ON THE DOLE

Taranaki Daily News, 30 December 1929, Page 9

ON THE DOLE

CONDITIONS AT HOME. "Those people in England who are on the dole are quite content to remain so, and the whole country does not seem to be giving much heed topwork. It is thought, however, that she will muddle through what is in effect a slump, somehow. For the first time she has been beaten by Germany in exports, and unless she puts her shoulder to the wheel, Germany will remain in the lead, commercially.” This is the somewhat gloomy picture painted by Mr. J. J. Dougall, of Christchurch, regarding England’s present economic condition, after a world tour, from which he has just returned. "What struck me most forcibly,” said Mr. Dougall, “was the contrast between England and the Continent in the matter of work. In England no one seemed busy, but on the’ Continent men, women and children were hard at work everywhere. People I spoke to recognised that England was not bothering work, J>ut they seemed to think that she would ‘muddle through, somehow.’ They suggested all sorts of panaceas to overcome what is really a slump. Lord Beaverbrook had suggested Empire free trade, and there was no doubt that it would be accepted readily enough in Englund, but it was certain that tho Dominions would not entertain the idea for a moment.

"England to-day is a dumping ground for the world, as she is the only free trade country in the world. Her clothing and boots are largely foreign-made, and Germany, for the first time, has beaten England in exports, and she will keep on doing so unless Englund wakes up. In Scot laud, on the other hand, everybody is working.'’

It was a curious thing that, in spite of tho dole, everyone in England seemed to be well dressed, and there were very few signs of poverty, said Mr. Dougall. He was at Wigan on a day when the dole wan being issued. Several hundreds of women were lined up in a queue, waiting for their quota, and all looked respectably dressed. In Loudon the theatres and picture shows wore packed nightly, and in some cases it was necessary to book seats weeks a head.

.England was so heavily taxed that the people were prepared to accept anything to relieve the situation. In Manchester the rate was I7s (id in tho £ on annual value, and in Poplar it was even worse—24s in the £. All this hampered England very greatly and left no room for development.