Letters to the Editor
[Correspondents are requested to keep their letters as brief as is reasonably possible. The most suitable length is that of one of our " News of the Week" paragraphs.—Ed. Tux SPECTATOR.]
WORK CENTRES FOR THE UNEMPLOYED
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] Sia—May I ask for a little more space to add to the remarks I made in your columns last week ? So much has been heard lately of theSe occupational, social and work centres, that the opinions of a constant attender may be of interest. The objects of these classes are, I take it : to give the workless man and woman a new interest in life ; to keep him or her bright and alert and ready for work when it comes ; to take his mind from the depression, and to make him think. I doubt if these objects are being reached. I attend Free Classes for the Un- employed, and am glad of them, but after a fairly long attendance at various places I have reached the following conclusions, all of which can be verified by any of your readers who care to do so : (1) Chief and foremost, the east bulk of the Unemployed are not touched. They don't come. They have no interest. For example, the full numbers of the various classes attended by me arc : 30, 90, 6, 14, 23. As Liverpool and the Merseyside district have nearly 100,000 unemployed, it is obvious that the support is negligible—even if these figures be multiplied by the total number of centres for the unemployed, which is small. On the above figures, the classes are a failure. The vast majority of unemployed, the more illiterate unemployed, who idle their days away aimlessly, simply stay away, and dete- riorate. The whole object of these classes is thus defeated.
Moreover, the classes do not keep up their numbers, except in a few isolated cases. After the first flush of enthusiasm, the numbers fall away, the classes dwindle ; only those who naturally like the subjects taught, and the better educated, stay the course. Only this week, during the calling over of the register at the class attended by me, fully 75 per cent. of the original members were absent. Some classes have already been discontinued. I emphasize again that it is only the better educated unemployed who are regular attenders. The problem is not to be solved in this manner.
What we unemployed could do with is a little less of educa- tion and a little more of entertainment. It should be possible for free cinema shows to be arranged. There are thousands of excellent silent films available, and by showing to the unem- ployed the very best of these, entertainment could be thus combined with a pleasanter form of instruction than is now the ease. In saying this, I am in no way criticizing all those voluntary teachers, often University experts in their line, who give their services free. What I am trying to drive home is the fact that the support is not worthy of them. The same story can be told of the various occupational centres where workless men can mend boots, &c., and make things for the home. Here, again, it will be found that since the first flush of enthusiasm the numbers are falling off. The centres are defeating their object. Many of the men assert that by doing work at these centres they are helping to ruin the businesses of cobblers and genuine tradesmen whose overhead costs and high rates are had enough without free competition. And so the men are staying away. Another thing is that most of the centres are not central ; they are hard to reach and the men cannot afford tram fares to them. Besides this, there are many workless men who must now do the work of the house, as their wives are often employed in factories. A complete reversal of the usual order is taking place.
In, spite, therefore, of all these excellent schemes, nothing can take the place of paid work which will give back to the workless man that feeling of self-respect and independence which the finest schemes in the world will fail to give. There is no doubt at all that the terribly low standard of living even among the better off of the unemployed, the feeling of useless- ness, humiliation and pariandom, are taking a terrific toll of the:health and moral of at least twelve million inhabitants of Great Britain (counting the number of unemployed as three millions, with three dependants each). In. other words, more than a quarter of Britain's population is. rapidly decaying, and anybody who comes into contact with the unemployed, whether. n Labour Exchange or street, will bear out all I say. People living in the south of England can have no idea of the
deterioration which is going on up here in the north, where unemployment is high. Young men, unable to marry because they are workless, are often driven to " live in sin," or else to marry and bring an added burden on to the taxpayer. One cannot tamper with the sexual and procreative instincts. I emphasize again that all the schemes in the world will mean nothing to us. Work is what is needed.
In view of the desperate state and the 'appalling rot that is going on, something should be done at once to stop it. Educational schemes either defeat their objects or, worse still, only make the unemployed think ; and by thinking they do not become more cheerful, but realize the depths of the present depression, and how hopeless it is for them ever to find work again. It is significant that most of the suicides among the unemployed have been committed by the better- educated males. The country must attempt something to solve this problem. Educational schemes won't do it, because there is no increase in money : they don't get enough to live on, but just enough to decay on, too much to die on. When will our people demand that something is done for unem- ployed ? Perhaps when it is too late—too late to stap the rot that is going on among over one-quarter of the population of this country. Work is what is wanted. Work that will bring in money, and give back the feeling of respect and independ- ence to our modern untouchables—our three million un-
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