(c) crown copyright

Catalogue Reference:CAB/23/18 Image Reference:0004

LIU..

CONCLUSIONS of a Meeting of the Cabinet held In Mr Tionap ? 1.919 at 4-45 p.is. . ; 1t s

i

- 1

*Phe Prime liinlstee (-in the Chair), mk Hi ttit Hon.-A. Bbiw Law.: jj The Ri^ht Hon. Sari Guffson of 1 lord Privy Seal. I - Kedleston, K,0,, 0.0.,1 M pis Right Hen. A*J.Balfoux% 0.&l..,M.'i?.J for Foreign Affairs. B lord President of the Council. I

I The Riglit Hon. visoount siilner,She Bight hoiii A^iipoerlain, M.P., ? C- .C * G.C .23 .C Secretary '

m-!,--: .,i?icht f?on* Lord Bir&enheed*lord Chancellor. 3 Secretary of ntat e for War andh

I . Air. n tI'10 - f fion. E.3.Shortt, tCC . , . J ^' -

Secretary of State for Home a The night Hon. h.S.55ont.ar*utAffairs. 1 Secretary of State for. India, ihe Rir.ht Hon. fJ. Lon^ ' Li.?,, I The "Right Hon. Sir.Hobert Borne,sFirst Lord of the Admiralty. 8 K , 3 . , K . C . , Minister of I I Labour, ,;h f 1 ion. Sir ft. Geddea, G.C1L J

0 * . M * F . , Minister of f The slight Ron. Lord'Lee of F&refcam,anerve^ . $ President of the -Board- cf

I Art r i. eoIture a rid Fiaherie** lkp ^- )- ri A/ia-fortvi p n v P ftv

t *r of Heali h - I3

The follo^inn w $ a l a s ,.pjra,g.ftn.t:­e ?

The Right Hon. A. Illingworth, 'h Pbettsaet er-General.

I Lieut.-Colonel Sir M.P.A.Hanfcey, G.G.D., Secretary. 1 ** Nfll

f The Sishht Hon. h h 0*surehill. ?.. 1

(1) With reference to Cabinet 3 (19), Minute 5, the Cabinet resumed their discussion on the.subject of Out-of­"vforjs. Donation. In addition to the Me.iaprandu.ra by the Minister of labour (Paoer G.P.-S4), which had been under discussion at the previous Meetings, they had before them Memoranda by; the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Paper CP.-62), stating six facts bearing on the subject under consideration, and oy the First Lord of the Admiralty (Paper 0,P.-69),

During the discussion it was recalled that the Chan­eel lor of the Exchequer, on October ft9th, in the course of a review of the national prospects in regard to finance, had informed the House of Commons that the' ordinary civil Out-of-vforit Donation would come to an. end on "-oveober 24th, ,nd - a 3 fo3 lo 5 ii t Ist­

*if it is renewed, it will be - the act of the House, and the responsibility will rest with the House". (Harvard. Vol.i?,0. 0.415.)

In view ef this announcement the Cabinet caise to the

,on That it would not be right to -continue the Out-of-SFork Donation to civilians generally, unless exceptional conditions, such %s could not at present be foreseen, arose.

In order to make provision for the Dockyard men, the

To approve in principle the Admiralty scheme ( j n p i - s ' ' A V T / discharges, as descrihed in

-the Minutes "of t be" last Meeting,'sub ject to its feasibility being agreed to by a Committee

The Prime Minister, The Chancellor of the-Exchequer, The First Lord of the Admiralty,

that is to say, the Ministers principally concerned in the Deputation from the Royal Dockyard towns, which had waited on the Prime Minister on the previous day. The cost of this scheme is estimated by the Admiralty at £450,000 for four months.

It waa decided —­u fiat t:!e rate of trie Out-of-*?oJ*.\S. Donation to forraer members of the Eo^al Navy Ariav arid Fbval Air Porde should hA ­

20/- a week for men. and 15/- a week, for women.

It was further decided that -The Allowances -for Children should he can­celled,, although, of course, the cancellation of Children^ Allowances would.not apply to

Finally4 it was decided — That the annbun cement of these:decisions

*V J ' [ ? y; j f V F i V h * ' ' ' " V \ 1 /"V *'V-';,0 ^ V ? " 5 'rn'£f '* f U V * /J - f i i

Since the decisions on the various heads of the thpe/mployment Scheme are spread- through the.:.Minutes of three Meetings of the Cabinet, and the earlier decisions have in seme oases been superseded by later ones, they are summarised be lev;: -3 a f?!' c le : ­

fa) The policy of he Government is to introduce , 1-"i\? \ &\ ". e fTyiS oWl iri"' "'"'Vf* i- iri'.'i 1 i ^ ^ ?\ f*a

ouiployeps? employed, and. the St at - shall con-? i - J .JL M.u \- & * li" . itv'.j c w .i *.M t( X y v ? *v S3 v t \.* -Jti iy y O w I V ' - Vc I *M \ Ju . *I*r3 M M * I 'A i- i v '* . I v!.- wtlyAw

tjr-eparhd to stand or fall'by this;. As a - vmatter of -nf''v"'iele* Such ext-ehslbhs of the

Chit-of-Worlt Ponation Scheme as the present framed in such svanner as net to prejudice

(b) The extensions of the Gui-of-Work Ponation 63Sf i"enc%' and temporary arrange sent to meet ­the exceptional conditions produced by the .

f War and toforldire over the period reouired to brinrt the Pneraployment Insurance Scheme into operation. Their announcement must be accompanied by a statement that the Unera- ' -oleeaasnt Insurance Scheme' is being pushed on as rabidly as possible *

(o) The issue of the .0ut-of--?ork Donation to Ma-vy.-. Armyj and Royal' Air Force shall be continued after November 34-th. at the rate of "SO/- a. week to men, and IS/- a week to wonion.

I

(&) ?he. Allowance for Children shall be disoon­tinued, but this, of course, will not apply to members of the Royal iMavy, Artsy and Royal Air Force receipting their Donation for the first time.

(e) The O u t - o M o a Donation to civilians, other than £ X sailors, soldiers and airmen, shall cease on November 2-4 th. and shall not be renewed unless unforeseen circumstances of sreat urgency arise.

(f) In order to provide against extensive unemploy­me ni ih the ^ o ai Dockyard towns, where it is ^pf^pi sed tliitt exeunttohii dondiiihhs r,Mv-ii posed oy t*he Admiralty*­(i) To suspend all discharges for four

months, at an estimated cost of ,£450,000,

(ii) To brinr forward necessary and im­

Li'fht Cruisers, which, though profit­and advantageous to the Mavv and

the areat financial pressure. (iii) To introduce throughout the Poyal

s ahe P svstet! of drbooinp one or

'"'Vi,

however, to be conditional en approval, as to its feasibility and desirability, by the following members of the Cabinet, vfhc are engaged in negotiations with a Deputation'frorj) the PeyalDoehyard towns:­

(2) The Cabinet bad, before them a Memorandum by the Secretary of State for the Colonies, dealing ^ith the affairs of Malta, covering also a report by the Parliament-*' ary Under Secretary of State and a despatch from the Governor

:(Paper .0.?.-831?). In these documents certain changes and , "developixfenta were poaonftaended in the Constitution of the

wi'it't i nd in one rat ion of this scheme,

I

I ^V ' ' 'f A /Sift it"

\c) tisoanai. had b8^o?e thsat Memor$kn'&& -by the- Sinister of Labour (Paper C.P.-43), and the Secretary of State for iVar (Paper C.P.-53), on the Employment of Disabled ex, -Service asen in the Post Office.

The issue placed before the Cabinet in these Memoran­da was as to whether, in consequence of an agreement enteredb into by the Post Office before the 3Rr (whereby 50 per cent * of certain classes of vacancies in the Post Office are

*

reserved for oj^ professional sailors and soldiers), prefer­enoe should be given to ejt sailors and soldiers of the Pef?ular servicss ever men- who ?ere not members of the pro­feas.tonal Wavy and Army but had become disabled in the present War. Sir Maic-plsa Ramsay* s Cosaaitt-ee on the question \ of the Employment of Disabled Men in Government Departments (whose Report is included with Paper G.T.-7889, approved by the -Sar Cabinet on August 13, 1919 - War Cabinet 3IS, Minute S) had recofiiratended that posts expresslv reserved for pro­feeatonal sailors, soldiers and airmen should not be allo­cated to disabled men when a qualified ex Regular-sailor, soldier cr airman was available. This point- of view was developed in the Memorandum by the Secretary of State, for War (Paper G.P.-55), in which it was pointed out that the n?*oyv)i**a of these posts had been held out by the hfar. Office as one of the strongest inducements- for enlistment in the Army before the War.

The general feeling of the Cabinet was that it would-".' not be right to take any course that ruled out disabled men, or which gave preference to able-bodied men over disabled

men, It was generally agreed, however, that among disabled sen ex-Hegulags should have precedence.

Having regard to the fact, elicited during the die­cue 3 ion, that eoase 3,000 disabled gyg-Regular Service men are awaiting absorption —

sailed to following Parliament ary

one

a Fnst a-'a answer to this aarx%e *.hs*t t h ^ t * f ! is .ha former arrangement

(5) The attention of the Cabinet was called to the following Parliamentary Question, put down on the Paper of the house of Commons for Monday by Mr Floratio Bottosaley to the Pri?ae Minister:­

"Mr Bottomley to aak the Prime Minister whether it ia the fact, as stated.' in certain poster?? issued by the "Save the Children Fund*, that the Government has agreed to give -SI for every £1 raised by voluntary contributions for the purpose of feeding.children inArmenia, Gseeho-Slovatsia, Poland, Austria, - South Russia and Hungary, and, if so* under which Vote the Government contribution will fail".

It was explained that a portion of the moneys allot­t**d by the British Government to the relief measures, under­taken and administered by the Supreme Economic Council,

had, at. the request of Lord Robert Cecil, who was at that time the British Representative on the Supreise Economic Coun­cil and is President of the *S&ve the Children Fund", been allowed to be used for the purpose of raising; voluntary contributions in the manner explained in the Question. It was - understood that similar action was being taken in France.

The Secretary was instructed to send the Question to the Treasury for the wspara­

f$a ^ *0 /* - m t b sj .X