The Dominion THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 1921. UNEMPLOYMENT

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 176, 21 April 1921, Page 4

The Dominion THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 1921. UNEMPLOYMENT

While there is no doubt that special measures are needed to meet the problem of unemployment which is now taking shape to some extent in the Dominion, all who address themselves to the question ought to consider that any exaggeration and over-emphasising of the real difficulties of the position will serve only to make conditions worse than thev need otherwise be. If they had considered thrls aspect of the matter, some members of the deputation which interviewed Ministers on the subject yesterday might have adopted a less panicky tone. It is plain in any case that although there are difficulties to be overcome in the immediate future, nothing in the outlook warrants undue alarm. It was not, of course, to bo expected that the Dominion would enjoy immunity from the present world-wide depression of' trade and industry, but in comparison with other countries it' is, and is likely to be, fortunately placed. In Britain, the United States, and as near at hand as Australia, the difficulties of employment which are now arising on a limited scale in this country have been acutely in evidence since the latter part of last year. At a recent date in Britain, approximately one million of tho twelve million people insured under the Unemployment Insurance Act were out of work. More than twice as manv workers are unemployed in the United States, and even in Australia many thousands of workers have been unemployed for months nast. There is every reason to bjelieve that the position of New Zealand will remain relatively favour able. A certain amount of unemployment is inevitable before normal conditions arc regained, hut there are good grounds for believing that any trouble and hardship experienced will be short-lived, and on a relatively less serious scale than in other Fault-find-ing criticism and nanic-mongering must be avoided, however, if the, Dominion is to do itself full justice in weathering the period of depression. In times like these it is doubly necessary bo avoid futile bicker-

ing, pull together, and concentrate on the actual problem in hand. As far as an opinion can bo formed at present, the Government is laying its plans for the future with sound judgment. borne of those who took part in yesterday's discussion with the Acting-Prime Minister and his colleague, the Minister of Labour, complained that the problem of unemployment was being accentuated by the arrival of immigrants, to the detriment of returned soldiers and other members of the present population. The Government, however, has already arranged for the temporary suspension of assisted immigration, and could hardly have done so at an earlier stage without baing accused of holding back the progress of the country. The apprehensions expressed on behalf of returned soldiers ought to be relieved b&r Sir Francis Bell’s assurance that the Repatriation Board still has funds available and that he is in no fear of any aerious difficulty in finding employment for returned soldiers. In. view of the excellent work already accomplished by the Repatriation Department; there is no reason to doubt that this assurance will bo honoured in letter and spirit. Another subject of criticism was the dismissal of a certain number of men from Public Works employment, but from the policy statement made by the Minister in charge of that Department it appears that these dismissals are incidental to a necessary readjustment- of Departmental activities in a difficult period. The comprehensive revision and partial cancellation!of authorities now undertaken will enable tho Public Works Department to utilise its available resources to the best advantage. Apart from the considerations of working cost and economy justly emphasised, by the Minister, this procedure is essential in order that the expenditure of what money is available may bta made to provide a maximum amount of employment. The whole question of unemployment, not only as it concerns the Government, but in its broadest scope, turns largely on finance, and it'is quite obvious that tlie Government is- under an imperative necessity of making the most of available resources. Sir Francis Bell yesterday gave an exposition of the financial difficulties of the moment which merits thoughtful attention. The money available for public works is for the. time being definitely limited, and any radical improvement upon this state of affairs must await the flotation of a loan on the London market—the source 'from which ithe Dominion has been wofit hitherto to obtain the bulk of the money applied to the prosecution of public works. If, as may be expected, the Prime Minister, after making personal investigations, is able to inform his colleagues that there are prospects of raising a loan in London in the comparatively near future, the financial position and outlook will be considerably improved. Meantime tho Government is plainly bound to husband what resources are available.

Though the outlook ,is in some respects rather uncertain, it is not for a moment, in doubt that- if its people face their problems in the right spirit, New Zealand will speedily overcome the difficulties that have now appeared or are in prospect. It is, of course, impossible to ignore the. extent to which finance, trade, and industry in the Dominion are affected by external conditions, and, a full recovery of normal prosperity is obviously contingent upon an improvement in the market at present offering for some of our tnost important exports. Within the limits set, however, it is open to the people of the Dominion to do a great deal to hasten the return of, bettor times. While the Government and other public authorities which are or may be in a position to broaden the, field of employment have a responsible part to play in casing the situation, responsibility does not rest on them alone. In particular it ought to be recognised £hat one way of limiting the extent and duration of depression and the spread of unemployment is to do everything possible to maintain industrial harmony. Industrial strife is costly and wasteful at any time. In such a period as tho Dominion is now passing through, it is bound to intensify depression, and (accentuate conditions which in any, case are likely to occasion a certain amount of unemployment.