§ MR. CHIOZZA MONEY (Paddington, N.)I beg to ask the President 1538 of the Local Government Board if his attention has been directed to the fact that the British External Trade Returns for January exhibit a decline of £1,893,342 in imports of raw materials, a decline of £2,400,140 in imports of manufactures, and a decline of £999,468 in exports of manufactures; and whether, in view of the amount of unemployment and undeserved distress which these figures indicate, he adheres to his resolution not to legislate on the subject of unemployment in the present session.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. JOHN BURNS,) BatterseaI am aware of the figures referred to. I do not think that the returns, which only relate to a single month, can be taken as conclusive evidence of distress and want of employment in the country. I see no sufficient reason for altering the conclusion already arrived at with regard to legislation on the subject of unemployment during the present session.
§ MR. CHIOZZA MONEYIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that in December the returns showed more out of work to the extent of 1 per cent. as compared with the return for the previous month?
§ MR. JOHN BURNSYes.
§ MR. CLAUDE HAYDo the Government not intend to propose any legislation with regard to the unemployed?
§ MR. JOHN BURNSOnly that which is mentioned in the King's Speech.
§ MR. CHIOZZA MONEYIs it not very easy to show by statistics that on any day in the present winter there must be at least 400,000 men out of work in the United Kingdom?
§ MR. JOHN BURNSThat may be so, but I should like to remind the hon. Member of his speech on 2nd November, 1907, in which he said: "To judge from; past experience we must expect depression in 1908, but there is little reason to anticipate disaster. It is not a black time but a slack time that is before us." I am prepared to meet that contingency with 1539 all the sympathetic and valuable methods at our disposal.