Evening star., 1923-09-19
Can Europe Hold Together?.
Wifi Britain Is to Live.
BY JOHN r. SINCLAIR.

| inevitable. Late figures show one
out of every six workers is out OF
work. The problem OF unemployment
is more acute In Great Britain today
than anywhere else in Europe with
the possible exception of Czecho-
slovalxia. Up to this time II remains
unsolved and baffiing. Truly the
present Industrial situation in the
richest nation in Europe is discourag-
ing.
Since the close of the war she has
followed the financial policies laid
down by the strongest business
leaders in the world. She has not
broken any of the rules. After In
fation ceased, defiation was ordered.
She took the pill. 1t was a bitter
one, for 1t meant more suffering, In
creasing unemployment, decreasing
world trade and higher taxes. But
she never fiinched. She reduced her
currency by almost four hundred
millions Of dollars; her supply OF
goods increased. Result: Prices
dropped In terms of money. Creditor
class was favored, when price index
figures went from 1877 in 1921 to 1Sl
in May, 1929. OF all the great Euro
pean powers she is the only one
which has made any real effort to pay
her way. but even Britain cannot do
the impossible. Possibly that Is why
Ramsay Mcdonald said what was
needed now was a moral gesture on
the part of America" But, again, Is
that the solution?
Great Britain is raising four bill
- ~ "
penses This Is four and one-half
times as much as she raised in 1913.
Fifteen per cent of this huge amount
goes TO pay pensions, 81 per cent 10
pay interest on the public debt and
is per cent on military expenses.
More than two thousand five hundred
millions ofsdollars raised In 1922 for
past and future wars-63 per cent OF
the total expenditures--it is TOO
heavy to carry.
This is why the British labor party
is now demanding levy on wealth TO
pay the domestic deot and disarma- :
meLc to reduce the military expenses.
This is at a time when The average
man in England is finding the prob
lem Of paying his way harder than at
any time in a century.
Right now Great Britain has five
million too many mouths TO fe ed,
while British colonies have restricted
immigration So. has the United
States and other nations of the world.
The longer the economic machine re-
mains broken the larger will be this
surplus OF mouths to feed. She can
maintain her life for a time by draw
ing on her surplus, just as = worker
draws on his bank account to pay
hospital and doctor bills when he is
sick. Britain today is sick, and she
Is drawing on her bank account, but
there is limit.
This resume of Great Britain's con-
return to national health will not
come through national isolation nor
through working out balance Of
tries. She has neither the food nor
the raw material for that kind of
a policy. 1t will not come through
reduction of expenditures and taxes,
important as these things are.
International markets are as air
to her social life. Rather 1t will
come when the machinery of inter-
national trade is restored and the
zone of economic free trade is ex-
tended to include the whole of
Europe. Until then the average man
in ngland-worker, salarted man,
farmer, ufacturer-will have a
harder and harder time TO just live.
Next-France's Problem.
Copyright. 1928. in United States and Great
Britain by North American Newspaper
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