UNEMPLOYMENT

Otago Witness, Issue 3494, 22 February 1921, Page 17

UNEMPLOYMENT

BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S POLICY. LONDON, February 16. Dr Macnamara (Minister of Labour) stated that although it was necessary to alleviate the hardships arising from unemployment, the Government also had the far-reaching duty of re-establishing British industry, which would bring about permanent prosperity. The Government’s 1 policy had been to see that relief work | was useful and productive. A scheme cost- j ing £10,500,000 in connection with roads was now giving employment to 35,000 | extra men. The scheme of the Ministry of Health in connection with laying out build- : ing sites at a cost of £5,000,000 was employing others. Altogether, productive schemes were finding employment for 70,000 persons. Referring to the proposed amendment to the Unemployment Act, Dr Macnamara said the contribution would be raised from lOd to Is ljd, the employer and the employee paying an extra penny and the Government the balance. Dr Macnamara said the men’s unemployment benefit would be increased from 15s to 18s per week'. Women would receive 15s, boys 9s, and girls is 6d. Ex-service men would continue to receive 20s. Tiie other speakers were largely Labour ; members. Mr G. M. Barnes {Coalition Labour), m ! a speech from the cross benches, criticised i Mr Clynes’s references to Russia, saying

that Labour was hugging a delusion if it thought that anything could be got out of resumption of trade with Russia. tie asked Mr Clynes to be more explicit regarding the workers’ right to adequate maintenance. It was essential not to ! lessen the incentive to work. Something j might be done by the State making advances to employers, who would willingly keep on workmen if they were assisted over the temporary difficulty. Mr Barnes stated that during 1920 27,000.000 days' j labour were lost owing to strikes. Most of the trouble was due. to the workers’ mistrust. Mr Vernon Hartshorn (Labour) drew attention to the growing unemployment in the mining industry. He urged that when the Government was arranging the Reparations Agreement with Germany it should remember the way in which the workers would be affected. Mr G. H. Roberts (Labour) : “We will never get unemployment within manage able limits until we resume trade witn foreign markets. This is impossible until the employers and workmen are got. together in an atmosphere of goodwill.” Sir Donald M'Lean resumed the debate on unemployment. He said the unem- , ployed must be maintained, but not merely i maintained at the merest margain of ex- ! istence. The Government’s increase of , the unemployment benefit was not enough. ! The country could pay a bigger amount by reducing the expenditure in Mesopotamia, Persia, and elsewhere. EX-SERVICE MEN. LONDON, February 17. In the House of Commons Dr Macnamara said that ex-service men who were unemployed would receive £1 weekly. The refusal of the Building Trades Union to absorb 50,000 men was costing the country £50,000 a week. EXTENSION OF INSURANCE SCHEME. LONDON, February 18. The Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress and the Labour Party Executive passed a resolution affirming the Government’s policy of extending the unemployment insurance, which is considered lamentably inadequate, and urged that comprehensive steps be taken to restore international trade, and to organise national schemes for work, with adequate maintenance for those unable to obtain employment.