UNEMPLOYMENT.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 566, 22 July 1909, Page 2

UNEMPLOYMENT.

' ' '""" "V ' ' ''" HOW TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. DR, FINDLAY'S VIEWS. "CHECK THE FLOW INTO THE CITIES. During the oourso of hie address at Dunodin hint .night tho Attorhoy-Goncral (Dr.. Findlay) modo special refcronco to the problem of unemployment. .This, problem, ho said, might bo dealt with either for, tho pur- , pones of milking- "political capital," or for tho genuine purpose of finding a remedy. In tho former case, truths unpalatablo to tho unemployed 'were used. No; problem,' social or scientific, could bo. solved by ignoring unpleasant truths. With social troubles, as with bodily troubles, cither one; could heal symptoms by palliatives, and soothing, syrups, or ono 'could attack.'them ; with radical, if unpleasant, romedies. Tho unflattering physician was often tho most effective Unemployment arose from tirrio; to timo ;from' causes which were beyond tho reachjOf tho State., If it was apt to assume grave proportions, as in England, it demanded largo, systematic, and radical treatmo7it. No scheme could succeed without tho honest 00-pporation of tho unemployed themselves. . ", ..■.'•.' .' , .'' '': ".;.. /." ' . ..'"

A Distinction: Unemployed and ■ ■ •■ Unemployable. :- :.;■. ..;; In Now Zealaiidj as elsewhere, .they' had two classes: (1) The genuine" unemployed, and (2) the unemployable (who included the vicious' aid incorrigibly lazy, and the defectives). It was absolutely essential to differentiate between the.two classes. Those who wore able to work, but did not want work," required corrective discipline, such as that suggested by a system of jabour-colonies. Ho would not, on that occasion, discuss the various' schemes which,had- been propounded for the treatment of the; unemployable. What he wished particularly to emphasise, was the necessity for'tho proper classification of those who. of : work. ■'_'• _'.■_■' . ■'.'. , ( Tho Clamour i>f the "Unemployablo." Through their clamour the uneinpjoyablo often received tho : first of the assistance which the public intended for the willingworker. The. knowledge that inquiry'would precede assistance would probably, deter some of the loafers-from so loudly demanding it as they now did. Ho was not aware.of the size or numbers of the unemployablo in Now Zealand to-day'.: :But there'were, ho did blow, willing worthy ,men . out ■ of, employment. It was in rpgard. : .t6 them, that he wished to confine the rest of his. remarks on , the. subject. • ,In.his judgment, except in rare circumstances,-there,should be no unemployed class in New Zealand. It should, he thought, be one of the first aims.of government to prevent the existence of; such a class. But by what means? It was generally agreed that direct mothoda were merely palliatives, and afforded no true solution. For instance, the State finding work for. a time, or an .insurance, scheme against unemployment, were at best:but'palliatives not cureS; Ths.Most Effective Remedies. : .

: The most effective remedies were indirect ones, sucli-as—• .■ : -..:",: ■ .• ". ' 1. Improved 'education and technical ■■'-,■ training, , ' .including instruction;.; in , aU, ; .: . kinds' of farming.: .' :•:. ;'■'■; "•■' .'. : "'' : V- ', "■■; 2. Restrictions upon the drink and • gambling evils—both powerful 'sources •of individual unemployment, or at least - ■•/oL the'suffering from want which,- often ■ accompanies it. '■■ . ' ■"■..■■'■•'■;■.'. ■ .'. 3: Effective trades ■ organisation, es- . pecially for unskilled labour, inteliigeritly .. ■ ; preventing as , far,,as' possible, local, con-, ■ '■■• gestion, and watching wherp labour w-ia'--denikndV .; ''■■■:.-, .': '...V ■'.'.'■' - ; ''- '■' 4. Efficient State labour bureaux,- as- ■; certaining-the private^'demaiids , iff everylooaMty. for labour and ..peeping ji regisr. iter of" eyeryman, wanting, employment. ■; • •' , ~ ; s? ; E¥foM-' !: 6f f''tsixeti<«fiHSucfc {WJthat.-: , gontained' in our-■■•■graduated schemes,.; ■ ".with 'a ;'view"-'t6' •legitirnately'helpitigva; . .'distribution t>f wealth." -'''\< .-■?-■'. I:**:. 1 i .most.."'important—a-;, •/"strenuous:, 'policy' of'-.preyeJitingV.r.the ;•■. 1 exodus fronTthe country to the towns by . providing—(a) land for the landless' id ■ reasonably small areas; (b) advances, un-;. . der the' Advances-to Settlers.'Aot;(o) - 1; as.much fac'i-Ktv- of-communication" by ;: riii or road, and'by post,' telegraph, and■telephone as possible. >■■' ■ ■•< : . ■,'' ' • ; What : Denmark has;Done.^ Tfcero could be id' doubt but that in the last provision lay. by far .the most' effective remedy.. In. England, 'during'the "last .'4O year?, the. agricultural'population had- beeri reduced. 60 per. cent., while the town ■ and city population had inoreased to 75 percent, of the whole nation. Thus immense masses of men were congested in the cities 1 -subject as far as .employment was concerned to all tli© dislocations, depressions, and changes which took place in the great industries and, 'other, city callings. ,•;:., ,'''".' '■■ During the last ten years-the people of New Zealand had showna distinct tendency, ,to move to,the.towns,and,cities. -This drift was largely, responsible for unemployment, and the Government must, set itself to check it with all the resources open to the State. Every landless man started on a farm under the' Land for Sottlemcnt-.schemo or under tho Land Acts was placed beyond , the .evil of unemployment. Denmark resolutely attacked this exodus by herJand policy of c)oso ; settlement, and not onJy chected it, but had turned back the' current from the cities to' the ■ country. If Denmark could do tliis under all her disadvantages, ■, surely Now Zealand could do it with all her advantages ? The State already employed between 8000 and 9000 co-operative labourers,'and, to them, was paying something like £900,000 per year. The develop- ; ment of. the country' demanded their labour, but that huge number could not be so employed for ever; ' ; ■-v .: ,: ■..■■■■.■■■' • , Evils of State Employment;/ , If the State continued works, : solely >or even chiefly, , to give employment, it would lead to great evils. Productiveness must be; ;the test of State employment,, as of private ernployment.' There was , productive work in private employment during normal timesfor. ■all tho wilbng hands of .this country, and no Government had <a right to, draw labour from private productive enterprise merely, or mainly, to provide State employment for a large number of workers who preferred State employment to private employment.. Such a course dislocated and .proper opera-1 . tions : of, the labour', market; embarrassed' the ■ private employer, and cast a great and often extravagant-' burden • upon' the people' as"' a whole. .State.employment, he repeated,'was not—cannot be—-a permanent remedy for unemployment, "white it, might become a source of great' loss to tlie State" itself) As atemporary relief, of coursq, .such employment was justified, hut, the risk of-such employment becoming permanent .and moreir, general required to. be guarded against. Hβ had not time todiscuss the complicated question of unemployed insurance. No schemo yet' devised , .'liad worked )io .ficlefce based on a voluntary principle was, in his opinion, likely to succeed—iand he very much doubted whether pur workers would submit to any compulsory principle. • If+hoy would, no doubt a holpful scheme could' be devised.