MORE MILLIONS FOR DOLE.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18620, 16 July 1930, Page 9

MORE MILLIONS FOR DOLE.

Idle Hosts Increasing. LABOUR GOVERNMENT’S FINANCE United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received July 15, 7.0 p.m.) LONDON, July 15. In consequence of the mounting number of unemployed, *»the Government, for the second time in six months, is seeking the authority of Parliament to borrow £10,000,000, thus increasing the Insurance Fund to £60.000,000. WILD CAT FINANCE. LABOUR POLICY ATTACKED. Three months ago, “The Daily Mail” dealing with the proposal of the Labour Government to see more money for doles, said: “The analysis of the complicated finance of the Unemployment Insurance Fund makes one point very clear: that this Fund is in a thoroughly unsound position and that the Government has used it in a fashion which might almost be described as fraudulent. So hopelessly is the Fund in debt that the Government is asking Parliament to increase the borrowing powers by £10,000,000, raising the total amount that may be borrowed to £50,000,000. The fact is that at present the number of unemployed is increasing (whereas at this time of year it ought to be falling steadily and markedly), and the expenditure on unemployed is also going up, owing to reckless and extravagant changes in the conditions under which the dole is granted. The Government plan of piling up debt at the expense of industry in order to give the unemployed relief is thoroughly vicious. It is precisely the plan followed by the famous Mr Micawber. That gentleman, it will be remembered, was in thet habit of handing his T.O.U.’ to creditors for formidable sums, and, having done that, to walk off thanking God that he had recovered his moral dignity ' and could ‘once more walk erect before his fellowmen.’ The revenue of the Unemployment Fund flow falls short of the expenditure by no less than £275,000 a week. The honest course would be to increase the Unemployment levies week by week. That course the Government dares not take, because these levies are already so heavy as to be a grievous check upon trade. So Ministers are content to live from hand to

mouth, borrowing instead of paying their way, and accumulating immense obligations for the future. The deficit on the Fund is actually increasing at the rate of £14,000,000 a year; and the worst of it is that this money is doing mischief and not good by multiplying the unemployable and parasite class and teaching boys and girls to live upon the State (which means the taxpayer) from the cradle to the grave.”