UNEMPLOYED IN ENGLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13927, 8 December 1908, Page 5

UNEMPLOYED IN ENGLAND.

INCREASED GRANT WANTED. By Telegraph,—Press Association.-rCopyrignt : 4 December 6. A conference at ! the Guildhall, under the auspices of the ; Right-to-Work National Council, recommended an ? increase • in' .= the '}- unemployment grant' from *to t a million sterling.

They - also asked f that the grant be made available; for distribution by other agencies than the distress committees: ,

1 '•■ " : ■ Mr. John Burns has -proved a sore disappointment to the Labour party since his appointment to the Local Government Board.: His critics declare that he has;: been cold j and'unsympathetic in his attitude in're-; gard to the unemployed. t vln March of j last, year he was.; attacked by the Labour j party for having withheld nearly half ro* ] the £200,000 which was; promised ' for dis-! tress committees,* and he replied that every distress committee had more money;in band than was necessary. ? An* attempt' to provide a remedy for the evil of unempl6yment was made ;by <■. Mr.',; J. R. Macdbnald '(■ Jest' S year,.with an Unemployed Workmen Bill', which did not reach a second reading. •It provided f for the •'■ constitution local "and central unemployment authorities, whose 1 duties were v ' to form schemes to provide public works, or in default to provide'public maintenance < for f genuine workers; also ;to secure complete registration of unemployed persons. l The Bill proposed to" confer on all authorities powers for the compulsory acquisition of 'and, and directs the Local Government-Board to draw : up schemes, for employment, to be carried out in times of* distress., . . . •'"'"." "