§ MR. KEIR HARDIEI beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether, in order to afford an opportunity for putting the House in possession of the facts relating to unemployment and the amount of distress and suffering due thereto, he will endeavour to arrange for at least one sitting of the House being given before the session closes to a consideration 667 of the Motion which stands on the Notice Paper relating to Poverty (Remedial Measures).†
§ THE PRIME MINISTER AND FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR,) Manchester, E.The hon. Gentleman has been good enough to supplement his Question by a private letter, which I received this morning. In this he indicates that, in his view, the workhouses are insufficient to meet the demand, and that the charitable organisations for the relief of distress cannot cope with the increased pressure thrown upon them by what the hon. Member regards as the exceptional distress. No information which I have been able to obtain confirms the view of the hon. Gentleman. I only read his letter this morning, and have not had time to make very full inquiry; but I am convinced that the hon. Gentleman has given a very exaggerated view—quite unintentional, of course—of the present state of affairs. I do not think anything is to be gained by a discussion in this House on the subject. The hon. Gentleman is probably aware that a Select Committee sat six or seven years ago on a like Question, which excited a great deal of attention at the time, and the results of its labours certainly do not indicate that any profitable result would follow for the distressed classes from further debate in this House.
MR. KEIR IIARDIE: Is not the reason that the Committee came to no finality to be found in the fact that a General Election interfered with its labours and changed its composition?
[No answer was returned.]
§
†The following is the Motion referred to:—
That this House, desiring to abolish the poverty and suffering due to unemployment, low wages, and excessive hours of labour, calls upon the Government to introduce and pass into law at an early date measures which shall: (a) enforce the payment of an adequate minimum wage to all wage-earners, particularly those who now receive less than 30s. a week; (b) fix a maximum working period which may not exceed eight hours per day, or, alternatively, forty-eight hours per week; and (c) empower local authorities, acting singly or in combination, to acquire land for cultivation, and to establish industries, so that men and women unable to find employment in the ordinary labour market may be employed on suitable and remunerative work which shall not involve disfranchisement or any other political disability."
§ MR. HERBERT SAMUELI beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether, in view of the distress at present prevailing, the Government will now take steps, either legislative, administrative, or by way of inquiry, in order that provision may be made of opportunities for work for the unemployed.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI hope the hon. Gentleman will feel that the reply I have given to the Question of the hon. Member for Merthyr Tydvil deals adequately with the Question he has put on the Paper.
§ MR. FLOWER (Bradford, W.)Will the right hon. Gentleman consider the propriety of suggesting to the County Council and the various municipal bodies that they proceed with street improvements and other public works, with a view to providing employment during the remainder of the winter?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI could not, of course, answer a Question of that sort without notice, but I would suggest to my hon. Friend whether that is not a matter which should really be left to the discretion of the local authorities.