REOPENING OF PARLIAMENT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18420, 5 December 1921, Page 6

REOPENING OF PARLIAMENT

THE UNEMPLOYMENT QUESTION. BILLS AND TRADE. WELCOME TO A WIDOW M.P. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, October 19. For some considerable time the topic of greatest importance throughout the country has been unemployment, and Parliament has now met for the consideration of Bills dealing with that question. Yesterday's meeting, however, proved to be merely a prelude to more serious business to-day, when it is expected the Prime Minister will make a statement of the Government’s legislative intentions in the matter of unemployment. It was not surprising that the Labour Party sought to exploit the postponement of the Prime Minister’s statement, and “We warned you all, along, and yet you have not oven now ; produced your proposals,’’ was the burden of the complaint. Labour members' undoubtedly derived a certain satisfaction from the fulfilment of their prophecies and the lack of prevision on the part of the Government. The House was packed for the opening, and Mr Lloyd George sat on the Treasury bench, wedged in an imposing row of satellites, great and small. Mr Churchill came in late and contented himself with a seat on the step of the gangway. He immediately imparted an old-world air to the assembly by taking snuff and sneezing in a ripe eighteenth century fashion, ’there were six new members to be introduced, but the interest in five new male members was entirely eclipsed by the appearance of Mrs Wintringham, widow of the late member for Louth, who died so tragically in the House last August. Mrs Wintringham, a pleasant and imposing figure in black, concealed herself behind a group of members at the Bar until the moment came for her to walk up the floor of the House and bow to the Speaker. Her sponsors were Mr Asquith and Sir Donald Maclean, and the cheers were loud and hearty as she appeared. Many of those who cheered are not enthusiasts concerning the invasion of the House by the fair sex, but the fact that the second woman member won 4he seat he'd by v her late husband gave a special warmth to the ovation awaiting her TRADE FACILITIES BILL . There is in most quarters of the House a disposition to approach the question o. unemployment' from the standpoint cf the national interest and not that of party advantage. Even those who are preparing to criticise the Government’s measures on account of their anticipated shortcomings are anxious tnat *what is to be done shorn.* be done quickly in order that the earliesi and the utmost advantage may be derived from the course taken. The Government’s plans are to be unfolded by the Prime Minister in moving a financial resolution that is to be the basis of the new export credits scheme. The measure in which tfie scheme is embodied will be known a. the Trade Facilities Bill. An extension, of exports credits wid be its principal feature, but the Bill will make other important proposals designed, it is believed, to benefit trade and industry as a whole and not exclusively the industries manufacturing for export. 'ihe second of the four Bills .will have an omnibus character. It will improve the conditions upon which local authorities ran obtain loans for public works, and will give boards of guardians borrowing powers corresponding to those of local authorities. It will amend the law of rating in order to meet a’' state of affairs such as that which arose recently in Poplar, where the local authority refused to honour a precept of the London County Council. The higher authority will be given power to levy its own rate if a local council defaults.

A third part of the Bill will go a step further in the 'equalisation of the rates in the London County area. The London boroughs at present contribute the proceeds of a fid rate to a common poor fund, which is distributed in proportion to the financial needs of the cqntributing areas. The Labour Mayors have asked that the contribution should be made equal to the proceeds of a 2s rate. The Government’s proposal will probably be to double the present contribution, making it lOd. This will bo a temporary arrangement limited in its application l to one year, pending the report of the Royal Commission on the government of Greater London. Measures of temporary relief will be authorised by a third Bill. The Government: has resolved upon a -supplementary levy on the insured trades. The workmen’s additional contribution will be 2d a week. ' The original suggestion was that the employers and the Government should also contribute another 2d a week for each employed person, but it may be found that the employers’ contributions have been in-

creased to 3d. The money thus raised is to form a special fund, to be distributed by the distress, committees for the benefit primarily, if not solely, of women and children. A fourth Bill is a Scottish one, dealing with relief to the able-bodied. “THE HON. MEMBER FOR CLARE.” There were many interesting points in tho brief proceedings of the opening meeting of Parliament. Mr Lloyd George announced the members of tho delegation to Washington—Mr Balfour, Lord Lee of Faroham, and himself, “as sbon as the situation made it possible,”—and gave also the names of the dominion representatives. A little later the Speaker announced that, after consultation with the Home Secretary, he had decided to reopen the galleries of tho House. The public will then be admitted for the first time since last November —much to the satisfaction of most members, who like an outside audience. There was a comedy later over the question of Mr De Valera. Sir John Butcher, raising the question of Ireland, referred to the Irish leader as “De Valera.” There came a cry from the Labour benches of “Mr De Valera.” The Speaker rose, and pointed out that Mr De Valera, being an elected member of the House, should not be referred to by name, but by his constituency. Sir John Butcher, after some prompting, thereupon referred to “the hon. member for Clare.” SOVIET GOVERNMENT. Colonel J. Word, in answering some criticism from Labour members regarding the Russian situation, suggested that there was just as much sympathy with the Russian peasantry in other parts of the House as was shown by Colonel Wedgwood and his friends. He was sure that the Government would do everything possible, when the financial circumstances of the country were taken into account, to render every assistance they legitimately could to the Russian people, without injury to our own people. At one time certain members had contended that our difficulties of unemployment were due to our refusal to make a trade agreement with Russia. An agreement had been made, but there was no trade with Russia. They could not trade with a ! haulerupt. They might take it for granted that there was an immense amount of corn hoarded and hidden away in Russia at the present time.’’ because the peasants had been robbed for three years. They would have these constant famines in Russia as long as the present Soviet Government lasted. At present the law was that the peasant should give up one;fifth, : and in reality he lost all. What was wanted was a guarantee that there should be some outside authority that would prevent tho Commissar stealing the corn. He denied as regards unemployment at home that it was produced by the Government ; but in Russia the famine was absolutely a Governmentproduced condition. Russia was capable, if decently and honestly governed, to keep the whole of Europe with its surplus produce, and yet the country was starving because no man’s property _,.and the result of no man’s labour was his own. It Was the most ’vicious idea of government that the world had ever seen. They had been told that if they made a trading agreement with Russia unemployment here would disappear. They had made the agreement, and ' unemployment was worse. The truth was that a spendthrift Government like that of. Russia, which ruined its capital., could not trade, with anyone. He hoped no further steps would be. taken in the direction of recognising the Soviet Government. To use the poverty of the Russian peasants to bolster up an agitation against our Government was not playing the game decently