Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-28
BY HENRY J. ALLEN,
Former United States Senator and
Governor of Kansas,


EiEhth Of a series of articles. based
upon first hand. intimate study Of Con
ditions In every section OF the British
Situation and the social and economic
effect of the dole upon every class Of
population.
Notwithstanding the fact that I'M
5reamed-of extension of the dole has
| forced the Labor government out OF
ONCE, there appears to be no DISPOSE
ton on the part of Labor leaders to
modify the rules. When they contem-
plate need for further resources they
talk Of the 1000, o0o, 900 pounds Of CAPT.
tai investments, overseas.
If necessary" says the Labor paper,
the Herald, these could be mobilize
to the aid of the pound, as In war
time
The Labor leaders also suggest saw
ings from the 9S,000,00o pounds spent
each year on the fighting services as
a source of funds for the idle.
Meanwhile the abuses OF the dole
multiply as the imaginations OF a grow
ing class of benehciaries are touched
by the possibilities provided by the
law. An actual occurrence at Liver
pool real estate office indicates the
complacency with which those on the
receiving end are coming to regard as
all they can. family was bargaining
with the agent for the purchase OF
small residential property to be paid ior
on installments.
Said the mother in a burst OF conf
dence to the agent: I'VE shall nave 10
wait two weeks; our two other daugh-
ters will be on the dole then and we
can be easier about the payments:
The printers and other CRAFTSMEN
who get out the Sunday papers, Oh
which there are really q good many IN
london and the bigger cities, work long
hours Friday, Friday night, SATURDAY
and Saturday night. Because OF tne
liberal pay for overtime they may make
as much as $40 for their brief but In
tensified employment. Then tney go
I,pon the dole for the balance OF the
week. This has grown to be so typical
a form of abuse that even at the bapoI
ministry they said that something ought
to be done about 1t. s.
At Liverpool one OF the OUTSTANDING
DEVELOPMENTS had to do with casual
labor. Here the surplus Is augmented
by q constant influx from Ireland. II
a man Is eligible in Ireland ne Is
eligible in Liverpool. AS the ships
come in dock laborers get short-tim
Jobs at good pay, suflcient, In Iact.
to keep them; but the provision lot
admitting casual part-time men 10 tne
dole gives every man who mas not
worked more than three days in any
week the privilege Of drawing pay
from the government for the idle days.
The extent to which this has grown
has really, put the government In the
position Of substituting labor, rather
than that Of relieving unemployment.
In the Liverpool area now on the
dole are more than 100000, including
| 5000 women and 5000 juveniles.
Driving While Drunk.
At the biggest labor exchange,
where Q great queue Of men waited,
noticed many bicycles. few motor
cycles, but none of the little cars
which would, am sure, call Tor PARK
| ing place at American exchanges II we
| should adopt the system. This does
| not mean that the unemployed here
| do not own any cars. have before
me the account of a trial In Liver
pool court recently where q dole
taker was fined for driving his cal
while intoxicated. The testimony de-
veloped that he had bought the car
| for e., about So He was fined $40
and deprived of his driving license for
year. The papers laid some en-
pfssis upon the fact that he was an
unemployed man drawing government