THE UNEMPLOYED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13672, 13 February 1908, Page 5

THE UNEMPLOYED.

DEMAND FOR STATE SUPPORT. By Telegraph.—Presa Association—Copyright.

New York, February 11. A National Congress of unemployed at Saint Louis demanded that those without work should be State-supported during their period of inactivity like soldiers, and that they should have free transportation when seeking employment.

They also insisted on the appropriation of 150 million dollars for the organisation of work for the idle. If nothing is done, the Congress will organise a monster march to Washington.

EFFORT TO SEE THE KING. London, February 1.1. Despite the King's desire for privacy, two Socialists tried to march 100 unemployed to the Duke of Fife's residence at Brighton, where His Majesty has retired. The police dispersed the procession.

GOVERNMENT'S ATTITUDE. (Received February 12, 11.10 p.m.) London, February 12. In the House of Commons, in reply to a question, Mr. John Burns (President .of the Local Government Board) said it was not ap present intended to legislate with regard to unemployment during 1908, but they would deal with cases of distress as sympathetically as possible. In the session of 1906, Parliamen voted a sum of £200,000 in aid of expenses under the Unemployed Workmen Act, the amount to be allocated by the Treasury between the Local Government Boards of England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland, respectively. Payments out of the grant were made in all cases in which the distress committees showed that there was exceptional need for assistance in meeting the cost of providing or contributing to the provision of temporary work, and" in which a scheme of work was proposed of which the Local Government Board could approve.