Mr John Palin: There is certainly grave necessity for a Measure of this kind, particularly in certain parts of the country such as the district that I represent. If I thought that the Bill would be operated ruthlessly, I would be prepared to welcome it, but I cannot believe that the President of the Board of Trade is sincere in the various protestations that he has made in the last few weeks that there is...
Mr John Palin: 32. asked the Minister of Labour how many persons now drawing unemployment benefit at the three Employment Exchanges situated in Newcastle-upon-Tyne will come under the proposed provision of transitional benefit, separating them into men and women?
Mr John Palin: 63. asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if it is his intention to impose upon the receivers of fixed incomes reductions equivalent to those imposed upon wage earners?
Mr John Palin: 36. asked the Minister of Health whether any and, if so, what proposals are under consideration to extend the control of rents and to effect a decrease in rents?
Mr John Palin: 39. asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the additional burdens placed upon mortgagees by the National Economy and Finance Bills, the Government intend to take action to secure a reduction in the rates of interest paid to municipal and other authorities on moneys loaned on mortgage to purchasers of houses under the various Housing Acts?
Mr John Palin: The Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education was not quite fair to us in the reply which he made this evening. The late Minister of Health may have been in favour of a means test, but there is a world of difference between a means test and the destitution test applied by the Poor Law authorities. I need only call attention to the means test applied in the case of a person applying...
Mr John Palin: There is an undertaking to that effect.
Mr John Palin: The House would make itself ridiculous to go on discussing details of a Bill of this character. So far as the local authorities are concerned in regard to the position that we are in there is no one to blame but themselves. They only own a very small portion of the track within the old area.
Mr John Palin: As a matter of fact they do not. This tramway is a very long one and the local authorities only own a very small part. As the hon. Member for Batley and Morley (Mr. Turner) has challenged it, there is in the Borough of Batley only 6.27 miles of tramway of this particular system. The corporation do not own all the tramway in Batley, because the company own a small portion within the borough....
Mr John Palin: 12. asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that the Berwickshire County Council have resolved to build 13 houses in the next three years; and whether he will inquire into the matter and take steps to enforce the provisions of the Housing Acts?
Mr John Palin: That is a reflection on the Standing Orders of this House. The Middlesex County Council got their powers from this House, and surely that statement is a reflection upon this House.
Mr John Palin: The phrase was not really a bad one. It was quite equal to the hon. Gentleman himself.
Mr John Palin: What about the agricultural labourer; he is not registered?
Mr John Palin: You are trying to put the unemployed man to as much inconvenience as you can.
Mr John Palin: Nonsense.
Mr John Palin: It is obvious that hon. Members who are supporting the Amendment have very little unemployment in their constituencies or they would not have put down such an ungenerous and pettifogging proposal as this. I represent a constituency where unemployment has been rife since 1918. The great armament firm of Armstrong Whitworth is in my constituency, and there are men there who have not had all...
Mr John Palin: Is the hon. and gallant Member up-to-date? Has he read Mr. Joseph Duncan's contribution in the last week's issue of "Forward"?
Mr John Palin: The hon. and gallant Member for Kelvingrove (Major Elliot) traversed the whole ground with regard to large-scale farming.
Mr John Palin: We know as much as you do about some things.
Mr John Palin: That is not true of Bradford.
