Selwyn Lloyd's last chance?
By J. Quinn, B.Sc.(Econ.)
MONDAY'S Budget could be the government's first step back along the road to greatness if the Chancellor would seize his chance of grappling with the social evils born of his stagnant financial policies—the housing scandal, rocketing prices, and unemployment.
It is these things which aim some of the deadliest blows at the sanctity of family life.
This has been a disastrous welve months for the Government Ind for the fortunes of the Coniervatiw Party.
FAILURE
Industrial output fell by some ive per cei.t in the few months !nding with January. Unemploynent rose with the Northern counies of England and Scotland (four ler cent unemployed) above the iational average of two per cent.
A wage freeze policy has been 'ollowed with the avowed aim of tabilising prices and increasing txports. It has done neither. Exsorts have actually fallen though mports have fallen even more. fhe final result is a 50 per cent :ut in the visible trade deficit. 'rices rose overall by 4+ per cent rom January 1961 to January this 'ear and are still rising.
House prices have continued to ocket, especially in the expanding .reas of the South Midlands and he South-East. Although 290,000 touses were built in Great Britain n 1961 this is inadequate. Curently some 700 families are homeess in the London County area nd in 1961 Birmingham had to ind shelter tor 1,300 homeless amilies. Hundreds of thousands annot hope to find a permanent iome except in council dwellings nd the average wait for one's turn .n a local authority list is ten ears in the large towns where eeds are greatest.
Young married people resort to nnatural rractices in their detertination not to have the added