The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-02-09
BRIT LABORITES
SAY HOUSING is
MAJOR PROBLEM
Plan to Erect 100000
Dwellings Yearly

MISUNDERSTANDING q confer
ence on housing held yesterday at the
ministry of labor at which represen-
tatives of the building unions and
building trades employers were pres
ent, the Labor Party government is
prepared to go before Parliament
next week with its program on this
important domestic question. The
government was represented by Tom
Shaw, minister of labor; Margaret
Bonfeld, parliamentary secretary;
John Wheatley, minister of health,
and D. Adamson, secretary for Scot
land.
One of the difficulties that the La
Dor Party government must meet in
its proposal for relieving the hous-
ing situation and at the same time
cutting down unemployment, is con-
tanned in its endeavor to get the
building trades union to relax their
rules and take in workers with little
building trades experience.
Unions Want Guarantee.
The unions are said to be agree
able to this proposal if the govern
ment will in turn guarantee a build
ing program that will employ their
members for a period of fifteen or
twenty years. The Labor Party gov
eminent is apparently willing to en-
ter into this understanding with the
unions if financial arrangements can
be made. The need for workers
dwellings is so great that this length
of time will be needed to carry out
the program as outlined.
100000 Homes Yearly.
1t is estimated that 100000 new
homes per year are needed and some
idea Of the immensely of the pro-
posal is gathered when it is known
that estimates already prepared show
that the existing brick plants are I'M
able to supply the required amount
of materia4.
The ministry Of health has let it be
known that any attempt on the part
of building material concerns to
take advantage of the new demand
for their wares will be met by dras-
tic measures.
What Workers Expect.
Among the masses of workers, or
ganized and unorganized, who sup
ported the Labor Party, it is expect
ed that the government in addition
to the Immediately moving to re-
lieve the housing and unemployment
situation, will make substantial re-
auctions in the taxes on sugar, tea
and the cheaper forms of entertain
ment; encourage agriculture, which
is in bad way, and increase the
payments to the blind, war victims,
war widows and widowed mothers.
A cut is also expected in the naval,
military and air budgets but not in
the pay of the army and navy per-
sonnet
While the Labor Party govern
ment is known to intend to devote
most of it's attention to domestic
problems, now that Soviet Russia has
been recognized there is much specu-
lation as to the attitude the govern
ment will adopt towards France.
It is known that Premier Mac
Donald intends to visit France in
May, when the French elections will
be over and the view is expressed
here that with firmness in the gov
ernment's attitude on French policy
the new Chamber Of Deputies may
be disposed to incline a more SYM
pathetic ear to the British repara-
ton proposals.
Firm With France.
In an interview published today
by the Manchester Daily Dispatch,
the Labor Party premier says that
the hesitant attitude of the late gov
eminent was largely responsible for
the Misunderstanding with France.
He says: "All that is gone. Great
Britain will no longer be content to
sit and watch events, and the result
of this new attitude seems to be sue
ceeding beyond expectations"
The lockers are threatening to
strike but are still conducting nego-
tiations with their employers. The
strike has been set for a week from
today and may create serious prob
lem for the government exceeding
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