UNEMPLOYMENT

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 115, 13 February 1928, Page 8

UNEMPLOYMENT

EXTENT OF RESPONSIBILITY NEED FOR REGISTRATION ! DEPUTATION TO GOVERNMENT r t 1 Aspects of unemployment were ’ discussed on Saturday with the Prime Minister (Right Hon. J. ’ G. Coates), the Minister of Lands (Hon. A. D. McLeod), ; and the Minister of Public Works (Hon. K. S. Williams) by a deputation representing ' Labour organisations throughout ’ New Zealand, who urged the , Government to take action to cope with the position. The , Prime Minister outlined plans the Government had in view. Contending that the unemployed problem was greater to-day than it had ever been before, the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. 11. E. Holland) advocated that the Government should immediately put in hand works already provided for in the Estimates. That the Government should deal with the unemployment problem in a permanent way was urged by the secretary of the Alliance ot Labour (Mr. J. Rooetts), who said that results were now evident of the patchwork manner in which the question had been dealt with last year. Not only was there unemployment, but sheer poverty as well. The Government should pass an unemployment insurance Act. 'Hie Prime Minister: Don’t you think it would be better if you confined yourself to unemployment and left political questions alone ? Air. Roberts: “I don’t think I ought to leave it alone.” The Government, he said, would not succeed by paying relief rates of wages, but they would succeed by giving everybody an opportunity of living a full life. “Unemployment is becoming a chronic disease in New Zealand, and action is urgently needed,” declared Mr. F. R. Cooke, of the Canterbury Trades and Labour Council, who suggested that the Government should consider issuing Treasury notes to the value of £2,000,000 in order to proceed with certain works.: The position in Auckland was dealt with by Mr. T. Bloodworth, who mentioned that men who in ordinary circumstances would be well-to-do artisans were now out of work and faced with poverty. He urged the Government to provide more money for building houses and proceed with its ow.n building programme. According to Mr. R. Semple, president of the New Zealand Labour Party, there were thousands of men in the Dominion to-day with hungry children and miserable wives. There were scores of young men and women who were unable to find work, and the result was that they developed into loafers' and criminals. He hoped the Government would deal with the problem in a statesmanlike manner. Prime Minister’s Reply. Replying to the representations, the Prime Minister said that the present was not the worst period in the history of New Zealand as far as unemployment was concerned; the position had been infinitely worse in the ’eighties and ’nineties. He knew there was unemployment, and it naturally followed that there was a certain amount of distress. There was a certain amount of danger in following out the course suggested by Mr. Holland. The Government had to provide for winter work as well as for summer work, and nothing would be left for the winter if everything were put in hand at once. The Public Works Department at present was employing about ■ 8000 men, and works had been pushed ahead to relieve the position. Provision of the necessary finance was the one great difficulty ahead of the Government. It would be a dangerous matter to borrow money to meet unemployment. Our credit abroad had to be maintained, and it would be wrong to borrow in order to assist a domestic difficulty. The Government had already organised finance within the country, with the result that a number of men had been employed. New Zealand compared more than favourably with other countries in regard to unemployment; the position here was much better than it was in Australia, for instance. Extent of Responsibility.

The Prime Minister referred to plan* the Government had in view for coping -with the position, requesting that the Press should not publish the details. He emphasised that the Government’s responsibility was limited to providing relief to men who were unable to get work outside; in no sense was the Government accepting them as permanent employees of the State. If standard rates of pay were allowed, the economic effect to the country would be disastrous, and eventually permanent costs would be piled up on the taxpayer, since if the usual rates were paid there would be no incentive for the men to seek anything better, and a large body of State employees would be built up. "Once we take a man on.public works definitely,” added Mr. Coates, “the moment we try to get rid of him he has sufficient friends in the country to convince the Government that he ought not to be sacked.” With improved conditions it had been expected that some of the relief works could be closed down, but t*iis ha'd net been possible, and instructions had been given for the continuance of the works. Registration Difficulty. 'To enable the extent of unemployment to be accurately gauged, the Prime Minister asked the industrial officials to assist the Government in getting the men to register with the labour bureaux. Mr. Bloodworth suggested that the men should be allowed to register at the post offices nearest their homes. The Prime Minister said the Government must consider some method whereby a correct tally could be obtained. “1 see something of the under-dog,” said Mr. Coates, in reply to an interjection, “and I think he realises I am as anxious to help him as is anybody else.”