UNEMPLOYMENT

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 118, 16 February 1928, Page 9

UNEMPLOYMENT

PRIME MINISTER STATES THE POSITION AND MAKES AN APPEAL' Dominion Special Service. Masterton, February 15. Reference to unemployment was made by Mr. Coates at the Masterton A. and P. Association dinner to-night. There was unemployment in the Dominion, he said, but it would be almost impossible to obtain correct figures. A good deal of it was very exaggerated. Everyone must realise what unemployment meant to tlie individual, and it was the duty of all, including the Government, to do what they could without going to extravagant lengths and making a fetish of the position. He appealed to the farmers of the Wairarapa to make intelligent use of the labour offering to help relieve the position. Figures to hand, continued the Prime Minister, showed that the number out of work was 2096, and probably there were more than that. It probably worked out to one unemployed to every 200 employed. There were usually 8000 men on public works, which were being pushed on. Slightly over 1500 men were employed on relief works, and arrangements had been made for the absorption of a further 3000.

“You can assist in clearing away a difficult position by giving, attention to the question I have raised,” added Mr. Coates, who declared that unemployment, the causes of which were world-wide, was far more difficult in neighbouring countries than here. It had to be remembered that the war displaced money to the amount of £50,000,000,000, and that indicated the time it would take to revert to normal conditions. Despite the war strain, Britain was recovering at an extraordinary rate. The men of Britain were wonderful men—captains of industry—and were going to carry that country through. (Applause.) The position in New Zealand was improving. The quickest way to improve our trade position was to increase production.