Orders of the Day — Unemployment.

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at on 19 December 1927.

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Photo of Mr Cecil Wilson Mr Cecil Wilson , Sheffield, Attercliffe

I accept that explanation, but I would only point this out. As things stand, all that a man, his wife and three children can get is 29s. a week, out of which they have to find their rent and rates and food and clothing. Estimating the rent and rates at the low figures of 8s. a week, that leaves 21s. to provide five of them for a week with food and clothing. How is it possible for people to live in real decency on that sum? Anyone suggesting that that is an inducement to a man, unless he were a downright shirker, not to seek work, shows the most complete ignorance in regard to the whole problem. It is quite true that there may be shirkers here and there—and shirkers do not belong to one class—but the vast body of people, as any relieving officer, or any man at an Employment Exchange will tell you, really desire work and are going about day after day trying to find it, although they know that the search is almost hopeless, and that unless they happen to be at a place at a particular moment or have some friend to assist them they are not likely to get employment. Those of us who live in the midst of these things and see what is going on from day to day cannot help feeling very strongly on this matter.

The suggestions made by my hon. Friend the Member for Dundee (Mr. Jonhston) were made with the very best intentions. It was never supposed that they would provide a perfect solution of this terrible problem, but merely that they would do something to relieve the present difficulty. Everyone is agreed, I suppose, that the problem we are facing is a very serious one and I am glad the Prime Minister is here. I want to ask whether the country is likely to continue to have real confidence in Parliamentary government if Parliament can do nothing towards solving this problem which has been with us for so long. If we cannot solve it, surely it is better to say so and not to pretend that we really care about this problem of human suffering. Ours is the responsibility. The responsibility has been put upon us by the country, and if we think there is no solution it is a great deal better to say so straight out and let people know that we are entirely incompetent, rather than to do nothing and to keep on hoping that something is going to turn up and that things will turn out better. This is no question to be dealt with in a party spirit. It is up to every man and woman in the House to see whether, by putting our heads together, we cannot bring an end to a situation which has been causing so much trouble and anxiety. It is causing an immense amount of suffering, such as the House does not sufficiently realise, I am afraid, and it is causing deterioration of our people, making them very much worse than a C3 population. I hope we shall not deal with this question in the way in which it has sometimes been treated, and that is by bandying proposals from one side of the House to the other. At this time of year, when we are talking about peace and good will, we ought to remember that the best way of achieving it is by restoring these people to some measure of prosperity instead of leaving them in the dreadful position in which they are to-day.