the Prime Minister would have gone, but the man would have remained. Let the Bishops come out and deal with the means test and never mind Mrs Simpson. Let them deal with unemployment instead of kicking a man when he is down. Let them play a manly game.- Let them, instead of looking on the high, look down below at the starving wrecks of the means test and unemployment.” The Minister of Labour (the Rt. Hon. Ernest Brown), replying, said no one would gather from Labour members’ speeches that he was responsible for the payment to unemployed persons in 1935 of over £lB,000,000, and in the present year £lB,000,000 of benefit and nearly £40,000,000 •in assistance, nor that £8,000,000 had been paid out in benefit and assistance in South Wales alone. There was no sinister motive behind the Regulations, whose purpose was solely to obviate hardship.