London, Apr. 4.
In the course of a debate on unemployment in the House of Commons today, Sir Arthur Steel-'Maitland, who was Minister of Latour in the late Conservative Government, suggested, as a re-medal measure, that the selling or British goods' on the instalment, system might be developed in sone ropean countries.
He pointed out that if the me stalment system was developed, there would be an enormous extension of sales and that, in some European markets, trade was only in its infancy.
it Arthur Steel-Maitland also ted out that while the price of British goods was somewhat dearer than those of competitors, British Jeredit was cheaper in this country than abroad. Could not this cheapness of credit, he asked, be used to set off the dearness of the price?
Mr. J. H. Thomas, the Minister' in charge of unemployment, said undoubtedly: there were distinct advantages in cheap money, and he assured Sir Arthur Steel-Maitland that that side of the question not being ignored.
Referring to a statement made in the press that a company with capital of 28,000,000 was. being' formed, Mr, Thomas said that this. report was premature. He centd however, jiform the House that he was taking steps to supplement the speech which he recently made at} Manchester in which he announced that: the financial authorities were ce-operating to find the necessary money to assist in distress, Mr, Thomas added that he had been asked to cease publication of the figures of unemployment, which. gave a distorted reflection of the state of affairs and did this country incalculable harm, Steps had already been taken to have a proper examination of the matter.
'He mentioned that, under the recent extension of - unemployment insurance, many people had claimed benefit who were not entitled, to it. They Incloded hundreds of thou. sands of married women who had. not been employed for eight or ten' years and who temporarily swelled the unemployment figures—Wire-Jess through Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.