BRITISH UNEMPLOYED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21333, 7 November 1932, Page 9

BRITISH UNEMPLOYED

IMPROVEMENT IN POSITION LABOUR AND THE DOLE (Received November 6, 5.5 p.m.) British "Wireless RUGBY, Nov. 5 During the first day's debate on the unemployment problem in the House of Commons the Minister of Labour, Sir Henry Betterton, said he believed it had been proved that the efforts of the State to stem the abnormal unemployment by expediting public works had failed and that whatever usefulness they might have had was now exhausted. In the year preceding September, 1931, the number of persons in employment had decreased by 1,000,000. Last year, however, the number in employment was practically stationary. There had been no falling back and only in the minority of the industries had the position deteriorated. New unemployment figures would be published on Monday. These would show an improvement. As one-third of the unemployed had been engaged in the industries mainly affected by world conditions it was a matter oT real satisfaction to the Government that the position had been largely maintained while conditions abroad had so seriously deteriorated. The Leader of the Labour Party, Mr. George Lansbury, had moved: "That the House views with concern the volume of unemployment and will welcome proper measures for dealing with it." Mr. Lansbury said the dole had averted a sanguinary revolution in Britain. Sir Henry' in reply said that 17 curatives had been tried. Most of them only touched the fringe of the problem. Migration, which formerly had totalled 100,000 a year, had turned in the reverse direction owing to the depression in the Dominions. The Minister said he hoped the decisions at Ottawa would lead to renewed prosperity in the Dominions. LONDON BIOTS ORDERS FROM MOSCOW DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE LONDON, Nov. 4 " You must fight the police terror and agitate for the police chief's dismissal," declared a long letter from Moscow, instructing Hannington and Emfys Llewellyn, members of the Unemployed Workers' Union, and signed by Sidney Job Elias, aged 35, who was arrested yesterday owing to the discovery of the letter when the police raided Hannington's office. Elias, who is chairman of the movement, and who wrote the letter during a visit to Russia, was to-day charged at Bow Street with inciting Hannington and Llewellyn " to cause discontent, dissatisfaction and ill will between different classes of His Majesty's subjects and to create public disturbances against the police." The neighbourhood of the Police Court was closely guarded. Further extracts from the Moscow letter stated : " There is no clear indication that the movement, is trying to break the police terror. In Birkenhead, in fact, it is being overlooked. The police are successfully breaking Birkenhead's spirit. Some proposals must be made to the comrades of Birkenhead and Liverpool on the methods of fighting the police terror, and the agitation must be continued in the streets. Simultaneously in the trades unions there must be a national call to the rest of the country to join in the struggle to abolish the means test." Replying to the magistrate's question, the prosecution said that the National Unemployed Workers' Movement, which organised the unemployed marches, is a section of the Third (Communist) International, under whose instructions Elias was acting. Accused was remanded, bail being refused.

MARCHERS GO HOME LOW FARES ARRANGED COMPANIES' CONCESSIONS LONDON, Nov. 4 All the unemployed marchers concerned in the recent disturbances in London with the exception of invalids and men arrested, are to return by train to their homes tomorrow. Their fares have been paid out of collect ions and the railway companies have arranged special low rates.