Evening star., 1925-05-06
British Dole System Failure
No Surprise to United States

America is not surprised at the fail
ure of Great Britain's dole system for
the unemployed, and some editors
Joining in a countrywide discussion
of the subject are inclined TO cite the
British experience as warning
against CALIFORNIA; 5 proposed old-age
pensions.
History abounds in warnings
against the pauperization of a people, :"
declares the Spokane SpokeSman-Re-
view. "It is easy to establish a prece-
dent, but it becomes increasingly diff
cult to check the growth of the pau
periZing influence. Great Britain is
learning that lesson anew from costly
experience. Its politicians attempted
to tide over the unemployment follow
ing the World War with a system of
weekly doles to the unemployed. But
unemployment is increasing. There is
less justification for old-age pensions
in the United States than in any other
country. To start people on career
of dependency on Government support
is unsound and hazardous.
The discovery by Great Britain that
the dole is a grievous error is con-
sidered by the Philadelphia Bulletin as
evidence that the Government should
have provided public works at which
the unemployed might have found oc-
cupation when England stops pay
ing the dole to men to encourage them
to do nothing" remarks the Bulletin,
"and limits its measures for relief of
unemployment to providing work for
wages, it will have begun to solve it's
problem"
The Atlanta Journal observes:
Great Britain's dole system is not
the good thing that its advocates
promised Its effect has been de-
moralizing, and none has suffered
more from its evils than those it was
designed TO relieve. Designed to re-
lieve distress in the industrial dis
tricts, the dole system has accom-
plished little or nothing that recon-
mends it."
British craftsmanship should be
able to devise some means of requiring
useful labor for the state by those
receiving it's bounty, according to the
Pittsburgh Chronicle Telegraph, which
continues: IAN. economic crime is not
too strong a characterization for this
present system, which tends to make
paupers of millions of persons. The
Labor government failed to solve the
problem of unemployment. If the Con-
servative government cannot do bet
ter. it may soon suffer the fate of it's
predecessor"
X r X X
The San Francisco Bulletin men
tions this possibility in connection
with a discussion of the British effort
to improve it's financial position which
resulted in the restoration of the gold
standard for that country. Great
Britain" says the Bulletin, has been
bearing a heavy load, not only in her
wartime losses and in doles for the
unemployed. but in interest on
amounts lent to her allies. 1t pays a
nation to pay it's debts and the only
way of establishing financial stability
is by keeping expenditures within
revenue"
The general economic effect of the
dole is emphasized by the New York
Evening Post, which explains: THE
money contributed by the state was
obtained by increasing taxation, the
money from the workers was obtain
ed by trade unions advancing wages.
and both amounts were thus passed
along to the employer. The employer
added these two charges, as we'll as
his own contribution, to the cost of
production. These added costs hope
lessly handicapped industries man
ned by a lower-priced labor. Eco