BETTER POSITION

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23275, 18 February 1939, Page 13

BETTER POSITION

j CLAIM BY MINISTER LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYMENT SMALLER THAN FOR YEARS ESTABLISHING INDUSTRIES By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright (Received February 17, 7.30 p.m.) British Wireless LONDON, Feb. 16 When replying in the unemployment debate in the House, the Minister of Labour, Mr. Ernest Brown, denied the existence of what had been described as a standing army of 2,000,000 unemployed. He said that actually, when the next count of figures was revealed, it would show that the total was not 2,000,000. Of the total unemployed at the last count, on December 5, 72 per cent had been out of work for less than six weeks. There was not, therefore, a "standing army." Grants for public works last year amounted to £300,000,000. There had been a change in the number of the long-term unemployed which must be considered gratifying. The constructive work done by the Government was having its effect in that they were dealing now with a smaller number of long-term unemployed than for years. Government Training

The Minister reviewed the work of Government training and expressed the hope that its success would solve the problem of long-term unemployment, namely, lack of training. He said there were 20 residential instructional centres and two non-residential centres. At any given time there were 22,000 men in the residential and 4000 men in the non-residential centres. Mr. Brown proceeded to discuss the opportunities for employment in the home defence programme, including the provision, at a cost of £20,000,000, of a vast amount of constructive work in the strengthening of basements and the provision of domestic and communal shelters.

He claimed that the Government had made great efforts to set up new industries, and said a live policy of allaying tension at home and abroad and securing peace must be the best and surest way of providing more 'employment for the people. Camps Suggested

Major Lloyd George urged the necessity of measures for reviving the export trade, and advocated full inquiries into conditions of agriculture. Mr. Anthony Eden referred with approval to the recent declarations by Mr. Oliver Stanley and Mr. R. S. Hudson, Parliamentary Secretary for Overseas Trade, in reference to the new form of competition abroad, which had to be met. He said that if all nations would join in, putting into force the van Zeeland report, there would be a great improvement, but unfortunately some nations were not yet convinced of that.

Mr. Eden also recommended consideration of the construction of camps which, he believed, would make an appeal to the younger unemployed. He drew attention to the success attending such development camps in the United States. He advocated the extension to other areas of schemes such as those already put into operation in the special areas, and said he saw no reason why Britain could not have its own four-year plan, comprising construction camps, amenity schemes and special housing schemes.