§ MR. THORNE (West Ham, S.)I bog to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether, in view of the number of men and women starving throughout the country, in consequence of their being unemployed, and in view of the proved inadequacy of the Unemployed Workmen Act, 1905, he will send out a circular of instruction, similar to that sent out by the President of the Local Government Board in 1886, calling upon the local authorities to at once put in hand public works of utility in order to meet the public need, as represented by the unemployed workers.
§ MR. JOHN BURNSThe circular referred to was issued at a time of very exceptional distress which was partly due to weather of long continued severity. We have now reached a season of the 1273 year which is favourable to employment, and, according to the latest information, employment on the whole appears to be improving. I cannot say I think it desirable to issue now a circular of the kind suggested.
§ MR. THORNEIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that distress to-day is just as bad as it was in 1886, when that circular was issued?
§ MR. JOHN BURNSI am glad I cannot confirm the hon. Member in that statement.
§ MR. O'GRADYIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that there are no fewer than 5,000 men now registered as being unemployed in the borough of West Ham alone?
§ MR. JOHN BURNSI do not know.
§ MR. THORNEAre there not 6,000 more people receiving Poor Law relief than there were two years ago?
§ MR. O'GRADYIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the state of the building trade is more deplorable now than it has been for the last fifteen years?
§ MR. JOHN BURNSI am glad to say that the condition of the building trade is improving rapidly. It is not so bad as it was at the period mentioned by the hon. Member for West Ham, and everything shows a disposition of the building trade to join that prosperity which I am glad to say is becoming general with the bulk of trades.
§ MR. KEIR HARDIE (Merthyr Tydvil)Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that a few days ago 10,000 men demonstrated their need of employment in London alone? Is not that a sufficient reason for issuing the circular asked for?
§ MR. JOHN BURNSNo. I consider that you do harm to the districts when circulars which should only be issued on exceptional occasions are issued regularly. In fact, the issue of these circulars with regularity rather defeats the object which all of us have in view.
§ MR. KEIR HARDIEWhen was the last re-issue of the circular in question?
§ MR. THORNEWhen the President of the Local Government Board made that famous speech in 1886 he stated himself that the re were about 5,000,000 of people on the verge of starvation, and the present Prime Minister a few weeks ago said that there wore 13,000,000 of people on the verge of starvation.
§ THE PRIME MINISTER AND FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY (Sir H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN, Stirling Burghs)I never said it.
§ MR. THORNEIt was reported at the time.
§ MR. JOHN BURNSThe hon. Member's statement with regard to myself is equally incorrect.