DEVELOPMENT SCHEMES

Taranaki Daily News, 14 February 1931, Page 9

DEVELOPMENT SCHEMES

WORK FOR THE UNEMPLOYED

BRITISH GOVERNMENT CALLED ON COUNTRY’S CHANGED POSITION?', British Wireless. Rugby, Feb. 12. In the House of Commons, Sir Herbert Samuel, for the Liberals, introduced a motion calling on the Government to formulate au extensive policy for utilising labour for the workless in schemes of national development such as had been advocated by the Liberal Party- for several years. He emphasised that they were not asking for mere relief works, but for useful and essential works needed for the improvement of the national equipment. The Prime Minister accepted the motion for the Government. He said that there was nothing it could do with greater wisdom at this moment than to develop its resources, because the economic conditions were changing and Britain had to meet in the markets of the world an extraordinary increase in competition. The special advantages the country enjoyed in the past had been lost as it result of the war and the political and economic settlement of the war, and it was impossible for it to be indifferent longer to the lower standard of life among the workers of most foreign countries. The protection of British workmen came more and more into international negotiations, Geneva was becoming increasingly a place where the nations had to negotiate to enable them to maintain their standards of life.

Mr. MacDonald reviewed the development schemes already inaugurated by the Government, and he concluded with an appeal for an effort to increase the programme of development and for a spirit of hope and power, so that the unemployment problem should be solved, LIBERAL LEADER'S ADVOCACY. CRITICISM OF CITY’S ADVICE. Rcc. 10,30 p.m. 1 London, Feb. 12. Continuing the..debate on the Liberal motion, Mr, Lloyd George said he could not pretend to be satisfied with the Government, which found work directly and indirectly for only 200,000 men. The motion was not meant us one of censure but was intended to encourage and stimulate the Government to get something done, If they .'found work for 400,000 men they would save £48,000,000 in< insurance. The Government should not be frightened of the city. London City had been invariably wrong in the advice it gave successively to tile Conservative and the present Governments, peilation was a mistake. It had injuriously affected the industries. He agreed with, all of Mr. Snowden's references on the subject of the precipitate establishment of the gold standard—another mistake which was a staggering blow to the export trade, The City was now using a restrictive influence against development loans. A large part of the world depression Was due to the mishandling of the monetary question on the advice of tho “money barons.” “We have abolished the veto of the Lords; let us take care that wc do not establish a more sordid one,” continued the Liberal leader. “Tho city has always been apposed to progressive and tolerant of . reactionary • Governments. When I introduced old-age pensions and the feuper-tax the City magnates received me with frigid silence like a row of penguins in the Antarctic. They said- there would be a flight of capital.” The- Government, by following tho C’ty of London, might save trouble for a little time, but no Government or programme could'liv’ long under the protection of the white flag. If the Government “went for it” boldly it would have an opportunity of righting a multitude, of things-'leading the nation to prosperity, The Liberal motion was carried without a division.'