FACING HARD FACTS

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 140, 10 December 1929, Page 9

FACING HARD FACTS

UNEMPLOYED, INDUSTRY, AND

TRADE

The Welfare League writes:—

Since taking offico in England the Socialist leaders have apparently abandoned much of the theoretical nonsense talked by their party and by thornselves when in Opposition; they uoir. have to face hard facts. -.. ■

Mr. Thomas has been ■ making speeches which might have been made by Mr. Baldwin, insisting that unemployment was a difficult problem, that it could not be solved by a mere pouring out of public money, and .that the only permanent cure was'-the-develop-ment of our industries and trade-—here again Mr. Snowden backs him up when he says that the only way to meet the; problem "was that we should incour-. age the development of those industries which were engaged on work which was of a permanently recurring character." .

As wo have said on previous occasions, the greatest danger to the State, and curse to the workless, is the ten-, dency to make this a political matter to be useid for party purposes. This .is the trouble both here and in. England,, to the Socialist parties in Oppositioii the problem has been a God-send; in office, however, it is a different matter. It is curious how many people seem to be under the impression • that the difficulty is of recent growth,•instead of being almost as old as civilisation.'For' instance, the ancient Greek and Boinan States were up against the same thing, and their experience proved how State interference with the problem had -bad results. In. France 75 or. ,80 years "ago serious trouble followed the efforts of the Government to provide work-for unemployed. ■ '■ -. .-

More recently Mr. Hoover Is reported, to have said, "What the world' needVj/ is to get away from Governmentr jieTjv" both internally and externally, aid't»; get back to business and work," an*/ other prominent opinion supports the view, that political parties will .promote the welfare of the nation by. strictly confining themselves to legitimate duties by economising in. public expenditure, and by relief in taxation, to allow industry and trade to expand. In New Zealand we have had unemployment and State provision in the. direction of work on a large scale 0n... full wages. This, as many expected, is having grave results, through men being drawn from private productive industry. This is proved by an exam-' iiiation of the columns of our Dominion papers, in which hundreds of- advertisements appear daily for labour wanted on farms, a call which, receives little response. This country depends on its primary, production, and whereas men like Baldwin, Hoover, Thomas, Snowden, -and. many others emphasise the truth that': increased trade is the real remedy for' unemployment, in New Zealand thei: State by pulling men out of productive primary industry to public work, runs a risk of hampering that increase oftrade which, the leading men of the world say, is the only solution. We have it on good authority that ia. many parts of the North Island dairy farmers are finding it- necessary to milk fewer cows because they cannot get the labour. We do not know how tar this ha S gone, but venture to say that it is tune to seriously review the situation which has arisen