Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-22
The Dole in England
Index System Contains Data on rs Milion-Mdny
Drdw More Money Than They
Would if Working.

ably we would make it of marble IN
Greek style. with a goddess OF Unem-
plovment guarding the portal. There Is
no such goddess now, but am sure
modern art could supply suitable sym
boil which would inspire us all over tne
land to work for bigger and oetIeI
doles. 1 am not overly optimlstlc puC
am sure we would make a going ousl-
ness of it in no time.
Frank About Abuses of Dole.
At Kew they tell you very frankly
about the abuses of the dole. Most OF
these abuses have been made possible
under the law. The increases have
grown continually with the years. org
inally an unemployed man got 70
shillings week for Is weeks; now ne
gets II shillings per week the year rouno
and his wife, as dependent, gets shll-
lings per week, or, if he has no Wlte. ne
can under circumstances qualify MS
housekeeper as dependent at ShlI-
lings. 1t was pointed out that there
were MANY instances where dole re-
cipient had, by the application OF new
rules, drawn a weekly benefit larger IN
sum than his entire top wage Woulo
have been if he were employed. Inc
first rule laid down by the pioneers OF
Unemployment Insurance, namely tnaG
the amount of benefit possible shoulo
never approach the wage total Oh "a an
employed person, was abandoned. To-
day upon the live register are many
whose weekly benefits. when supple,
mented by the dole of his wife ana
children, give him a weekly pay OIL
even larger than his top wage IN Gays
of full employment. The case OF an
artisan whose name and address was
given me furnishes an example. ne Is
married and the father OF fVe chlioren'
His wife was formerly employed III an
insurable occupation and is upon tne
eligible register. He gets ~ Si ~ sb;f
she Is shillings and an added ~ Snll-
lings is allowed for the five children.
Thus his benefit is AZ shillings a week
(S11 in our money!. -,
His top wage was only Al Shli-
lings. Cases where veterans oraW
as high as two hundred pounds
year, regular pension plus rank: are on
the dole, drawing the regular relief plus
the dependent benefits, which are PAID
in addition to their pensions.
900 of Personnel Veterans.
At Kew about 900 of the personnel
are veterans who were chosen by virtue
of the soldier preference law. Most OF
them draw disability pensions from 81
per week, which pays for 20 per
cent disability, up to 100 per cent dis
ability. The director said that num-
Der were on the rolls, who draw the
limit, who are yet able to do after a
fashion their clerical work. In such a
case the worker gets Al shillings
war pension. equal to $40 per week, and
his wages at Kew amount to $3.50 per
week. his wife, if he has one, gets 10
shiIlings, so that altogether he is draw
ing $25 per week.
A surprising change has taken place
in the sentiment toward soldiers bene-
fits. The public seems to have lost its
sympathy No politician any longer
speaks of his desire to help the service
man. He has transferred his patronage
to the regular dole receiver. who is
much more numerous. A significant
proof that the dole crowd is elbowing
the veteran crowd is reflected in the
fact that recently the War Commits
sion decided that there is to be an end
to the regulation giving preferential
consideration in the public service to
veterans of the war. The younger
members of the civil service are all
talking of it, and the civil service ad-
ministrators say that it means larger
use of the secondary school youngsters
who have received some special educa-
ton which makes them apter civil serv-
ice material.