Evening star., 1925-07-18
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL =. COLLINS.

What opium is TO the addict, the
dole threatens TO become to million
Englishmen and Irishmeu. 1t soothes
the present sense of suffering, only
to bring more severe distress IN the
future. Thus reason leading econo-
mists of Great Britain, as they con-
slider the practice which has become
a fixed feature Of British policy since
the war, andsespecially since the COM
ing of the great industrial depression
of the last four years.
A million and a quarter persons,
most of whom are able bodied and
capable of work, are living in unem-
ployment and being supported thus
in idleness, at the expense OF. the tax
payers The expense of such
policy. as measured in pounds and
shillings, is as nothing compared
with its cost in productive capacity
and degeneration of the million
people, losing their self-reliance day
by day. and forever handicapping
Britain in its competitive struggle IN
the markets of the world.
X
a dole is a portion given in charity
In practice, the British law under
took to camouflage the dole and hlde
it's charity by providing that certain
and receive unemployment books,
which. in case they were out of work,
would entitle them, upon presenting
the books at employment agencies OF
the government, to receive a certain
amount of insurance" so long rs they
were not provided with employment
suited TO their capacity. 1t sounds
, better when ii is called insurance
than when called charity.
The theory of the advocates is that
every man is entitled to a living and
il is the duty of his government to
SO regulate conditions that he VIII
get wages: if no wages are available
the government is Sponsible-not
the unemployed-and it devolves
upon the government to see that tie
{ citizen shall neither starve nor be
Inundated with charity" THE gov
ernment owes him a living" accord
ing to the doctrine of the dole.
| The origin of the dole" is hidden
| in antiquity. ST. Chrysostrom, of the
| fifth century A. D.. speaks of doles
as portions of food or money given
| to the poor, in connection with fu-
neraIs: they procured rest and peace
! to the soul of the deceased when
| liberal doles were thus distributed.
| Nichols, in his History of Leices-
| tershire," says: 'In 1870, there were
432 inhabitants, the number taken by
1 the last person who carried about
bread. which was given for dole at
| funeral, a custom formerly common
| throughout this part of England,
though now fallen much into disuse.
| The practice was sometimes to be-
oueath it by will, but whether so
| specified, the ceremony was seldom
| Nm
loaf was sent to every person, with
out any distinction of age or circum-
| stances, and not to receive 1t was
mark Of particular disrespect." =.
These doles, whether in money or
in articles of food and ale, were at
one time common, not only in. Eng
| land, but also in Wales, Ireland and
| Scotland.
However the present system of
doles in England and North Ireland
is very different from the ancient
funeral dole, for 1t is given to main
tain the idle. While it purports to be
/ given only to the unemployed but EN-
plovable, as a sort of employment in
| surance, the premium of which is
paid by the general taxpayer, 1t
covers. also. the infirm and unem-
| nlONaDIe. ACCOIulIlS " the lJOAlhpli
Times, THE unemployment insurance
was founded on an insurance basis.
II has become extended by reason of
supporting unemployed persons, who
have exhausted their right on insur-
ance grounds to receive benefit. Those
whose benefits are being paid on the
strength of their insurance position
are described in official language as
being 'on standard benefit; others are
O. of q me n
and a third of the women are on ex-
tended benefit In case of infirm and
unemployable, 80 per cent are 'on
extended benefit r...
THE 100000 unemployed are not
a standing army. The personnel is
changing all the time
The London Times further COM
ments: "One serious matter is the