110 BRITAIN FOR THE BRITON 



" While we have been shedding our people at the rate of 5000 a 

 week," says the Pall Matt, " the United States has been absorbing 

 immigrants at the rate of 20,000 a week. 



'• As a matter of hard, indisputable fact, in no other country 

 possessing an industrious and skilful population, has it been possible, 

 in recent years, to find so many unemployed, so many beggars, so 

 many paupers, or so many persons preparing to emigrate, as in the 

 Free-trading United Kingdom." * 



We may now cull one or two references to the subject from 

 the doings of what is called the " aristocracy of our workers," the 

 Trades Unionists, to see if there is any hope in that direction 

 of a just appreciation of the causes which lie at the root of 

 these difficulties and dangers which are causing so much con- 

 cern to them and to the whole country besides. 



How Tkade Unionists miss the Way 



The following is from the reports of the Trades Unions 

 Congress at Nottingham (September, 1908) : — 



"Mr. Pete Curran, M.P., said the industrial world was face to 

 face with one of the most pathetic sights that has ever been ex- 

 perienced during tlie industrial history of this country. ' We have 

 trade in its normal state,' he went on, ' and at the same time, in 

 the month of September, we have hundreds, nay, thousands, of men 

 all over the country clamouring at the doors of municipal buildings 

 and demanding that the local authorities shall do something to 

 find them employment. If that state of affairs exists in September, 

 what may we expect during December and January ? 



" ' If the Government is not prepared to do something, then 

 there is a probability that, owing to the indifference of the Govern- 

 ment, thousands of hungry men, anxious and willing to work, may 

 attempt to do something for themselves. If anything of that 

 character occurs, we in the House cannot be blamed. We have 

 done our utmost on every conceivable occasion to point out to the 

 Government the seriousness of this great problem.' 



" Many workmen believed the present state of affairs to be purely 

 a matter of trade depression, and that when that was past the 

 unemployed would again be absorbed. ' Don't labour under that 

 delusion,' cried Mr. Curran. ' The industrial problem cannot be 

 settled except the machinery of legislation is utilised for the 

 purpose.' " 



" Mr. AYill Thorne, M.P., said the resolution did not say a single 

 word about the cause of unemployment. The reasons were the 

 speeding up of machinery and the introduction of new inventions. 

 One of the best palhatives was a reduction of hours in all trades. 

 (Hear, hear.) 



* Daily Express, August 11, 1908. 



