Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-29
BY HENRY !. ALLEN,

Tcrraer United States Senator and Governor
! of Karsas.
Probably no place have visited con-
.ains so many typical results Of Eng
lands declared intention to 'cure I'M
employment without substantially re-
duciug the standard of life" as Man
chester and the Northwestern labor
division of which 1t is the Official center.
Out Of an insurable labor population
Of 1884, 600 the unemployed upon the
dole are 100000 men, 100000 women
and 10000 juveniles, or a total in, the
district of 100000 idle out of $3.50 900
laborers.
what they draw" said an official
at one of the exchanges, amounts to
about half of what their normal wage
is when fully employed.
The conditions, so far as surface in
dications go, are probably better than
normal because there Is practically no
one in the district now who has not
steady income, while in normal times
there was always an appreciable per
cent of casual labor without work.
Thus while they have lessened the re-
suits OF unemployment upon the in
dividual pocketbook and kept UP public
spending power, it is indubitable that
they have increased the number Of
known idlers.
An Editors Observations.
One of the editors of the district, a
close observer, whose study OF the prob
lem has had the sympathetic attitude
| of an editor In labor community, SAID
in the first place, do not know what
would have happened to US at the
critical time in 1920 If we had not
taken the leap that landed us In the
present state. It isn't quite fair to
blame the Laborites for all the liberality
| that has broken down the original safe
guards and multiplied the benehc1ar1eS.
/ All these unemployed men ana women
have votes. The candidates OF every
party are conscious OF this.
What do you think would occur In
a New York district If 100000 unern-
ployed, unconsciously drawn together
| by q common cause, such as Govern
ment insurance for idlenesS, should be
daily manifest to your candidates tor
| Congress in that district? Would not
these politicians go even farther than
| the more reasonable of the unemploye ed
expected them to go? The faults OF
! the system are of natural political con-
sequence, and, being political, they are
the more difficult to cure. AS the list
| of beneficiaries grows their power in
creases, even though do not think the
| unemployed are dS CO1lSC1OuS u IAIAS dc
are the politicians"
The last line of this statement was
carried out by several interviews with
upper-class working people who are on
the dole. They were distinctly against
the shirkers and resentful of the abuses
which have crept in.
| In one group there were five men
| two of whom were regularly employed
Said one of these: why should this
man, with exactly the same family as
| my own, receive for complete idleneSs
more than half as much as get for
working A hours week." His remark
was not resented by the dole recipient
| to whom 1t referred.
Pay for Diversion.
/ had the privilege Of discussing the
subject with university professor. 1T
| hasn't been helpful in the long run,
1 said he. IF the beneficiary were EN-.
ployed at half wage he would be eco
nonlical. He might even save a bit ir
| some circumstances But his unem-
| ployment insurance, which amounts tt
/ a half wage, seems to be accepted by
him wholly as what you Americans cal
spending money OF course. a con-
tributing cause is the unavoidable idle.
ness In which the man lives. He Il
| certain of fixed amount every Friday
His time hangs heavily on his hands. He