l'lic-iinniiiil confcrencc of tlic Triitlcs Union Con- gress, iintl t Iir Prcsiclcntiiil Adclrcss of Sir Jiiincs Jcnns nt tlic nicc!ting of tlic 'ljritish Associiitiori, Iinvc hroiiglit, our iiiintls 1):ick to t lie qiicstioii of iiiicniploy-n1e11t. i i n t l its ciiiiscs niid tlic possilditics of overcoming this socid evil. With tlic prcsrnt v:ist orniy of workless 0 1 1 t hr Uiicniploynicnt, Registers ivc Iinvr hccoriic too prone to throw iip OW linnds in liorror ns :it. n cii1:imity iinprcccdciitccl iii oiir iintioiinl history. I h t , tlirc ns t.liis cnliiniity is to tliosc niifortinintc I&gs whosc wcckly l\*iigc is rcdiicctl to tlic 1)nrcst sirbsistciicc Icvrl of Uncinploynicnt Insuriiiicc piiy or 'I'rnnsit.ion:il Dcncfit., and 1)iirrlcnsonic ns it is for tlic coiiiiniiiiity to Ilii\*c to siipport in idlcncss so Inrgc ii niiml)cr of ~woplc wlio slioiild properly hc occiipicd in iiicrciisirig riitlicr tiinn tliiniiiisliing iiiitioiiiil ~vcnltli, \vc inlist, not losc sight of the true 1)crq)cctivc of tlic prol)lcin or of its csscnt in1 ii1tiiii:itr solu1)ility.
I 1i:it t.licrc 1i:is ncvtbr hcwi so large n niinil)cr of uiicniployccl :is during tlic Iilst fcw yciirs tlicrc ctiii, of coiirsc, l)c no clenyiiig ; Init. surely it is in rchtion to tlic coiirit.ry's ~~~p i i l i i t i o n
:IS :t wliolc tliiit we should first consitlcr the problcni wlicn jutlging of its conil)nr:itivc niiignitiitlc. d\tlniittcdly, this is tliflicirlt to 110 wit11 iiny iicciiri~cy since the ciirliest rcgiiliir records ivc Iiiivc to go on iirc t.lic figiircs of n very liniitcci niimhcr of 'I'riitlcs Unions, ~vliicli wr(! lirst kept in 1Sti0, w l i i l c b clcliiiitc ollicinl rccortls were iiot ;iv:iil:iblc iintil i t very iniicli litter dntc. Scvcrtliclcss, \vc do kiimv tlint. i n thc reign of (?II~CII JSlizitbctJi thcrc ivcrc so ninny pcoplc t rniiiping from pincc to plncc i n n starving voiitlitioii, 1ool;iiig for worl; i i n t l tliiit tlic I)rol)lcni of t1c:iling with tlitwi l i d :issiiinctl sircli nlnrining proport ions tliiit. in 1601 tlic Poor ficlicf Act wns piisscd, providing for thc iippointmciit i n cvcry 1~wis1i of "four, tlircc, or t\vo siibstriIit,i:il Iio~iseliolclcrs," to he ciillcd oviwt'crs of thc poor. 11. wns t,hc tliity of thcsc o'crsccrs, in conjunct ion ivitli t,lic cliurcliwnrtlcns, to set to lvor]; poor pcoplc \vlio 1i:itl 110 liiciilis of subsistcncc, i i l i d to rriisc liloncy for t h I)1lrcliiisc of tlic Iicccssiiry Iniitcriiils niitl for tlic rclicf of t,lic infirni, wlio wcrc i111ii1)lo t o lielp tlicnisclvcs. It may rcnsoiiiihly I)c :issiini(d, tliorclim, thiit in thc diiys of '. llcrric rSll<l " t tic qticstioii wns onc of very coiisit1cr:iI)lc size since ncithr t III: go\ycrnnicnts of those tlnys nor t tic people wcrc rcnowicd for t h i r Iiiimrinitiiriiin iiistiricts. Agitin in 16% Cicorge King, wlio with 111 tiers of his diiy t!stimiitcd tlio popiiliitioii of ICngliind l i t from !j,200,000 to 5,500,000, tclls 11s in his Niitioiiiil i t l i d 1'olit.icnl c'oncliisions tlint " tlie coniinoii pcoplc