Evening star., 1921-02-17
SOUP KITCHENS FOR
HUNGRY IN BRITAIN
Forty Thousand Men Unem-
pIoyed in Birmingham-No
Trouble Expected.
BY WILLIAM E. NASH.

bI " -SfAcas
Correspondence of The .!st Star and Chicago paiis
BIRMINGHAM, England, February
5.-Unemployment in the soup Kitchen
stage aff1icts this great factory town.
although never before, because of the
diversity of it's industry, has 1t been
compelled to slacken all trades at
once. Forty thousand men are out or
work, thousands more are on half
time and production has been cut
down by more than so per cent.
Birmingham would like to raise
loan of si2000,000 in the United
States. Without this much ready
money the city will have to put
stop to numerous municipal activi-
ties, especially the construction or
model houses for workingmen at a
time when the housing problem Is
of 10000 dwellings and waiting nst
of 5000 families who would like TO
move into municipal cottages
Perhaps, however. it is just as well
that this money stringency does ex-
ist.'' said C. Henry Wright. chairman
of the Birmingham Chamber Of Com
merce, 'for the greatest need OF the
present crisis, in my mind. is econ
omy. With a deficit of $9o,000.0O0,
Brmi5gham simply 5;s must ,aE,m cut .nn1;sa dTwn
even better to the Lloyd George cabi-
net in London. Business men all over
the country are condemning its ex-
pensive internal policy. The limit OF
taxation has been reached; II heavier
charges are imposed business devel-
opment will cease and income will de-
cline. I believe. too. that . surprise
is in store for the authorities in ref
erence to the excess profits duty. 1t
may yield deficit this year. 1, Among
the terms of the act Is one 0blfging
the government to refund money to
manufacturers who earn less now
than their average of three years be-
fore the war. Ese
omize it will be time enough to talk
about a decrease in the cost of indus-
trial production. Prices have already
begun to fail. Wages must follow.
Last of all will come. the schemes: for
reopening markets in central Europe:
diately."
Would Cancel o. s. Loans. ~
The only thorough-going remedy
for the present Industrial depression
fs the remission by the United States
of large part or all of her loans to
Great Britain" said Maj Sidney:Wal-
0oNhs- otCSS0t lsShI &C A0t8G oFsbl6h
hardware firms. ss.Jt 10 Z matter OF
business. NOT charity / know this
idea excites great protest among GER
tain sections Of American opinion,
but let US examine some Of the con-
sequences of remission. First, it
would raise sterling exchange to,
point where we could afford to place
large orders in the United States
that is. to creEte markets for; Ameri-
can g, .. goods Second. T. you'd enable
allied countries and provide them
would lightensth the tefincS der of
En1oaean Isna5aea ws'cn pscS,.s Is noyAeiths down
.-of coafss. the opsains & foreign
rnsrkets-7for that issS5SGt sudh action
would xinount tosPould .sfhve an
enormously henefeiak eject hnAmer-
.a .n ~sua 70 sss s 1pis a. e.
surplus stoeks which Ore embar-
RAISING them now. Profit4 would be
large and im1nediate. more thu
enough. I believe. to outbalance the
to collect from us. but which we
cannot possibly pay for long time
There 80 one alternative to this.
1t would be possible for Great Britain
buying in the United States. as Ger
many ls now doing in England. Our
colonies can provide US with many
raw materially which have never yet
been properly exploited. ] believe
that such an effort would be prac-
tical. for a period OF six months at
least, even in the textile industry,
which in the long run will always
remain dependent on American cot
ton. 1t would not be desirable, save
~ last resort. for it would increase
RNsiness depression and augment the
Number Of unemployed"
fid Labor Men Holding Steady.
It Is the general opinion among busi-
ness men and moderate labor leaders
here that theysa wifi be no Serious
trouble with the unemployed. British.
Workingmen are endowed with alarge.
tineasure of pSttience and common
sense. AS q rule they see that un.
stp tpployment II an Inevitable part Of
Business depression, and that when
factories cannot sell what goods they
have on hand it would be useless
Tor them to work full blast with q
maximum number Of employees
;Revolution J; Ia almost unthinkable.
riots imsrobable. where there is no
large ednixture OF foreigners. For
the xeBe misery cannot grow very
Widespread as long as the govern
mont and the trade unions provide
1faaintenanC0 allowan nces of afo,,f Se