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(THIS DOCUMENT IS TIE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNXO MAJESTY'S GOYBRHM5BT).
0 A B I N E T
UNEMPLOYMENT GOMITTSE,
RELIEF
OP
UNEMPLOYMENT,
PROGRESS OP SCHEMES AUTHORISED BY THE GOVSRNMEH T.
N o t e s f o r t h e u s e of M i n i s t e r s i n c o n n e c t i o n w i t h
the f o r t h c o m i n g Debate on Unemployment.
INTRODUCTION ­ UNEMPLOYMENT AND TRADE POSITION.
J. R T
I.
Schemes i n i t i a t e d by p r e v i o u s
Governments
whioh h a v e been c o n t i n u e d a n d e x t e n d e d by t h e
nresent
i R T II.
Government.
Schemes i n i t i a t e d by t h o p r e s e n t
Government,
I1TOR0DUCTI0N.
TJHEMPLQYMEHT AND: TRADE POSITION.
On the 7 t h J u l y , the l a t e s t d a t e for which f i g u r e s
a r e a v a i l a b l e , the Live R e g i s t e r of unemployed persons
was M ? £
774,900
Women
^^ej^es
Total
58,000
1,024,400
191,500
On the 9th June the corresponding f i g u r e s were ­
764,321
200,705
62,439
1/327,515
On the 21st J a n u a r y 1924 the fig-ares were ­
917,792
252,721
81,839-
1 , 2 5 1 , 8 22
On the 9 t h J u l y 1923 t h e f i g u r e s were ­
928,254
227,529
69,329
1,223,622
These f i g u r e s show a s u b s t a n t i a l improvement ever
the corresponding p o s i t i o n l a s t yean when the u s u a l
d e c l i n e s e t i n remarkably e a r l y .
seasonal
I t i s probable t h a t
p r e s e n t f i g u r e s on the whole r e p r e s e n t the b e s t l i k e l y
seme t i m e , a s n o r m a l l y the
c
for
s e a s o n a l d e c l i n e would
be expected t o s e t in s h o r t l y .
a r e a l improv&stent, I . e ,
the
The improvement r e p r e s e n t s
the diminution i n t h e Live R e g i s t e r
does not r e p r e s e n t any great, i n c r e a s e of men taken on for
improvised r e l i e f
work.
The Board of Trade a n t i c i p a t e t h a t t h e r e w i l l be a
c o n t i n u a t i o n of the very slow g e n e r a l improvement i n t r a d e
t h a t has been developing i n t e r m i t t e n t l y f o r t h e l a s t two or
three y e a r s .
While the s m a l l e r t r a d e s appear a t the moment
to be i n a b e t t e r p o s i t i o n , the l a r g e r i n d u s t r i e s for a
number of reasons a r e l e s s p r o m i s i n g .
' (i)
The Iron and S t e e l
­
?1
.
t r a d e i s s u f f e r i n g from a c e r t a i n amount of
competition..
foreign
The E n g i n e e r i n g and S h i p b u i l d i n g t r a d e s
find orders d i f f i c u l t
to o b t a i n .
The p r o s p e r i t y
if
the coal t r a d e l a r g e l y produced by the Ruhr p o s i t i o n i s
now waning owing i n p a r t i c u l a r to German competition i n
Northern Europe, and the cotton t r a d e i s hampered by the
h i g h p r i c e of raw m a t e r i a l .
The f l u c t u a t i o n s i n the Live R e g i s t e r which have
been marked w i t h i n r e c e n t weeks are mainly due to the
i n s t a b i l i t y of the cotton t r a d e . ,
E g y p t i a n cotton s p i n n e r s
a r e s t i l l w e l l employed, but the weaving s e c t i o n i s
patchy.
There i s no prospect however of f u l l time working u n t i l
cotton i s o b t a i n a b l e at a much cheaper p r i c e .
P r i c e s of
raw cotton have been h i g h owing t o weather r e p o r t s , but t h e
most r e c e n t American Bureau Report ,,gave a h i g h e r f i g u r e
for
the cotton crop than had been a n t i c i p a t e d w i t h t h e r e s u l t
t h a t t h e r e was an immediate f a l l in the p r i c e of c o t t o n .
The information on the c o n d i t i o n s of growth has not been
q u i t e as f a v o u r a b l e a s t h e Report suggested and the p r i c e
i s reacting accordingly,
I t i s too soon to report
d e f i n i t e l y how the crop i s p r o g r e s s i n g and the p r o s p e c t s
of employment in the t r a d e w i l l depend v e r y l a r g e l y on the
pries position.
The wool s i t u a t i o n i s v a r i a b l e but owing t o the
firmness of t h e raw m a t e r i a l the p o s i t i o n on the ("hole i s
sound., though t h e r e a r e hot l a c k i n g one or two s i g n s of
a downward movement in the manufacturing
' .. (ii) :
;
section.
IMM^M
- IMP!:
1
PART
I.
Schemes i n i t i a t e d by previous Governments which have been
continued and extended by the p r e s e n t Government,
I.
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE,
The 1923/24 programme of land d r a i n a g e and w a t e r s u p p l y
ttGE
jfER
J F
pgS.
'24
Jne.
schemes has now been completed.
387 d r a i n a g e schemes and 72
w a t e r supply schemes having been c a r r i e d o u t .
Actually a
l a r g e r number of schemes were approved, but s^me had to be
X
abandoned owing to the c o n s i s t e n t l y bad weather and w a t e r con­
diti-ns;
The t. t a l e s t i m a t e d coat of the schemes c a r r i e d out
75$ of which i s wages
i s £388,000,/of which t h e Government undertook to advance
£296,000 i n the f i r s t i n s t a n c e , a s m a l l p o r t i o n of which (about-.
£34,000) w i l l u l t i m a t e l y be r e c o v e r a b l e .
The average number
of men per week to whom employment has been g i v e n , p r i m a r i l y i n
r u r a l a r e a s , was 3,800 up to May 12th l a s t , when the schemes
1
were n o r m a l l y intended to end, and 2^900 from May 12th to June
di-
3 0 t h , the f i n a l date for completion.,
Most of t h e sohemea r e f e r r e d to above were i n p r o g r e s s on
Feb. 7 t h , 1924 but s i n c e t h a t d a t e the t o t a l expenditure has
been a p p r o x i m a t e l y £192,000, of which £150,000 was i n wages,
.1924., This f i g u r e i s , of c o u r s e , i n c l u d e d i n the t o t a l s g i v e n above.
The Government have made p r o v i s i o n for the continuance
of t h e s e schemes on a l a r g e r s c a l e from October 1 s t , 1924, a
A G E
date e a r l i e r than t h a t f i x e d for l a s t y e a r .
The v a r i a t i o n of
c e r t a i n c o n d i t i o n s w i l l , i t i s hoped, l e a d t o a r a t h e r l a r g e r
type of scheme being c a r r i e d out, but the main t h i n g i s t h a t
y g i - the Government have allowed next y e a r ' 3 schemes to be prepared
ramme; d u r i n g the p r e s e n t summer so t h a t i t i s expected, that more
Ier
SLY
schemes w i l l be c a r r i e d out i n 1924/25,. and that-, in any c a s e ,
a l a r g e r number of schemes should, be ready t o s t a r t on October
1st than has been the case i n previous y e a r s , when t h e d e c i s i o n
as t o the next programme was not announced u n t i l e a r l y autumn.
At the p r e s e n t moment a l l concerned are engaged on the p r e p a r a ­
t i o n of the 1 9 2 i / 2 5 programme for which at present £170,000
has been voted up t o March 3 1 s t , 1925 as a beginning,
i t being
d i s t i n c t l y understood that more funds w i l l be asked for a s a n d
J,
when r e q u i r e d .
i p
II
Iirain-
THE BOARD OF AC-RIOULTU5E FOR SCOTLAND
l u r i n g t h e y e a r e n d e d 3 0 t h J u n e , 1924, some 757
mi
J j v e m e n t Land Improvement and D r a i n a g e schemes w e r e a p p r o v e d i n
lie and
[iean
Scotland.
I t tsas e s t i m a t e d t h a t t h e s e schemes would g i v e
Porks.
employment t o 3 , 1 0 0 men.
The t o t a l c o s t of t h e schemes.
amounts t o £ 9 3 , 0 0 0 ,
of which £ 7 1 , 0 0 0 r e p r e s e n t s w a g e s .
During the p e r i o d 7th February t o 30th June,
1924,
some 314 schemes have been a p p r o v e d , t h e t o t a l c o s t of which
was £ 1 7 , 6 5 5 .
The a r e a b e n e f i t e d by t h e schemes i s
a c r e s of h i l l l a n d and 2 5 3 5 a c r e s of a r a b l e .
y
men h a v e o b t a i n e d employment.
193,400
About
1,300
In a d d i t i o n t o t h e above, a
s p e c i a l g r a n t o f £ 4 , 8 7 5 h a s been made i n a i d o f t h e H e b r i d e a n
Road Works, oaw r e s u l t of which has been t h a t t h e L o c a l
in Lewis
further
A u t h o r i t y / h a s been a b l e t o o b t a i n / a s s i s t a n c e from t h e M i n i s t r y
of T r a n s p o r t -
On t h e a v e r a g e a b o u t 1 , 1 0 0 men h a v e been
employed on t h e s e
brainfete,
p.
T25
name.
roads.
The Board of A g r i c u l t u r e f o r S c o t l a n d p r oap o s e
n
e x p e n d i t u r e of £ 3 5 , 0 0 0 on t h e 1924-25 programrne f o r Land
.
D r a i n a g e , e t c . Works,
I f unemployment r e m a i n s a c u t e and
u
s u i t a b l e a p p l i c a t i o n s f o r g r a n t s a r e r e c e i v e d o n t h e same s c a l e
a s i n t h e l a s t two s e a s o n s , i t may be n e c e s s a r y t o a s k f o r
a d d i t i o n a l f u n d s i n o r d e r t o e n s u r e t h e p r o v i s i o n of t h e
m e a s u r e
f
Jlats
Ip-ci
f
r
Q
os
peasr s
*
o f r e l i e f which t h e W o r l r r a r e c a p a b l e of
affording.
P a r l i a m e n t h a s been a s k e d t o v o t e £3.00,000 f o r
a t l e s s ' t h a n c o s t p r i c e , Seed Oats a n d Seed P o t a t o e s t o
cottars,
tous c r o f t e r s , / e t c , in t h e S c o t t i s h c r o f t i n g counties..
a s s i s t a n c e h a s p r e v e n t e d w i d e s p r e a d unemployment
full
supplying
necessi­
This
on t h e h o l d i n g s
d u r i n g t h e S p r i n g m o n t h s , and t h o h a r v e s t r e s u l t i n g w i l l
provide
employment i n t h e Autumn and a c h i e f means of s u b s i s t e n c e f o r
population
of t h o H i g h l a n d s and I s l a n d s t h r o u g h o u t
the Winter.
the
HI.
1HB 192-3/24
PROGRAMME.
POST OPflCiil IJHEMPLOYJIEHI BCHMES.
The Post Office schemes for 1923/24 covered ­
(A) Duct l a y i n g for t e l e p h o n e c a b l e s , and
(B) Post Office London R a i l w a y
work, and (2) the e l e c t r i c a l
fl) the construction
equipment.
As r e g a r d s (A) 455 m i l e s of d u c t s have been l a i d
a t a c o s t of £585,000; 4 , 0 0 0 men b e i n g employed for
5 months on the work which i s now completed,
As r e g a r d s (B) ( l ) , p a r t of the l a y i n g of the
permanent way p l a t f o r m s , e t c . ,
remains t o be done.
(ebout 6 months' work)
So far £48,000 has heen expended
and £79,000 remains to he s p e n t .
With regard to (B) (2) e l e c t r i c a l equipment\-
All
the c o n t r a c t s have been p l a c e d , t h e approximate cost
of the w-^rk b e i n g £335,000.
The t o t a l e s t i m a t e d cost of a l l the u n d e r t a k i n g s
r e f e r r e d t o above i s £ 1 , 0 4 2 , 0 0 0 , of which £528,000 has
so f a r been expended, l e a v i n g £414,000 to be expended.
TEE 1 9 2 4 / 2 5
PEOGRAMJKE.
The T r e a s u r y have approved t h e Post Office
construction
engineering/"programme for 1924/25 a t a t o t a l of
approximately £8,250,000.
A supplementary programme i s
b e i n g prepared by t h e Post Office i n c a s e t h e Government
d e s i r e t h a t a d d i t i o n a l works not covered by the
a u t h o r i s e d programme should be a c c e l e r a t e d .
J
1L
E Z 3 ? C e [ r
VZZ^S
SGHSMB^
The t o t a l amount s a n c t i o n e d . ; up t o J u n a ^ 3 0 t i u - 1 9 2 4 ^
under t h e E x p o r t C r e d i t s Scheme i s £ 2 8 , 0 6 3 , 6 7 7 .
. Tha
t o t a l c r e d i t s a c t u a l l y g r a n t e d up t o t h e same d a t e amount
to £ I 0 , 6 0 8 l f 3 ;
v
The d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t h e amount s a n c ­
t i o n e d and the amount a d v a n c e d or g u a r a n t e e d i s p a r t l y
a c c o u n t e d f o r by b u s i n e s s f o r which a g u a r a n t e e h a d been
s a n c t i o n e d n o t b e i n g f i n a n c e d by t h e Government o r on Govern
meat g u a r a n t e e and p a r t l y by s a n c t i o n s which have n o t y e t
been, but w i l l ,
i n due c o u r s e , be t a k e n u p .
She g u a r a n t e e
scheme was a p p r o v e d i n t h e s p r i n g of 1921 b u t l i t t l e
use
was made o f i t by t h e commercial p u b l i c u n t i l 1 9 2 2 .
In the
summer of t h a t y e a r v t h e amount g u a r a n t e e d r e a c h e d i t s
a t about £250,000 a month.
peak
S i n c e June 1923 t h e r e h a s been
s t a g n a t i o n i n new b u s i n e s s , t h e r e a s o n s f o r w h i c h a r e b e ­
l i e v e d t o bo g e n e r a l want of b u s i n e s s combined w i t h t h e '
n e r v o u s n e s s r e s u l t i n g from t h e d i s a s t r o u s e x p e r i e n c e s
t r a d e r s i n so man;/ m a r k e t s d u r i n g t h e slump p e r i o d ;
want of knowledge i n t h e b u s i n e s s w o r l d of t h e
of
tho
facilities
o f f e r e d by the E x p o r t s C r e d i t s Department and a l s o t o some
e x t e n t t o t h e i n c r e a s e d c a p a c i t y of t r a d e r s t o
t h e i r own b u s i n e s s w i t h o u t a s s i s t a n c e .
transact
The q u e s t i o n of
g i v i n g g r e a t e r p u b l i c i t y t o the, scheme i s e n g a g i n g t h e
c l o s e a t t e n t i o n of a l l
concerned.
The scheme a p p l i e s t o e x p o r t b u s i n e s s t h r o u g h o u t
w o r l d e x c e p t B r i t i s h tndi&V C e y l o n , t h e S t r a i t s
and H u s s i a . .
With r e g a r d t o the f i r s t
the
Settlements
t h r e e the E a s t e r n
Banks, a n d - t h e M a n c h e s t e r Chamber of Commerce a r e
opposed
t o t h e i r i n c l u s i o n and t h e r e i s a l s o good r e a s o n
to believe t h a t the e x i s t i n g banking
are
facilities
adequate.
As r e g a r d s R u s s i a ,
t h e D e p a r t m e n t have c o n ­
f e r r e d w i t h Aroos b u t t h e o n l y c a s e s u b m i t t e d h a s
b e e n one r e l a t i n g t o t h e p u r c h a s e of
herrings
( a b o u t £ 5 0 , 0 0 0 ) and even i n t h i s c a s e t h e
applicants
w e r e n o t p r e p a r e d a p p a r e n t l y t o comply w i t h t h e
conditions.
The A r c o s Company have a p p r o a c h e d
T r a d e s F a c i l i t i e s Committee b u t b o t h i n t h i s a s
the Export s C r e d i t s case the p r i n c i p a l
a p p e a r s t o have been one r e g a r d i n g
the
in
difficulty
security.
There i s no r e a s o n t o s u p p o s e t h a t any p r a c t i c e
b i o c h a n g e s i n t h e r e g u l a t i o n s now g o v e r n i n g t h e
t
E x p o r t C r e d i t s Scheme would l e a d t o i t s
u t i l i s e d more
freely.
- 4a ­
being
V,
TRADE FACILITIES- ACT
SCHEMES.
On the 31st December, 1923, the t o t a l Exchequer
contingent l i a b i l i t y a u t h o r i s e d by the Trade F a c i l i t i e s
and Loans Guarantee A c t , 1922, i n r e s p e c t of c a p i t a l
was £ 5 0 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 , -u o. the t o t a l amount i n r e s p e c t of
;
which t h e Treasury had a g r e e d to give g u a r a n t e e s was
j u s t ofer
£58,200,000,
By the r e c e n t Trade F a c i l i t i e s
Act p a s s e d by the Gov-orniiient the amdunt of t h e Exchequer
contingent l i a b i l i t y has been i n c r e a s e d from £50,000,000
to £ 6 5 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 and Treasury g u a r a n t e e s have" r i s e n
a p p r o x i m a t e l y £ 1 0 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 from £ 3 8 , 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 t o £ 4 3 , 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 .
Since the 7 t h February, 1924, the Trade F a c i l i t i e s
Committoe have recommended g u a r a n t e e s t o t h e extent of
£8,859,000,
£2,000 , 0 0 0 .
Among t h e , / p r i n c i p a l items a r e t h e f o l l o w i n g : ­
The Korth B r i t i s h
Aluminium Co. Ltd,
£600,000.
Equipment of a
Power S t a t i o n and
Aluminium Fac t o r y .
For c o n s t r u c t i o n of
V e s s e l s on, the C l y d e , .
£400,000,
Uni-on C a s t l e Steams h i p CfJ!
F or - o on s t r uc 11 en of
a ship at Govan.
£1,600,000,
The Anchor L i n e ,
For c o n s t r u c t i o n of
t h r e e s h i p s a t Gsvati,
£600,000,
Lloyd S a t a u d o ,
Genoa- i
For c o n s t r u c t i o n of
a s h i p a t Dnlmuir,
£600 , 0 0 0 .
B r i t i s h and A f r i c a n
Steam HaviRation Co,
For purchase of p l a n t ,
e t c , i n Great B r i t a i n
for c o n s t r u c t i o n
of v e s s e l s at B e l f a s t ,
£850,000.
P a c i f i c Steam Navt­
g a t i o n Oos
£500,000,
Company iti S:ud-*n under For the c o n s t r u c t i o n of
Sud-m Government.
a Railway­
-ditto­
Most of t h e guarantees-. 1B. . r e spec t. of ' s h i p b u i l d i n g
represent-.-commitments e n t e r e d i n t o by the Trade F a c i l i t i e s
Act Committee p r i o r t o the House of Commons Debate
i n the S p r i n g of 1924,
In a l l other c a s e s t h e
c i r c u m s t a n c e s a r e e x c e p t i o n a l and. ample j u s t i f i c a t i o n
for
the i n d i v i d u a l g u a r a n t e e s e x i s t s .
J
The Trade F a c i l i t i e s Act Committee have before them,
a t t h e p r e s e n t moment v a r i o u s a p p l i c a t i o n s
about £ 1 0 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 ,
totalling
Among t h e s e may be mentioned
e l e c t r i c a l p r o j e c t s from Japan end Greece and r a i l w a y
p r o p o s a l s from Y u g o - S l a v l a , Tasmania, Eew Zealand end
A u s t r a l i a , but of course i t would be premature to s a y
whether any, and i f so which, of these a p p l i c a t i o n s w i l l
materialise,,
(MOTE; The l a t e s t f i g u r e s r e l a t i n g to Trade
F a c i l i t i e s w i l l be c i r c u l a t e d to
M i n i s t e r s p r i o r to the D e b a t e . ) ­
Apart from s p e c i a l schemes f o r the r e l i e f of
unemployment, under t a l o n by Departments, t h e Contracting
Departments have been r e q u e s t e d t o a c c e l e r a t e
their
c o n t r a c t work so f a r a s t h i s can be done w i t h due r e g a r d
to.economy and e f f i c i e n c y .
where I s no reason t o b e l i e v e
t h a t s o f a r a s the Contracting Departments a r e concerned
the a c c e l e r a t i o n of c o n t r a c t s has not been c a r r i e d out
to the f u l l e s t p r a c t i c a b l e
extent.
!Bhe f o l l o w i n g a r e i n s t a n c e s of the a c c e l e r a t i o n of
the Government e o n t r a o t w o r t : Since 7 t h February l a s t t h e Air M i n i s t r y have
a c c e l e r a t e d c o n t r a c t s f o r the p r o v i s i o n of a i r c r a f t ,
aeroengines, clothing,
transport,
f u r n i t u r e and works of
the a g g r e g a t e v a l u e of a p p r o x i m a t e l y £ 4 , 4 0 0 , 0 0 0 ; i n the
r e s u l t 1 0 , 0 0 0 men w i l l be c o n t i n u o u s l y employed on
a i r c r a f t c o n s t r u c t i o n ; 5,000 men on engine cons,truetion
and the works c o n t r a c t s w i l l provide about 12,500 men-months
employment.
The S e c r e t a r y of S t a t e for A i r has i n d i c a t e d t h a t i f
n
the Government can s t a t e e a r l y t h a t s u b s t a n t i a l l y over
and above the p r o v i s i o n in t h e
current
e s t i m a t e s w i l l be
made a v a i l a b l e f o r the r e l i e f of unemplcymen t a programme
can be worked o u t i n t h e course of - the n e x t few months
which w i l l produce a s u b s t a n t i a l i n c r e a s e i n the amount nf
employment i n t h e a i r c r a f t and a l l i e d i n d u s t r i e s , ,
The p r o v i s i o n for works in r e l i e f of unemployment
was aade in t h e Office of Works Estimate, f o r 1923/24 a i d
1924/25 to the e x t e n t of £289,535
and £66,415 r e s p e c t i v e l y ,
line whole of the programme, i n c l u d i n g
now boon p r a c t i c a l l y completed.
(
this p r o v i s i o n , has
C o n d i t i o n s g o v e r n i n g t h e i n c l u s i o n of t h e S e r v i c e s
t h e v a r i o u s unemployment r e l i e f
in
programmes were ­
(1)
T h a t t h e works were n e c e s s a r y .
(2)
T h a t t h e y c o u l d be p u t i n hand w i t h o u t much d e l a y .
(5)
T h a t t h e e s t i m a t e d e x p e n d i t u r e on l a b o u r b o r e a h i g h
p r o p o r t i o n t o t h a t on m a t e r i a l .
I t may be of i n t e r e s t t o n o t e t h a t among o t h e r
important
works c a r r i e d o u t hare b e e n t h e r e n e w a l of t h e e l e c t r i c
i n s t a l l a t i o n s t h r o u g h o u t t h e whole of t h e Government
i n W h i t e h a l l and t h e o v e r t a k i n g ,
lighting
buildings
to a very large e x t e n t ,
of
t h e a r r e a r s of i n t e r n a l and e x t e r n a l d e c o r a t i v e work which had
a c c u m u l a t e d d u r i n g and i m m e d i a t e l y a f t e r
may a l s o be
in St..James's
er
res
he
la­
of
loy­
the w a r .
Mention
made of t h e r e c o n d i t i o n i n g of t h e bed of t h e
Park.
Y/hile t h e O f f i c e of Works a r e u n a b l e t o g i v e
particulars,
lake
detailed
i t may be assumed t h a t a programme amounting i n
t h e a g g r e g a t e t o a p p r o x i m a t e l y £30.),000 c o u l d be p u t i n hand
and e x e c u t e d i n t h e p e r i o d O c t o b e r 1924 t o March 1 9 2 5 .
In
a d d i t i o n t h e r e may be ' r e m a n e t ' c h a r g e s a m o u n t i n g t o a s much as
s a y £ 5 0 , 0 0 0 t o be^ met from p r o v i s i o n i n t h e 1925/6 E s t i m a t e s .
Among o t h e r matters which c o u l d be i n c l u d e d i n t h i s
a r e t h e r a i s i n g of t h e s t a n d a r d of d e c o r a t i o n
programme
of Emplo7fment
Exchanges so f a r as p o s s i b l e , h a v i n g r e g a r d t o t h e t e n u r e on
which t h e b u i l d i n g s , a r e h e l d ,
I t may f u r t h e r be p o s s i b l e
Include special additional provision.to raise
r o a d s oh Government Housing E s t a t e s .
this further
staff
to
the s t a n d a r d of
In order t o undertake
programme i t w i l l be n e c e s s a r y
for
additional
t o b e engaged and i n a l l p r o b a b i l i t y P a r l i a m e n t would
have t o make p r o v i s i o n by means of S u p p l e m e n t a r y E s t i m a t e s
p r a c t i c a l l y t h e whole of t h e p r o b a b l e
expenditure.
for
vi i
AwoB&Mmpiea.
As c e r t of t h e i r programme for r e l i e v i n g
unemployment i n r u r a l a r e a s the Government have
decided to extend the a c t i v i t i e s of the F o r e s t r y '
Commission a nd to i n a u g u r a t e a new p o l i c y
combining
the g e n e r a l p o l i c y of a f f o r e s t a t i o n with the- p r o v i s i o n
of f o r e s t holdings^
Approval Las been g i v e n for the s y s t e m a t i c
e s t a b l i s h m e n t in f u t u r e of f o r e s t h o l d i n g s and the
p r o v i s i o n on r e a s o n a b l e terms of houses and l a n d
for the f o r e s t h o l d e r s who w i l l a l s o be g u a r a n t e e d
not l e s s than 150 days work i n the f o r e s t each y e a r ,
'$ho Government have a l s o decided i n
principle
to r e v e r t to the a f f o r e s t a t i o n programme contemplated
in the report of tho F o r e s t r y Sub-Committee of the
Reconstruction Committee and in the F o r e s t r y Act of
1919 and Lave a u t h o r i s e d i n pursuance of t h i s p o l i c y
the a c q u i s i t i o n by the Forestry commission during
the c u r r e n t f i n a n c i a l y e a r of 50,000 a c r e s of l a n d
s u i t a b l e for the p o l i c y of a f f o r e s t a t i o n i n a s s o c i a t i o n
with the p r o v i s i o n of f o r e s t h o l d i n g s .
The.Porestry Commission have a l s o been a u t h o r i s e d
to c a r r y out daring the c u r r e n t fia&noisl y e a r road.Disking and o t h e r works of a permanent c h a r a c t e r i n the
v a r i o u s f o r e s t s anfiwr the Commission^ c o n t r o l and a l s o
f o r e s t r y o p e r a t i o n s such a s t h e p l a n t i n g and p r e p a r a t i o n
of ground oad t h e s c r u b - c l e a r i n g of l a n d .
The
Forestry Commission have a l s o been a u t h o r i s e d ' to
continue to a s s i s t by means of g r a n t s tho development of
municipal ana p r i v a t e wood-lands in- accordance with the
approved arrangements under the Act of 1 9 2 3 .
Ecu a d d i t i c n h i
expenditure- to be i n c u r r e d by
the f o r e s t r y CommissiOij i n tne. f i n s u e i a l y e a r 1924-25
for the purposes i n d i c a t e d above i s e s t i m a t e d a t
££75,000 which the House of Commons w i l l be i n v i t e d to
vote on the au^plemfchtrirjy e s t i m a t e i n due c o u r s e .
The above p r o p o s a l s w i l l e n a b l e t h e f o r e s t r y
Couuais&ion to employ 7,000 men in the w i n t e r and
2,300 i n the summer a s a g a i n s t 4,600 men in the w i n t e r
and 1,300 i n the summer, under the arrangements now i n
operation.
- 10 & 11 ­
MJJHI33HY 0?^lAHSPOHT.
VILJ
UHSMPIOYlvIIB !P WO I C S J B O A D S )
Under Programmes a u t h o r i s e d by p r e v i o u s Governments
between 1920 and J a n u a r y 1924, a t o t a l e x p e n d i t u r e of
£37,250,000 was provided f o r ,
Sowards t h i s . , t h e Government
c o n t r i b u t i o n i s t o be £ 2 2 , 5 0 0 , 0 0 0 .
On t h e 1 s t February, which i s the n e a r e s t date for
which f i g u r e s a r e a v a i l a b l e , t h e r e remained t o be
definitely
promised t o i n d i v i d u a l schemes under t h e s e programmes, a sum
of about £ 4 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 .
Between 1 s t February and 30th June,
£3,000,000 of t h i s b a l a n c e had been d e f i n i t e l y promised to
l o c a l a u t h o r i t i e s for s p e c i f i c s Che mas
l e a v i n g a t t h e r-resent
time only a sum of-£1,000,000 s t i l l to be a l l o c a t e d to
particular projects,
This sum of £ 3 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 , which lias' been,
a l l o c a t e d i n g r a n t s during t h e p a s t f i v e months, may be
taken to r e p r e s e n t work t o t h e t o t a l v a l u e of about £5,000,000.
Out of the t o t a l v a l u e of t h e s e programmes of £37,250,000,
t h e r e had boon s p e n t by 30th June an e s t i m a t e d t o t a l of
£ 1 5 , 5 0 0 , 0 0 0 , l e a v i n g yet. t o bo d i s b u r s e d a sum of £21,750,000­ The e x p e n d i t u r e during the f i r s t q u a r t e r of 1924-25
( i . e , 1 s t A p r i l to 30th June) on t h e s e schemes h a s been
a p p r o x i m a t e l y £l 25G O0O:
5
4
and t h e a n t i c i p a t e d
e x p e n d i t u r e i s somewhat a s follows
1924-25 (remaining nine months)
1925-25
. w, o
....
1 s t A p r i l . 19 26 onwards
­
future
­
!i
...
£5,500,000
£.7^ 000 j000
.£0,250,000
£21,7 50,000
IfflB BHOGHAMMS OF JS3 PHSSS*T GOVSBKMSNT,
fhe xrreser.it Government has i t s e l f a u t h o r i s e d a
further
programme amounting in a l l to a n e x p e n d i t u r e of £13,500,000,
towards which t h e Government w i l l c o n t r i b u t e n e a r l y
£10,400,000-,
follows
jj
This i s earmarked f o r d e f i n i t e purposes a s
Liverpool
(b)
(d)
£
3,000,00 0
L a c o a s h i r g Road.
l e w C h e r t s e y Soad
1,500,000
V a r i o u s Road Schemes
3,00.0,000
B r i dg es
1,000,000
S e c o n s t r u c t i o n of s e c t i o n s of main
t r u n k r o a d s ( a p p r o v e d by C a b i n e t )
5,000,000
13,500j000
Under t h i s new programme
sufficient
there has not,
of o c u r s e ,
been
time for any work t o be commenced, o r i n d e e d f o r a n y
d e f i n i t e g r a n t s t o De made.
As r e g a r d s i t e m ( a ) ,
no f u r t h e r p r o g r e s s
( t h e L i v e r p o o l - L a n c a s h i r e Road)
can be r e p o r t e d i n the n e g o t i a t i o n s
with
t h e l o c a l a u t h o r i t i e s c o n c e r n e d , b u t the c o u r s e o f t h e s e
n e g o t i a t i o n s w i l l be a s s i s t e d by t h e a c t i o n w h i c h h a s b e e n
t a k e n i n a p p o i n t i n g S i r R i c h a r d Redmayne t o r e p o r t upon t h e
m e r i t s of a l t e r n a t i v e
r o u t e s i n t h e l i g h t of p r o b a b l e
future
mining s u b s i d e n c e .
As r e g a r d s i t e m ( h ) ,
( t h e l e w C h e r t s e y R o a d ) , owing t o
the m a g n i t u d e of t h e programmes a l r e a d y i n c o u r s e of
i n M i d d l e s e x and S u r r e y , i t
execution
does n o t a p p e a r l i k e l y t h a t t h e
c o n s t r u c t i o n of t h i s new r o a d w i l l be commenced w i t h i n
the n e x t
s i s months.
As r e g a r d s i t e m s ( c ) and (d) a l a r g e number o f r o a d a n d
b r i d g e schemes s u b m i t t e d by l o c a l a u t h o r i t i e s a r e now u n d e r
e x a m i n a t i o n by t h o s t a f f
of t h e M i n i s t r y o f T r a n s p o r t ,
g r a n t s w i l l be i n d i c a t e d a s soon a s
As r e g a r d s
and
possible.
item (e) - t h e proposed e x p e n d i t u r e of £5,000 000
s
on t h e r e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f main t r u n k r o a d s - t h e D i r e c t o r
of Roads lias had s e v e r a l p r e l i m i n a r y c o n f e r e n c e s w i t h
t i v e s of t h e County C o u n c i l s c o n c e r n e d .
General
representa­
R e p o r t s have been
c a l l e d f o r from a l l t h e M i n i s t e r s D i v i s i o n a l Road E n g i n e e r s ,
outlining
t h e work t h a t c o u l d most u s e f u l l y
be u n d e r t a k e n on
the s e l e c t e d r o u t e s , and t h e s e r e p o r t s s h o u l d be a v a i l a b l e by
t h e e n d of t h i s weeks
A f t e r t h i s i t w i l l he p o s s i b l e
to
d e t e r m i n e t h e e x a c t scope of t h e o p e r a t i o n s ,
and t h e
a d d i t i o n s which i t w i l l he n e c e s s a r y t o make t o t h e
i
of t h e
staff
Department.
I t s h o u l d be added, however,
Law O f f i c e r s
t h a t t h e o p i n i o n of t h e
of t h e Crown on c e r t a i n d o u b t s which have been
e x p r e s s e d as to t h e M i n i s t e r ' s powers i n t h e
matter,
. . . 35­
is being t a k e n .
I I I . GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.
The f o l l o w i n g n o t e s may be added on t h e e a r l i e r
(l)
schemes:­
Glasp;ow - E d i n b u r g h Road.
A c o n t r a c t h a s been l e t
lying nearest
f o r t h e s e c t i o n of t h i s
road
t o Glasgow, and work w i l l be begun w i t h i n
the
n e x t few d a y s .
HI
(2)
C o n t r a c t s h a v e been l e t f o r
s e c t i o n s of t h e new a r t e r i a l
r o a d s i n Kent, M i d d l e s e x and H e r t f o r d s h i r e ,
c a r r i e d out f o r t h e b e n e f i t
which a r e
being
of London unemployed.
As r e g a r d s p o s s i b l e f u t u r e
schemes:-
Lower Thames T u n n e l .
I n s t r u c t i o n s have been g i v e n t o S i r Maurice P i t z m a u r i c e
t o e x t e n d t h e s c o p e of h i s i n v e s t i g a t i o n s
and t o r e p o r t
t o t h e a d v a n t a g e s and d i s a d v a n t a g e s of a l t e r n a t i v e s i t e s
as
for
t h e Lower Thames T u n n e l .
x
Note.
Tints o p i n i o n w i l l be c i r c u l a t e d i s soon as r e c e i v e d .
I X . UHBIvtHiOYIviHi IT GRAN IB 0 O M M I J a E E .
VTitb. the a p p r o v a l of the Government: the Unemployment
Grants Committee have c o n t i n u e d to f o l l o w the p o l i o y and
procedure a c c e p t e d by p r e v i o u s a d m i n i s t r a t i o n s save only
i n two minor, but not unimportant r e s p e c t s . ,
Hitherto
i t has been rz\ Inseparable c o n d i t i o n of g r a n t t b a t - t h s
M i n i s t r y of Labour should c e r t i f y t h a t the d i s t r i c t was
one in which "Unemployment not 0thai-wise provided for
exists"u
Under the new arrangements the volume of unani­
ploy meat in a p a r t i c u l a r a r e a i s to bo r e g a r d e d by tha
Committee a s one f a c t o r among o t h e r s i n c o n s i d e r i n g whether
c r not a g r a n t s h o u l d be made i n r e s p e c t of that a r a a ,
'2ha second p o i n t r e l a t e s to the r a t e o f ' w a g e s t o be paid
by tho Local A u t h o r i t y to u n s k i l l e d msiic
Hitherto
this
r a t e lias n o t exceeded Y5 p e r cent (or i n c e r t a i n oases
87^ per c e n t ) of t h e L o c a l A u t h o r i t y * s l o w e s t r a t e d u r i n g
the p r o b a t i o n a r y period of s i x months,
I t has now been
d s e i d e d t h a t in c a s e s where the Local A u t h o r i t y u n d e r t a k e s
the work b y d i - s o t l a b o u r t h e r a t s of wages p a i d must not
exceed the L o c a l A u t h o r i t y ^ r a t e f o r i t s own workmen on
s i m i l a r c l a s s e s of work or the r e c o g n i s e d d i s t r i c t r a t e
(whore such, e x i s t s ) i f thai; i s l o w e r
0
I t w i l l be remembered t h a t the Unemployment Grants
Committee a s s i s t s r e l i e f works i n the f o l l o w i n g wajrps­
(l)
Works financed o t h e r w i s e than by loan,,
60 per cent of the wages p a i d to unemployed
nan t a t on on for the j o b
u
(B)
Works financed by l o a m
( a ) Non-revenue producing works ­
65 per c e n t of the i n t e r e s t and s i n k i n g
fund charges on l o a n s r a i s e d f o r the work
f s r h a l f the p e r i o d cf the l o a n , s u b j e c t
to the maximum of 1 5 y e a r s ' )\
( b ) Revenue producing works ­
50 per cent of the i n t e r e s t ; on l o a n s r a i s e d
for the work for 1 5 y e a r s or the f u l l p e r i o d
of the l o a n , whichever i s t h e l o w e s t .
0
( o)
:
Grants to p u b l i c u t i l i t y companies.
50 per ceac e f i n t e r e s t a t a r a t e f i x e d
by the Committee on the cost of the
a c c e l e r a t e d works c a r r i e d out which
r e l i e v e unemployment,, I h e ' g r a n t s a r e
p a y a b l e for a p e r i o d of y e a r s determined
by the l e n g t h of time by which the work
i s a c c e l e r a t e d and a l s o t h e p e r i o d a t
which the work i s l i k e l y t o become
r e a s o n a b l y remunerative and a r e s u b j e c t
to c e r t a i n s a f e g u a r d i n g p r o v i s i o n s as
to the l i m i t a t i o n of d i v i d e n d s , e t c ,
SUITS 0? T"KE
,
From 20th December, 1920, when ihs Committee
HMIITES S '
TIVITIES
ooimrancud o p e r a t i o n s , t o 23rd June, 1V24. t h e cost to
BATE.
r
the Exchequer i n r e s p e c t of works based on the 6g per cent
of the wages B i l l amounts a p p r o x i m a t e l y t o £ 3 , 5 0 0 , 0 0 0 .
In a d d i t i o n , t h e Exchequer l i a b i l i t y i n r e s p e c t of a l l
works approved by the Committee g r a n t s on t h e b a s i s of
i n t e r e s t or i n t e r e s t and s i n k i n g fund charges f o r the
same p e r i o d i s e s t i m a t e d to amount to £22,000,000?
The
c a p i t a l c o s t o f the works i n g u e s t ion amounting t c
a p p r o x i m a t e l y £50,.000,000.
For the p o r i o d from 29th June,,, 1923, to S l a t March,
1924, works to t h e v a l u e of n e a r l y £19,000,.000 on the
l o a n b a s i s were approved, for g r a n t and schemes to a n
e s t i m a t e d t o t a l v a l u e of over £ 2 , 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 , were approved
f o r g r a n t on the wages b a s i s .
In other words , no fewer
1
than 3,560 schemes of a t o t a l v a l u e of over £30,000,000
have been
c o n s i d e r e d i n the 12 months ending 23rd June 1924
and i t should, be noted t h a t the whole of the sohenBO
submitted a r e undoubtedly of g r e a t e r p u b l i c u t i l i t y than
was the c a s e in the p r e c e d i n g y e a r s ,
Since the Committee
s t a r t e d o p e r a t i o n s no fewer than 8,350 schemes of a
c a p i t a l v a l u e of over £50,'"CO,000 have been approved fear
grant.
These schemes involve 2 , 2 5 0 , 0 0 0 jten-months of
d i r e c t ; l o c a l employment and a t l e a s t a s much a g a i n In
i n d i r e c t employment in the manufacture of m a t e r i a l s f o r
the schemes *
D u r i n g t h e p e r i o d - f r o m 7 t h F e b r u a r y , 1924,,
23rd J u n e , 1924,
to
t h e Unemployment G r a n t s Ocmmittee h a r e
a p p r o v e d a l t o g e t h e r 750 schemes to a t o t a l v a l u e of
about £ 5 500,000 which w i l l g i v e d i r e c t
C
about 175,000
employment
for
m e n - m o n t h S o
fbe Committee h a v e a t p r e s e n t u n d e r
s c h e m e s of a t o t a l v a l u e
consideration
of n e a r l y £ 3 . 4 0 0 , 0 0 0 ,
representing
w o r k s to be s t a r t e d i n t h e coming autumn a n d w i n t e r
I n a d d i t i o n a l a r g e number of t h e schemes a p p r o v e d
the present year w i l l undoubtedly continue
0
during
throughout
the w i n t e r a n d s t e p s have been taken t o i n v i t e Local
Authorities t o submit further proposals.
y e t too e a r l y
While i t
to t h e C o m m i t t e e 6 i n v i t a t i o n ,
J
response
t h e r e i s good reason
to
t h a t t h e number and v a l u e of t h e schemes w h i c h ,
eventually,
t h e Committee w i l l a s s i s t
a t l e a s t equal, for
figures
as
to be a b l e t o form any c l o s e e s t i m a t e o f t h e
volume o f f r e s h p r o p o s a l s t o be put f o r w a r d i n
believe
is
of
the grant w i l l
the winter cf 1924/85, the
the w i n t e r 1923/24,.
satisfactory
P£A R T
IIj,
Schemea i n i t i a t e d by t h e p r e s e n t
1
.
Government.
MIHI-^J-RY OF AGRICULTURE,
-
As a r e s u l t
of r e p e a t e d a p p e a l s which h a v e been made
t h e Government h a v e a c c e p t e d t h e p r i n c i p l e
of a
certain
m e a s u r e of f i n a n c i a l a s s i s t a n c e t o w a r d s p u t t i n g i n o r d e r
main
trunk
cf t h e R i v e r Ouee from t h e mouth t o
Staunch, including t r a i n i n g the r i v e r
whole q u e s t i o n i s now t h e s u b j e c t
the
Brownshill
i n t o deep w a t e r .
The
of d i s c u s s i o n between t h e
M i n i s t r y of A g r i c u l t u r e a n d t h e Ouse Board and a p r e l i m i n a r y
m e e t i n g h a 3 a l r e a d y been h e l d ,
It
i s hoped t h a t t h i s a c t i o n on t h e p a r t of t h e Governmen
w i l l not only r e s u l t
in putting t h i s great river
in a proper
s t a t e , t h e r e b y p r o t e c t i n g one of t h e most v a l u a b l e a r e a s
England a g a i n s t f l o o d i n g ,
settlement
in
but w i l l a l s o r e s u l t i n a permanent
of t h e d i s p u t e s w h i c h l a v e been
g e n e r a t i o n s between t h e U p l a n d s and Pen
g o i n g on f o r
interests,
As h a s a l r e a d y been a n n o u n c e d t h e Government have
d e c i d e d t o r e c l a i m a s m a l l a r e a of Grown f o r e s h o r e on t h e
s h o r e s of t h e Wash, a b o u t 7 m i l e s from. K i n g ' s L y n n
to arrive
at
some d e f i n i t e
r e c l a m a t i o n work g e n e r a l l y .
be a c c e p t e d f o r
;
so a s
conclusion as t o the cost
of
The q u e s t i o n of t h e t e n d e r
t h i s work i s s t i l l
under
consideration-.
to
t
I u g A R BEET.
The Government h a v e a c c e p t e d i n
principle
p r o p o s a l s f o r t h e / 9 ? a n t of S t a t e f i n a n c i a l
assistance
t o t h e S u g a r Beet i n d u s t r y f o r t h e p u r o o s e of
extending
and d e v e l o p i n g t h a t i n d u s t r y and a s s i s t i n g i n t h e
of r u r a l
relief
unemployment.
I f t h e s e p r o p o s a l s a r e put i n t o o p e r a t i o n t h e r e
r e a s o n t o e x p e c t t h a t a t l e a s t 6 new s u g a r b e e t
w i l l be o u t i n band a t o n c e .
is
factories
Each new f a c t o r y would c o s t
a t l e a s t £ 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 , of which £ 1 5 0 , 0 0 0 would r e p r e s e n t
t h e c o s t of p l a n t and m a c h i n e r y .
A c o n s i d e r a b l e amount
of work would be p r o v i d e d , t h e r e f o r e , f o r t h e
i n d u s t r y , and i t
engineering
i s u n d e r s t o o d t h a t t h e whole of
m a c h i n e r y r e q u i r e d c o u l d be s u p p l i e d .by B r i t i s h
the
manufacturers.
Each f a c t o r y would employ 500-600 men
d u r i n g t h e m a n u f a c t u r i n g s e a s o n from O c t o b e r t o J a n u a r y .
addition,
In
e a c h f a c t o r y would employ 50-60 men a l l t h e y e a r
-a
round,
The g r o w i n g of b e e t f o r
r e q u i r e an a d d i t i o n a l a r e a
and, as i t
s i x new f a c t o r i e s
would
of 2 4 , 0 0 0 a c r e s i n t h e f i r s t
year,
i s g e n e r a l l y a g r e e d t h a t e a c h 10 a c r e s of b e e t
r e q u i r e s an a d d i t i o n a l man, enroloyment would be p r o v i d e d
2 , 4 0 0 more men on t h e l a n d ,
Moreover, a d d i t i o n a l
labour
would be r e q u i r e d t o s a t i s f y t h e i n c r e a s e d demand f o r
port f a c i l i t i e s
the
for
trans­
which would a r i s e w i t h t h e development of
industry.
An e x t e n s i o n of t h e s u g a r b e e t i n d u s t r y w i l l ,
have a m a t e r i a l r e s u l t
therefore,
i n p r o v i d i n g a d d i t i o n a l employment on
t h e l a n d , i n t h e f a c t o r i e s and i n some of t h e t r a d e s which
a r e most h a r d l y h i t - e . g . t h e e n g i n e e r i n g t r a d e ,
$
NOTE:
C a b i n e t 40 (.24) C o n c l u s i o n 9 ,
I t w i l l be remembered
t h a t w h i l e t h e G0vernmer.1t have a p p r o v e d t h e p r i n c i p l e
of a S t a t e g r a n t , t h e q u e s t i o n of "the" p r e c i s e form i n
' which Stata- a s s i s t a n c e - s h o u l d be g i v e n - I s s t l l l - u n d o r
cons i d e a t i o n ,
'
Ibemo of
3 for
soerraen
r the
rchase
Herring
lift, N e t s .
J
II, '
FISHERY BOARD POP. SCOTLAND.
The F i s h e r y 3--,ard f o r S c o t l a n d a r e c a r r y i n g
mt
a scheme of l o a n s for fisherates?., for the p u r c h a s e of h e r r i n g
drift
nets.
P a r l i a m e n t h a s voted a sum of £150,100 f o r t h e purpose
Normally t h e amount of the loan I s 50$ of t h e cost of t h e n e t s
t o he p r o v i d e d , w i t h s p e c i a l terms f o r e x - S e r v i c s men.
If
ad.vanta.ge i s t a k e n of t h e scheme i t w i l l e n a b l e fishermen to
o b t a i n f o r t h e i r i n d u s t r y a d d i t i o n a l c a p i t a l up t o £150,000,
on moderate t e r m s , and w i l l r e s u l t i n improved employment, nob
the
only i n / h e r r i n g f i s h i n g i n d u s t r y i t s e l f , but a l s o i n those
branches of t h e t r a d e engaged i n the h a n d l i n g and c u r i n g of
f i s h and i n the not making i n d u s t r y ,
no
III,
ittaiional.
BOARD OF EDUCATION.
A p a r t from works r e l a t i n g t o s c h o o l h u i l d i n g s
have been a s s i s t e d
which
by t h e Unemployment G r a n t s Committee
t h e Board of E d u c a t i o n h a v e r e v e r t e d t o t h e i r o l d
practice
of c o n s i d e r i n g on t h e i r m e r i t s a l l p r o p o s a l s i n r e s p e c t Q f
Elementary Schools, Secondary Schools, Technical
Schools
and N u r s e r y P o h o o l s , and f o r t h e d e v e l o p m e n t of t h e S c h o o l
Medical S e r v i c e .
If Local Education A u t h o r i t i e s
respond
t o t h e B o a r d ' 3 i n v i t a t i o n a c o n s i d e r a b l e amount cf work
w i l l be p r o v i d e d i n t h e b u i l d i n g and o t h e r a l l i e d
trades,
The Board a r e w o r k i n g i n c l o s e c o n s u l t a t i o n w i t h t h e
M i n i s t r y of H e a l t h ao a s t o a v o i d any d i f f i c u l t i e s
which
may a r i s e t h r o u g h c o m p e t i t i o n of b u i l d i n g l a b o u r a s b e t w e e n
t h e p r o v i s i o n of h o u s e s and e d u c a t i o n a l
gentle
ghpioyment.
The B o a r d , on 1 8 t h J u n e l a s t ,
buildings.
issued a circular
to
L o c a l E d u c a t i o n A u t h o r i t i e s s t a t i n g t h a t t h e y are p r e p a r e d
t o c o n s i d e r p r o p o s a l s from t h o s e A u t h o r i t i e s t o make b y e l a w s
u n d e r S e c t i o n 46 of t h e E d u c a t i o n A c t , 1 9 2 1 , r e q u i r i n g
children t o attend school t i l l
t h e end of t h e s c h o o l t e r m
i n which t h e y A t t a i n t h e age of f i f t e e n , .
a l s o i n v i t e d t h e members of t h e J u v e n i l e
The B e a r d have
Organisations
Committee t o u n d e r t a k e a s soon a s p o s s i b l e ,
in
conjunction
w i t h the l o c a l J u v e n i l e O r g a n i s a t i o n s Committees, a
full
r e v i e w of t h e p r o b l e m of unemployment amongst s c h o o l
and. i t
leavers
i s h o p e d t h a t t h e y w i l l be a b l e t o d e v i s e means
for
m i t i g a t i n g t h e m o r a l and m e n t a l d e t e r i o r a t i o n which must
f o l l o w i n t h e i r c a s e upon a p r o l o n g e d p e r i o d , of unemployment.
The L o c a l E d u c a t i o n A u t h o r i t i e s h a v e p o w e r , u n d e r S e c t i o n 86
of t h e E d u c a t i o n A c t , t o a i d schemes of t h i s g e n e r a l
character.
and t h e Board h a v e a l r e a d y i n f o r m e d t h e A u t h o r i t i e s t h a t
a r e p r e p a r e d t o c o n s i d e r on t h e i r m e r i t s p r o p o s a l s f o r
1
purpose.
I f t h e p r o p o s a l s a r e approved t h e
this
expenditure
would r a n k f o r a $0 p e r c e n t g r a n t from t h e Boayd,
- 21 - ­
s i i
they
I V . ELECTRICAL DEVELOPMENT.
The Government a r c c o n v i n c e d t h a t no
solution
of t h e unemployment p r o b l e m I s p o s s i b l e w i t h o u t a g r e a t
r e v i v a l of B r i t i s h t r a d e and i n d u s t r y .
The l o w e r i n g of
B r i t i s h c o s t s of p r o d u c t i o n I s a c o n d i t i o n p r e c e d e n t
any s u c h r e v i v a l , a n d e x t e n s i v e d e v e l o p e m e n t of
to
elect­
r i v a l u n d e r t a k i n g s w i l l t e n d / a marked d e g r e e t o r e d u c e
t h e c o s t of p r o d u c t i o n and w i l l a l s o r e l i e v e
unemoloyment
by p r o v i d i n g a v e r y l a r g e volume of work f o r
s k i l l e d men
in c e r t a i n
industries.
The Government a r e a d v i s e d t h a t t h e b e s t
most p r a c t i c a b l e m e t h o d s of s t i m u l a t i n g
and
electrical
I
development a r e : (1)
The a t t a i n m e n t of one s t a n d a r d f r e q u e n c y
t h r o u g h o u t t h e c o u n t r y ; and
(2)
The l a y i n g of main t r a n s m i s s i o n l i n e s c o u p l e d
i n c e r t a i n c a s e s with d i s t r i b u t i o n systems
I n a r e a s where such, l i n e s do n o t e x i s t and
would n o t be l a i d i n t h e o r d i n a r y way i n
the near future.
To s e c u r e s t a n d a r d i s a t i o n t h r o u g h o u t t h e
i t w i l l be n e c e s s a r y t o a l t e r
the n o r t h - e a s t
coast,
the present frequencies
on
on t h e C l y d e , I n Birmingham and. t h e
South-west Midlands D i s t r i c t ,
South Wales.
country
in parts
of London and In
The c h a n g e over i n t h e s e n o n - s t a n d a r d
areas
w i l l e n t a i l c o n s i d e r a b l e o r d ; r s f o r new e l e c t r i c a l mach­
i t i e r y , l i v i n g work t o s k i l l e d men.
a g e s of t h e p r o p o s a l a r e
The e l e c t r i c a l
advant­
two-fold:­
(1)
otandardisation w i l l enable e l e c t r i c a l manufacturers
t o r e d u c e t h e numbers of t h e i r s t o c k s and p a t t e r n s ,
t h u s c h e a p e n i n g p r o d u c t s and a s s i s t i n g m a n u f a c t u r e r s
t o oompete w i t h o t h e r c o u n t r i e s ;
(2)
I n t e r - c o n n e c t i o n s of t h e c a p i t a l g e n e r a t i n g
s t a t i o n s t h r o u g h o u t t h e c o u n t r y w i l l be g r e a t l y
facilitated,
Such a n a t i o n a l p o l i c y of i n t e r ­
c o n n e c t i o n means i n c r e a s e d e f f i c i e n c y and economy
and g r e a t e r s e c u r i t y of s u p o l y .
Frequency s t a n d a r d i s a t i o n throughout t h e
c o u n t r y would p r o b a b l y t a k e from t h r e e t o f i v e
t o c a r r y out.
years
As t h e change over w i l l c o n f e r
immediate d i r e c t b e n e f i t
no
on t h o s e i n t e r e s t e d i n t h e
p r o d u c t i o n and consumption of e l e c t r i c i t y i t
probably be n e c e s s a r y t o e f f e c t
will
t h e reform on t h e
basis
of a s u b s t a n t i a l p r o p o r t i o n , i f n o t the whole of the
c o s t , b e i n g borne by t h e Exchequer.
With a view t o t h e e a r l i e s t p o s s i b l e
decision
b e i n g t a k e n , t h e Government have arranged f o r an e x p e r t
r e p o r t on the whole matter t o be f u r n i s h e d f o r t h w i t h .
I t i s e x p e c t e d t h a t t h i s r e p o r t w i l l be ready i n October
next.
I f t h e r e p o r t i s f a v o u r a b l e , the Government
will
t h e n be p r e p a r e d t o c o n s i d e r whether a s u b s t a n t i a l p r o ­
p o r t i o n , i f n o t t h e w h o l e , of t h e d i r e c t c o s t of the
p r o v i s i o n and i n s t a l l a t i o n
of new machinery, e t c . ,
which
w i l l be r e q u i r e d s h o u l d b e . , b o r n e by p u b l i c f u n d s , and t o
t a k e immediate s t e p s t o s e c u r e t h e p r a c t i c a l
and c o - o p e r a t i o n of t h e p a r t i e s
GTRICAL
SMISS10H
good-will
concerned.
To produce e l e c t r i c i t y c h e a p l y i t i s
;
necessary
t o c o n c e n t r a t e I t s g e n e r a t i o n i n l a r g e s t a t i o n s and
distribute i t at high tension t o sub-stations.
Further­
more t h e main s t a t i o n s should be I n t e r c o n n e c t e d .
The
h i g h o o s t of t r a n s m i s s i o n l i n e s i s a g r e a t o b s t a c l e
to
such development and t e n d s t o Cause t h e p r o v i s i o n of such
l i n e s t o be d e l a y e d u n t i l t h e y are immediately
profitable.
A c c e l e r a t e d e l e c t r i c a l development p r e - s u p p o s e s t h e
laying
of t r a n s m i s s i o n l i n e s w e l l i n advance of immediate r e ­
qulrements.
I t w i l l be u n d e r s t o o d , however, t h a t main
transmission lines connecting different d i s t r i c t s
oannot
be u s e f u l l y l a i d u n t i l , under the scheme mentioned above,
the f r e q u e n c y of t h e two d i s t r i c t s has been made t h e
.same.
A c e r t a i n number of t r a n s m i s s i o n l i n e s ,
however,
w i t h i n d i s t r i c t s where t h e f r e q u e n c y i s a l r e a d y standard
"axtd l i n e s -for^ t h e - - p u r p o s e - c d " ' d i s t r i b u t i o n , i n a r e a s
where e l e c t r i c i t y I s n o t a v a i l a b l e can be u n d e r ­
t a k e n a p a r t from t h e s t a n d a r d i s a t i o n of
mentioned.in the f i r s t
frequency
paragraph.
The Government h a v e d e c i d e d t o a u t h o r i s e
the
E l e c t r i c i t y C o m m i s s i o n e r s t o c o n f e r w i t h t h e Municipal
a n d I n d u s t r i a l E l e c t r i c a l A s s o c i a t i o n s w i t h a view %o
s e c u r i n g t h e maximum d e v e l o p m e n t of t h e main t r a n s ­
m i s s i o n s y s t e m on t h e f o l l o w i n g
terms:-.
( a ) Work t o be a s s i s t e d t o be main t r a n s m i s s i o n
l i n e s a s defined, i n S e c t i o n 5 6 of t h e E l e c t ­
r i c i t y ( S u p p l y ) A c t , 1 9 1 9 , and s u b j e c t , a s
m e n t i o n e d i n ( b ) b e l o w , t o s u b s t a n t i a l schemes
of d i s t r i b u t i o n i n a r e a s where e l e c t r i c i t y i s
not a v a i l a b l e .
(b)
( b ) The work must be of a k i n d w h i c h t h e u n d e r t a k e r s
have n o i n t e n t i o n i n t h e n e a r f u t u r e of c a r r y i n g
o u t w i t h t h e i r own r e s o u r c e s a n d m u s t n o t be
a c c e l e r a t e d work i n t h e o r d i n a r y s e n s e or mere
a d d i t i o n s t o or e x t e n s i o n s of schemes a l r e a d y
in operation.
( c ) The f i n a n c i a l a s s i s t a n c e t o be g i v e n t o c o n s i s t
of a g r a n t t o l o c a l a u t h o r i t i e s or companies
u n d e r t a k i n g a p p r o v e d works i n d i v i d u a l l y or
j o i n t l y s u f f i c i e n t I n amount t o make up t h e n e t
r e v e n u e ( a f t e r a l l o w i n g f o r d e p r e c i a t i o n or
sinking funds) a t t r i b u t a b l e t o the p a r t i c u l a r
work t o a r a t e of i n t e r e s t ( a p p r o v e d by t h e
T r e a s u r y ) on t h e e x p e n d i t u r e " i n c u r r e d u n t i l s u c h
t i m e a s t h e n e t r e v e n u e i s s u f f i c i e n t t o meet
t h i s c h a r g e , or f o r t e n y e a r s w h i c h e v e r I s l e s s .
The Government h a v e g i v e n most c a r e f u l
and
anxious c o n s i d e r a t i o n t o the very important
question
of r a i l w a y e l e c t r i f i c a t i o n . .
being
e x p l o r e d to. t h e f u l l e s t
The problem i s
e x t e n t and e v e r y e f f o r t
been made t o p r e s s on t h e R a i l w a y Companies
desirability
of u n d e r t a k i n g any p r o p o s e d
has
the
electrification
a t t h e p r e s e n t t i m e w i t h a view t o r e l i e v i n g unemploy­
ment.. ' . ,
V,
SEVERS BARRAGE.
The Water Power R e s o u r c e s Committee i n
their
1
T h i r d I n t e r i m R e p o r t on T i d a l Power d a t e d 1 s t December 1980
drew a t t e n t i o n t o t h e d e s i r a b i l i t y of i n v e s t i g a t i n g
possibility
from t h e c o m m e r c i a l s t a n d p o i n t of
the
utilising
t h e t i d e s f o r m o t i v e power p u r p o s e s , w i t h p a r t i c u l a r
to t h e S e v e r n .
The Committee on t h e i n f o r m a t i o n
them wore n o t i n a p o s i t i o n d e f i n i t e l y
reference
before
to recommend a scheme
i
b u t c o n s i d e r e d t h e r e was ample j u s t i f i c a t i o n
for a
further
and more d e t a i l e d e n q u i r y i n t o a number o f d i f f i c u l t
technical
and economic p r o b l e m s .
During t h e economy campaign c o n s i d e r a t i o n of t h e
C o m m i t t e e ' s p r o p o s a l was: p o s t p o n e d ' . . The Government have
however r e v i v e d t h e m a t t e r .
I t i s c l e a r t h a t a scheme o f a
barrage a c r o s s the Severn, i f p r a c t i c a b l e ,
c o u l d n o t be u s e d
a l l e v i a t e u h e m p l o y m e h t e x i s t i n g a t p r e s e n t o r i n the n e a r
future,
b u t t h e m a t t e r i s one o f t h e g r e a t e s t i m p o r t a n c e
the p o i n t of v i e w of c o a l c o n s e r v a t i o n and
of n a t u r a l r e s o u r c e s .
w o u l d be p r o v i d e d i f
the d e v e l o p m e n t
The immense r e s e r v o i r of power t h a t
fee
scheme were p r a c t i c a b l e would ad\d
d e f i n i t e l y t o the i n d u s t r i a l
c a p a c i t y of
the c o u n t r y and
is' A c c o r d i n g l y e n t i r e l y i n k e e p i n g w i t h t h e a t t i t u d e of
Government t o w a r d s t h e p r o b l e m of unemployment i n the
e x a m i n a t i o n s h o u l d be made o f the
it
the
:
that a careful
from
future
project.,
At t h e r e q u e s t of the P r e s i d e n t of t h e Board of
Trade a s m a l l i n f o r m a l
t h e n a t u r e and scope o f
u n d e r t a k e n and
Committee were a s k e d to a d v i s e as
to
the e n q u i r i e s which 3 h c u l d be
their probable cost.
The Committee h a v e
r e p o r t e d t h a t e x h a u s t i v e s u r v e y and i n v e s t i g a t i o n
are
n e c e s s a r y t o e n a b l e t h e G o v e r n m e n t to a r r i v e a t a c o n c l u s i o n
;
as
to
(a)
the p r a c t i c a b i l i t y
of a barrage;
(b) ' i t s p o s s i b l e e f f e c t s
and
1
on o ttier - i n t e r e s t s i n
the r i v e r
e s p e c i a l l y n a v i g a t i o n b u t I n c l u d i n g a l s o land
d r a i n a g e and f i s h e r i e s . . .
to
I n c l u d i n g t h e i n v e s t i g a t i o n which is 111 he
necessary into
t h e c r u c i a l q u e s t i o n of f o u n d a t i o n s and
s u r v e y end t h e p r e p a r a t i o n of a p r e l i m i n a r y power
the
scheme
"based o n the d&ta o b t a i n e d s h o u l d t h e y be f a v o u r a b l e ,
the
e n q u i r y would t c k e a minimum p e r i o d of t h r e e y e a r s and
c o s t between £ 7 5 , 0 0 0 and £ 9 5 , 0 0 0 .
I n view of
if
t h e g r e a t a d v a n t a g e s t o be d e r i v e d
t h e scheme w e r e found p r a c t i c a b l e and the n e c e s s i t y
of t a k i n g a l l s t e p s p o s s i b l e t o improve t h e
efficiency
of t h e c o u n t r y w i t h a v i e w to m e e t i n g
competition,
the
industrial
foreign
t h e Government h a v e d e c i d e d t o a u t h o r i s e
enquiry.
The e n q u i r y
which w i l l r e v e a l
extent
can be c o n v e n i e n t l y d i v i d e d i n t o
the p r a c t i c a b i l i t y
t o which f u r t h e r
The f i r s t
o f the scheme and t h e
e x p e n d i t u r e may be n e c e s s a r y
s t a g e would be an immediate
s i t e s which have been p r o p o s e d f o r
and a r e p o r t b e f o r e
possibility
a
geological
s u r v e y of t h e f o r m a t i o n o f the n e i g h b o u r h o o d of
alternative
stages
the
the barrage
t h e end of t h i s y e a r a s t o
the
of c o n s t r u c t i n g a b a r r a g e on one or more of
t h e t h r e e s i t e s p r o p o s e d on t h e a s s u m p t i o n t h a t
foundations e x i s t .
safe
I t must be m e n t i o n e d t h a t t h e
building
of a b a r r a g e on t h e S e v e r n would be one of t h e most
difficult
e n g i n e e r i n g f e a t s ever
attempted.
The n e x t s t e p w o u l d be t o a s c e r t a i n w h e t h e r
is possible
to f i n d s a f e
point suitable
foundations
for a b a r r a g e a t a
for t h e p u r p o s e i n view.
b o r i n g s have been made i t i s i m p o s s i b l e
Until
necessary
to answer tha s
q u e s t i o n and the e x p e r i e n c e a l r e a d y g a i n e d w i t h the
Tunnel a s w e l l a s t h e g e o l o g i c a l f o r m a t i o n i n
v a l l e y of t h e Severn i n d i c a t e
t h a t the
to make,
Severn
the lower
s e l e c t i o n of
a p o s s i b l e s i t e , may n o t be e a s y and t h a t t h e
b o r i n g s w i l l be d i f f i c u l t
it
necessary
While the g e o l o g i c a l s u r v e y and t h e
consideration
of t h e e n g i n e e r i n g p r o b l e m s ' were p r o c e e d i n g s
arrangements
would be made f o r b o r i n g o p e r a t i o n s f o r t h e s p r i n g of
1925, b u t t h e work w o u l d n o t be a c t u a l l y begun u n l e s s
the
c o n s u l t i n g e n g i n e e r s r e p o r t f a v o u r a b l y by t h e end o f t h e
year.
If the r e p o r t as to the e n g i n e e r i n g
practicability
was u n f a v o u r a b l e i t would o b v i o u s l y be w a s t e o f money
and e f f o r t
to p r o c e e d w i t h t h e b o r i n g .
The p o s t of
g e o l o g i c a l s u r v e y and t h e c o n s i d e r a t i o n of t h e
the
consulting
e n g i n e e r s r e p o r t w o u l d be b e t w e e n £ 2 , 0 0 0 a n d £ 2 , 5 0 0
and t h e b o r i n g from £ 1 0 , 0 0 0 t o £ 1 5 , 0 0 0 .
experimental expenditure therefore
from £ 1 2 , 0 0 0 t o
£17,500.
The
total
on the f i r s t s t a g e s
being
VI.
Hote
to
of
Whitehall
THE KOTJSIEG P R O P O S A L S .
be
supplied
by
Health.
Gardens,
- July
15th
S,W.(l)
1984.
ihe
Ministry