Saving and Spending It may be true, as The Times
rather severely observes, that Mr. Lansbury's letter in its columns on Tuesday, appealing to the Churches to realize the miseries of unemployment and do something to help, did more credit to his heart than his head, but the application of pure intellect to our social problems has not resulted in successes so outstanding that an occasional outburst of human sympathy is to be despised. But the trouble, of course, is that even people with money to spend need to be taught how to spend it for the best advantage of the community. That point has been forcibly raised by Mr. St. John Homby in the columns of the same paper. Simultaneously comes the news that the Government has finally refused any help in the completion of the half-built Cunarder in the Clyde, though the 'saving in unemployment pay would practically meet the need. Slums, too, continue for lack of money to finance perfectly sound clearance schemes. Is there no room for a new form of investment trust, with dividend limited, say, to four per cent., lending its funds under skilled guidance for enterprises falling under the head of public welfare and with the special aim of reducing unemploy- ment ? The Churchmen of all creeds to whom Mr. Lansbury appeals might well be ready to risk a little capital in such a cause.
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