The New York herald., 1921-09-15
REJECT CABINET PLAN
Fear Extortion in Charges
for Material in Road
Building Scheme.
WOULD SPREAD BURDEN
General Rather Than Local
Taxation Sought to Cover
Assistance.

Special Cable to THE New YORK HERALD.
Copyright, 1891, By THE NEW York HrRALD.
New York Herald Bureau.
London. Sept. "a.
The labor Mayors Of the boroughs
Of London tonight reiterated their de-
termination to storm Premier Lloyd
George in his Highlands stronghold.
Despite a telegram from the Pre-
mier saying that the peoples ends
would be better served If the Mayors
took up the unemployment situation
with the Cabinet committee sitting in
London the Mayors wired tonight
that they would go to Inverness,
travelling third class and paying their
own expenses going to the Premier's
retreat, seventy miles from the High
lands Of Inverness, If necessary. to see
him.
Would Distribute Burden.
They assert that the Cabinet COM
mites plans for relief Of the unemploy-
ment situation only throws the burden
back upon the local ratepayers. as did
last years scheme, resulting only last
week in the imprisonment of the Poplar
borough councillors because they re-
fused to levy the local rate to meet
general charges in view of the high rate
brought on by the relief plans.
The labor Mayors insist that If the
Cabinet committee tries to establish
road making and other such employment
schemes the Government grants for
labor will be small part of the cost
and that the local taxpayers will have
to foot the bill for extortionate prices
for material. Their argument is that
the community as whole should be
made to bear the burden OF employment.
pointing out that under the Cabinet
committees plans local public improve
ment projects will be. carried out only
in the poorer boroughs. which have met
30 per cent. of the costs. while the richer
boroughs, without an unemployment
problem, will be practically freed of
unemployment relief costs. Hence they
want a plan whereby the bulk Of the
cost will fall on general rather than
local taxation. II 4s
100000 Are JobIess.
Local returns from the labor ex-
changes show 102.771 unemployed on
the books and total of people out of
work of perhaps SO per cent more.
Throughout the country 1t is estimated
that more than 100000 are without
work, with no prospects for the coming
winter unless the Government steps in
The Governments own financial struc-
ture is now SO overburdened that 1t is
unwilling t. assume fresh tasks which
Will require an increase In the income
tax. The principle that the Government
is responsible for men out OF work
through no fault Of their own is already
admitted BY It's system OF weekly relief
payments. and the Government is
spurred to new efforts by the present
stringency OF the problem.
Most OF the unemployed long ago ex-
bGustcd the contributions which they
made to the unemployed insurance fund.
and the doles are now coming straight
from the taxpayers pockets.
Communists Seek Advantage.
Proof that the Communist element
among the working people is seeking its
own political advantage was brought out
at Liverpool to-day. in the course of the
trial of men engaged in yesterdays ef-
forts to storm the Liverpool art gallery
and museum. One at least of the men
held on n charge OF melting to revolu-
tion Is described as having been deported
from New York in 1918. He is John
Meehan, and since then he is reported to
have been spending his time spreading
revolutionary Communism among the
Liverpool dock workers.
John McQuiggan. another OF the men
arrested, called to the crowd of work.
ers "A Jack johnson can only fight
with his hands. You should arm with
your hands,"
The general disposition Of the regular
labor leaders and even the labor politi-
clans such as the determined London
labor Mayors is to repudiate Commun-
ism. although their own demands prac-
tically represent confiscation executed
against one class for the benefit of an
other. ~ Att
The organized labor leaders at Liver
pool issued a formal manifesto denounc-
ing those engaged In the art gallery riot
al revolution aries. with whom British or
ganized labor had no sympathy. .t