§ 4 and 11. Mr. De Chairasked the Minister of Labour (1)whether he can make a statement on the working of the voluntary labour camps for the young unemployed from the distressed areas working on the Forestry Commission's preserves in Norfolk and elsewhere; how many young men have attended these camps since they were started; what is the approximate value of the work they have done, and the pay they have received while doing it compared to the cost of maintaining them on relief; and whether the experiment has been sufficiently successful to justify its development on a scale commensurate with the civilian conservation camps in the United States of America;
(2) whether he can make a statement on the success of the civil conservation camps for the young unemployed in the United States of America and the practicability of introducing a similar scheme in this country?
§ Mr. E. BrownThe Ministry of Labour instructional centres are designed to restore and maintain the fitness for work under normal conditions of men who have suffered from prolonged unemployment, and to prepare them in suitable cases for further training for industry. There have been over 144,000 admissions to all these centres since they were started in 1929. No figures are available as to the monetary value of the work done. It is not such as would justify its being undertaken commercially at present, but will undoubtedly prove of great value to the Forestry Commission in the development of their estates in the future. While a man is at a residential centre his dependants are maintained as if he were at home, and he himself receives board and lodging to which he contributes out of his benefit or allowance such sums as will leave him with 4s. a week pocket money. It is estimated that the overall cost of a residential centre is about £1 a week more per head than if the man were in receipt of unemployment benefit or allowances in the ordinary way. It is not for me to express an opinion as to the success of the civilian conservation corps scheme in the United States but I understand that the view of the United States Government is that it has had valuable results in improving the morale and physical fitness of the men who have been trained, and 2038 in the conservation of natural resources. The Ministry of Labour scheme of instructional centres is not on the same scale, but it is already sufficient to accommodate all those who wish to take advantage of it, and certain other types of training covered by the United States scheme which are not undertaken at the instructional centres, are fully developed in other types of centres organised by the Ministry.
§ Mr. De ChairIs it a fact that there has never been any real attempt at large-scale imaginative leadership of this experiment, and, in view of the unquestioned success in America of the civilian conservation camps, where over 3,000,000 young men have done useful national work for their own benefit, would my right hon. Friend consider setting up similar camps in this country?
§ Mr. BrownI could not give a full answer to a supplementary question on this subject, but I would point out that the conditions in the United States are rather different from ours.
§ Mr. ManderIs it proposed to make them compulsory in this country?
§ Mr. ManderIs that a pledge?