He knows that the districts which are suffering most from
unemployment are the very districts which are the' best situated to be industrial centres, yet numerous firms are threatening to flee from these naturally desirable centres where people begging to be employed' are living all round them. They threaten to go because of the burden of the rates. If they are asked for their reason they will mention that, and that only. The Chairman of Messrs. Vickers has stated why his firm is at the breaking point, or rather the fleeing point. Apparently, it has almost decided that if the rates should go any -higher the works will gradually be moved elsewhere. As Sir Herbert Lawrence pointed out, the blow falls not only on the shareholders, but on the workers themselves. It will be surprising if Mr. Churchill does not make at least a cautious attempt to deal with this matter in his Budget.
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