Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-30
by HENRY J. ALLEN,

Former United States Senator and Governor
OF Kansas.
AppraiSing it from England's expert
ence, there is nothing but trouble for
the farmer in the dole system. His
labor is not insurable under the law,
although his contribution to general
taxation helps pay for its operation.
One cause for the growing u1easineSS
about farm labor might be paraphrased
from popular post war skit how you
going to keep 'em down on the farms
when they've heard about the dole?
And they hear about it continuously
Every farm village has LIST OF dole
takers who naturally stand out in
community of hard workers as living
exh' bits of the ease with which the idle
may abide in England If they have
worked once in an inSurable occupation.
Add to this fact that the dole is prac-
tically as high in amount as the aver
age farm wage and you have situation
tempting the farm boy and his sister.
Chester is one of the highly developed
agricultural centers, but it has several
hundred men, women and juveniles on
the unemployment pay roll. The beau
tiful old town, which was seaport
when Liverpool was a fishing village"
is surrounded by rich agricultural lands;
dairying and cheese making for CEN
turtles have given it prosperity, steadi-
ness and agricultural traditions. Today,
however, they talk the same language
of discomfort that we hear at home
and the sources of their worry are iden-
teal with those of our farmers.
Urges Protective Tariffs.
eve would be all right" said the
editor of the local paper, IF we could
get rid of the everlasting dumping from
Russia and our own colonies, not to
mention the United States" His
remedy was a protective tariff. I find
his tribe increasing over here. The
sentiment of Chester and its farm
neighborhood was Overwhelmingly in
favor of some other method than the
dole to care for unemployment
In all sorts of unexpected places
the dole has become a fixture. In
oxford, seat of culture and educational
traditions, there were 5000 persons on
the dole register, with staff OF 35
paying of at the labor exchange.
At Stratford-on-A Avon, home town of
william Shakespeare. there is labor
exchange with 365 idle people drawing
the dole Men who know America have
frequently spoken to me of the expert
ence they think we would encounter if
we adopted the English system.
Mr. Reginald McKenna, eminent
banker, well known to America through
visits there, said: II should hate to see
the United States follow in our foot
steps in this. I believe the abuse of
the system would multiply even more
rapidly than they have with us. The
British laboring man has been here for
generations. He succeeds his father at
the trade. He is well known in his in
.dustrial section, surrounded by the ira
ditions Of his life; all his intimac.es
are known. Your labor Is more migra-
tory and lacks somewhat the quality
OF local organization and acquaintance
ship which have reduced our disad-
vantages Of administration"
Idle Insurance Called Misnomer.
There is now keen interest in the
new government which in the Septem-
Der Parliament must find a way to
balance the budget. The extreme
that the scheme is insurance and place
the burden Of its maintenance wholly
upon the taxpayers.
1T Is ridiculous" said an officer of
the Trades Union Congress 70 me yes
terday. Ito call our present plan I'M
employment insurance. Unemployment
is not an insurable condition There are
no actuarial tables obtainable that
would lay q safe foundation for insur-
large"
Whether notifications can be adopt
ed which win save the solvency of the
country without upsetting the political
equilibrium remains to be seen. 1t is
task Of the utmost delicacy, but mucn
confidence is felt in the good faith with
which the coalition is getting at the
problem.
One difficulty is that the problem.
grows so rapidly that remedies sug.
gested today are obsolete tomorrow For
example, the Royal Commissions APP
pointed to make a thorough study and
recommend a procedure, has made an
interim report after an able survey. 1t
estimated that the unemployment Px-
penditure at the hour of the report was
ga 100000, or $4,000 ,00O per year.
It recommended curtailments of an i'm
portant character which would bring
the deficit down to $40, 600, 900. But the
figures OF the commission were on a
basis OF only 100000 unemployed, and
since these figures were given out the
number Of unemployed has so increased
that the director of the system now
looks for 3,250,000 unemployed
Thus, even If there were any hope
that the Parliament would follow the
very sensible suggestions of the Royal
Commission, it would fall far short by
reason of contemplated increase of
10000 unemployed on the dole reg
lister.
Ambitious Plans Dropped.
Various ambitious plans such as re-
building Stun housings, etc, have been
dropped because the steady drain for
actual dole payments mounted to such
a figure that the government lost the
courage necessary to borrow the added
sums.
The steady presence of the unem-
ployed at the treasury's doors seemed
to kill initiative
That industries could and should do
their own inSuring of unemployed with
out recourse to the governments treas
ury is still the belief of many thought
full Englishmen.
These point with conviction to two
successful MISUNDERSTANDING and
banking-which have carried on their
own insurance, paid larger benefits than
the state. maintained actuarial basis
and established permanent interest
bearing funds to care for emergencies.
| Taking care OF 100000 workers, they
/ stand out in this chaotic hour as solvent
and healthy examples of what might
| have been done in other industries if
the emergencies had been properly met
1 by leaders of industry.
! A considerable number of private I'M
! employment insurance schemes had been