14 



condition of forestry. We have, therefore, in the hands of 

 Municipalities already a great quantity of land that might be used 

 for the purposes of afforestation. 



When we come to ask ourselves the question as to what we 

 can do with the unemployed in regard to this matter, arguments 

 and prejudices to the contrary ^ave got to be met and dealt with. 

 In the case of each of the examples quoted on previous pages, 

 apart from Municipal effort, the work has been performed by men 

 trained and accustomed to rural life. And having this in mind, 

 many people at once conclude that it is out of the question to think 

 of setting the unemployed to work at afforestation. They will tell' 

 you of a Municipality that has made the attempt with ujjemploj'ed 

 labour, and as settling the matter once for all, point out that the 

 work cost anything from 25 per cent, to 50 per cent, more than 

 would have been the case had men accustomed to the work been 

 employed thereon instead. This is the type of opponent with 

 which we have to deal, and our endeavour ought to be to convince 

 him that his view is an unjust one, and not at all businesslike. 



The unemployed man, with a wife and family, who is in poverty, 

 has to be kept, and it is estimated that the cost of keeping a pauper 

 in I^ondon amounts to 14/- per week. In the end the man is still 

 a pauper, and the nation has in no way been recompensed for the 

 money spent on him. From an economic standpoint, the longeira 

 man is out of work the more costly will the solution of the problem 

 become. His wife and children and himself will all deteriorate. 

 Our opponents must, therefore, fix that. 14/- per week in their minds 

 when considering the question of cost. What are the facts of the 

 case, however, as to the supposed faijures in dealing with the un- 

 employed on this and work of a similar character on the land ? 

 Take the man who has been some time out of wor^:, and whose 

 wage when in work did not amount to more than 20/- or 25/- per 

 week, and out of which he had a wife and family to support. Out 

 of such a wage he could not possibly put anything away for the 

 time of necessity, and do justice to himself and family. After a 

 fortnight's unemployment the position of such a man is most 

 precarious, &nd after a few months is most appalling. Tea and 

 bread, and that not regular, takes the place of somewhat substantial 

 and regular meals. The inevitable result is that deterioration, 

 both physical and moral, takes place, and he naturally becomes 

 quite unable to perform the work he originally did. Evidence from 

 every town can be adduced as proof of this. One case out of 

 many from my own town (Sunderland), however, will probably 

 suffice. It is as follows : — "A man in appealing for cast-off clothing 

 or boots, goes on to say that he and his wife had stripped them- 

 selves and their three children for food, and the beds also. The 

 cause of poverty is only want of work. This is 15 weeks since 

 we had a penny. I have pledged everything we had before asking 



