endowed by statute with a formal status, and certain clearly-defined
powers--such as the Cotton Control Board possessed during the war--of
enforcing its decisions.

But--and, of course, there is a "but"--we cannot expect very much from
this in the near future. We must wait for better trade conditions before
we begin; and, as I have already indicated, the prospects of really good
trade in the next few years are none too well assured. For a long time
to come, it is clear, we must rely upon the ordinary State machinery for
the provision of unemployment relief; and, of course, the machinery of
the State will always be required to cover a large part of the ground.
The liability which an industry assumes must necessarily be strictly
limited in point of time; and there are many occupations in which it
will probably always prove impracticable for the occupation to assume
even a temporary liability. For the meantime, at any rate, we must rely
mainly upon the State machinery. Is it possible to improve upon the
present working of this machinery? I think it is. By the State machinery
I mean not merely the Central Government, but the local authorities and
the local Boards of Guardians.


THE PRESENT MACHINERY OF RELIEF

At present what is the situation? Most unemployed work-people are
entitled to receive certain payments from the Employment Exchanges under
a so-called Insurance scheme, which is administered on a national basis;
some weeks they are entitled to receive those payments, other weeks they
are not; but in any case those payments afford relief which is
admittedly inadequate, and they are supplemented--and very materially
supplemented--by sums varying from one locality to another, but within