London, Aug. 20.
It is two years after the war, and yet there are 190,000 ex-servicemen out of work; it may not be that none have been in employment since then, but evidently they are so no longer. The public are beginning to feel rather uneasy, while the men themselves are showing signs of restiveness.
Now what are these men? It can be taken as certain that the vast majority are very young—may be from 22 to 2—while 99 out of 100 are unskilled. The two facts are connected. These young men were taken from school—almost from the school gates—at the age of 18 years; they served in the Army int young until they were demobilized, last of all they had no time to learn any trade, no apprenticeship, no form of later education of any sort or kind. They are then turned out to earn their living, and they find every avenue closed against them. Tu the first place, there are always enough unskilled men for ordinary work, and, nowadays, when the rates of pay are so high, an employer naturally takes only the best of the available ability—if he has a choice.
Doo 1s tas Muncsr.
There is a slump in trade, so even there are skilled men out of a job, though this is merely transient and due for the most part to the stupidity of Union regulations. The Unions, however—will in many cases not allow any of these unfortunate men to be trained, or, if they do, they hedge round the concession with so many restrictions as to make it practically valueless. Why? Merely out of selfishness since they say "There is only 0 much work in sight, and if we increase the numbers of those able to do it, then we lessen the volume of employment for all." In other words, unemployment is still the bugbear of most manual workers. and nothing will reassure them, not even—as in the case of the builders —a statutory guarantee of five years' employment at Union wages, if only they will permit dilution in the particular industry. Then too, the case of women is another factor The married woman is no longer willing to acquiesce in the view that her duty is in the home; that is her affair, she contends, and, if she likes to work during the day and make provision for her domestic arrangements in her absence, no one has any right to criticize. Indeed I know any number of married women at work, while their husbands are also eniployed. To this the ex-service men object most strongly, and, as the Government is the greatest offender, they are able to voice their complaints more openly than if the firms implicated were all private.
Then there is in many cases no great readiness to employ these men. The Labour Councils for instance are nearly all hostile to them. The members are mostly "conchies" and the like who think they have now an opportunity of taking it out of those who showed greater patriotism than themselves, Still only one-fifth of the employers of the country are on the King's Roll or in other words guarantee a certain percentage of disabled men that they will give them work; it is not too good a record. Of public bodies only 382 out of 2,500.
Sap Statistics or Aparuy.
There are signs of grumbling by the men at the fact that the unemployment donation is cut down to 20/- from 99/- and will end early in November, yet we must remember that none but soldiers receive i now. There are deputations—with threats—in many towns, usually led by "bad eggs," of whom needless to say there are not a few more or less masquerading as men who have done the State some service (usually very little). What we are looking for is a remedy. Dr. Macnamara, the Minister of Labour, is out on the warpath against the is out on the warpath against the public apathy with sad figures 20,000 disabled men hobbling about for work—trained, 21,700 waiting for training, 24,000 in training.
25,000 already trained.
180,000 fit men out of work.
It is true we have absorbed 180,000 fit men since the start of the year, but it is not- enough. We have find employment for the rest. The building trade needs thousands of men, yet Trades Union exclusiveness, aa I have explained, is unconquerable. We may have, therefore, more drastic measures. We may have employers compelled by law to absorb a certain percentage of disabled men, and the Government starting factories to train more unskilled men than at present the Unions will permit to be trained. Frankly we ought not to be satisfied to go on as we are. No one is particularly keen on State workshops, but we may come to and there will be a very good case for the innovation.
Why, we haven't yet finished with that pathetic sight in the streets—the blue uniform of the wounded soldier! Clearing-up is a long hard job.
A Japanese contemporary says that in a determination to enlarge and keep up to date the library of the late Dr. Morrison, the family of Baron Iwasaki have decided to open an oriental investigation office in connexion with the library; The library, with its office of vestigation and the entire collection of books, will be open to the pub-lie as soon as the new library building is completed.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.