Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-08
by CYRIL ARTHUR PLAYER.

BY Gable to The Star
LONDON. June S.-Three outstand-
ing questions have 10 be answered
Great Britain Is W solve the unemplUy-
ment problem.
/. The nation has to decide II
really accepts the responsibility vi main
tanning its unemployed, irrespective vi
the character OF the unemployment,
irrespective OF what principles are IN
volved and regardless VI what 1t costs.
II the nation is not prepared 10 accept
the full responsibility, then what degree
is it willing TO assume?
2 II the nation accepts the rSpon-
sibility. in full or i'll part, which Will IL
Go-abandon entirely the so-called
acturial insurance plan, or will 1t sep
arate clearly unemployment insurance,
which is an industrial problem, from
public beaeVolencC, which Is n social
problem?
5. Is this or any other British gov
erument willing 10 remove the problem
from party Politics and place the adj
miniStratlun VI 1t III the hands OF ii
statutory commission or other quasi
independent group?
Two Parts TO Problem.
present Royal Commission brings III its
report this one thing is inevitable. The
books as they are today must be swept
clean and the existing Indebtedness
now standing AS "A charge against tu-
ture employment must be absorbed by
the eXcEequer. II cannot be, nor should
it be-, collected from the worker or his
employer.
1t is clear that there are two parts
to the principal problsm. There Is the
economic tact Of unemployment itself,
and there is the taking care VI the un-
employed IL Is this second phase
which has been clyarly examined III
this series.
There Is common agreement that the
existing indebtedness must be absorbed
by the taxpayer, and there Is common
agreement that no acceptable scheme
OF contributory Insurance against I'M
employment can continue to carry
costly burden Of non contrlDuIory
beneticiarleS.
The difference between the proposals
set forward by the lndepe ndent LaDor
party RADICAL and the General Coun-
eli Of the Trades Union Congress is one
OF principle. vi mental attitude toward
th<. problem Both, however. are sin
cere. and they regard each other A.
reasonable men.
The l. l.. p. when 1t was preparing
its evidence for the Royal Commission,
started OH by leiteratlng the Socialist
solution OF the evil OF unemployment
which is summed up IN "a living wage
family allowances, full maintenance Tor
the unemployed, increased WIDOWS ana
old aye pensions. improvement III the
social services, a 4O-hour working week,
raising the School-leaving age to 10,
pensioning industrial workers at to. and
public ownership of banking ana crealt'
textiles. coal and electric power, ehBl-
neering and agriculture, with DulK pu,
chase OF raw materials and the social
ization Of foreign trade.
Levy OH All Incomes Proposed.
Suspecting. possibly. that this renS dy
might be coldIy received, the l. l.. r.
Spokesman. c. Stephen, M. r., ana ~.
Buchanan M p, t1rSt proposed That
the present insurance scheme Dc olS-
placed by non -contributory one. Fail
ing that. they thought the scheme
should be extended to include as con-
tributor every person over the Income
tax limit. Benefit should be available
at the school-leaving age lor IhoSe
seeking employment. and continue I'M
til TO, payments should be made 10
short time workers for any day lost IN
a week: the waiting period should DC
abolished; unemployed persons shoulo
serve as members OF courts VI referee.
The delegates approved the recent
abolition of the not genuinely seeking
work" condition.
The T. U. C. suggested that the cost
of unemployment should not he borne
by work people, the potential belize
ficiarieS, nor by industry as cost vi
production, nor by the Treasury rs
charge to be betrayed from the general
taxation Of the country. The cost VI
maintaining the Il serve labor supply
(that is. the unemployed Of the coun-
try should be u national charge. ana
the country should be treated as an
economic unit.
There would be special unemploy-
ms Mt levy on all incomes. whether de-
rived from earnings, from profits. or
from investments. The levy would De
graduated, beginning at l per cent on
all incomes below $3.50 year. All
levieS on higher incomes would be va
ried from time 10 time " meet the
needs Of unemployment beneflt, and
there would b. II Super-charge ON UNI
earned incomes
The contributory system Of unem-
ployment insurance. it was further
urged, implies that the unemployed are
responsible for unemployment because
it imposes q poll tax on them while
they are unemployed against their I'M
employment.
Opposing any Discrimination in the
matter OF distributing benefit, where
some unemployed had been contrib
utorS to the fund and others had not,
the general council could not agree
that when man who was fairly regu-
larry employed is entitled to benefit
when unemployed, one less fortunate.
who really needs more benefit and not
less. should be deprived of it altogether
or subjected to Il prying inquiry into
his domestic circumstances.
The council THINKS the existing debt
ag inst the fund should be wiped out
and urges removal CT administration to
an unemployment benefit board.
Flat Rate Contributions.
The employers would go back 10 a
rigid insurance plan, With small con-
tributionS, not exceeding 10 cents for
any adult male-the contributions CT
employed, employer and the State to
be equal in amount. The contrlbu-
lions should be on u fiat rate, varying
only for age and Sex. The employers
contribution, it is urged is part Of the
heavy burden OF the social services,
and substantial reduction in that
burden is an essential step in the
restoration of industrial competitive
power board of trustees would safe
guard the Solvency OF the fund. and
mcdify the rate of benefit and other
regulations at need.
To meet the immediate problem OF
those who have exhausted their rights
to benefit. the employers suggest two
fundamental principles:
Relief should be given only after
adequate inquiry and assessment OF
need.
Relief should not be given any APP
plicant who refuses TO accept work he
is reasonably capable Of performing.
even though 1t is outside his normal
occupation.