THE UNEMPLOYED A SMALL INCREASE

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 81, 2 October 1931, Page 8

THE UNEMPLOYED

A SMALL INCREASE

tmruLFniLED promises,

APPEAL FOR ASSISTANCE,

FLIGHT OF SINGLE MEN.

THE RELIEF CAMPS.

FUTURE POLICY

J&BOUR WANTS TO KNOW

MR. COATES NOT YET READY

The unemployment problem again formed the main subject of discussion in the House of Representatives to-day, when the Imprest Supply Bill was under consideration. Members of the Labour Party urged the Minister of Public Works (the Right Hon. J. G. Coates) to give some idea of his proposals for dealing with the problem in the future.

Mr. M. J. Savage (Labour, Auckland West) asked the Minister in Charge of Unemployment for some information as to the future of those who were unemployed. He knew as an actual fact that many hospital boards, as a result of the demands made upon them, ■were steering straight for bankruptcy. That-was certainly the position of the Auckland Hospital Board. "I sometimes wonder," said Mr. Savage, "whether people in/high places really Appreciate the position in which thousands of people find themselves toaMr. J. S. Fletcher (Independent, Grey Lynn): "They certainly don't. 3 Mr. Savage said it was not only a question of men and women, but it was also a question of the children. ''The time has come for action," he said. ""We can't go on talking for ever. Surely the Coalition Government will be able to produce the rabbit out of the magic hat. AYe want the rabbit this morning, too, for people are going hungry." The Government was not finding sufficient work for. one man to ieep his family, and the hospital boards and other benevolent institutions had to find the balance.

Mr. D. G. Sullivan (Labour, Avon) stressed the plight of the single men. •*Now that the wedding bells have leased and the honeymoon is over, said Mr. Sullivan,, "we are looking for some, result from, the new. Government." In no country in the world could the plight of the single men be more serious than was the case in New Zealand. He had visited several of ihe single men's camps, ana of one of them he could say that he had never ■jjeen in a more dreary place. That was Hilltop, in Canterbury. Mr., J. M'Combs (Labour, Lyttelton) fcaid that there were a number of single men who had dependants to maintain. Clearly they ought to be placed in the same category as married men, and it •was no use sending them into camps to earn 5s per week. Tha Unemployment Board was not even living up to the low standard set up by the original No.. 5. scheme, and the position in a great number of cases was becoming desperate. ' Mr. E. A', Wright (Government, Wellington Suburbs) said that the Minister in Charge of Unemployment was not responsible for the present situation, but they were justified in making clear to the Minister the exact position as it existed to-day. They had to decide whether the men out of work were going to live in a:state of semi-starvation or be placed in a position whereby they and their dependants would be properly fed and clothed. He was prepared to support the Government in any action it might take to obtain sufficient money to provide adequate work for the unemployed. ,•■■..

CO-ORDINATION OF TRANSPORT.

'Mr.' W. Nash (Labour, Hutt) said that if the Government co-ordinated transport it would save at least £1,000,000, which could be devoted towards the alleviation of the unemployment problem. At the present time there were three systems of transport plying between Wellington and Hutt and Petone.. The. taxi services had steadily grown until there were between 20 and 30 taxis running hourly from Hutt and Petqne into Wellington. He did not suggest that the taxi-drivers did not have a right to earn money to provide for their wives and families, but taxi-services meant that big sums went out of the country to pay for petrol, and, in addition, the Government was involved in transport losses. The transport position should have be.en rectified two years ago. Mr. Nash referred to the difficulty that many_ of the ■unemployed were experiencing in paying the instalments on their State Advances loans, and he deplored the economising that was being carried out by some of the hospital boards to the detriment of the people: : <Mr. E.- J. Howard (Labour, Christchurch South) suggested that Mr. Coates could - shorten the debate by making a statement as to his intentions. If Labour got into power it would be able to tackle the problem on the next day, 'The idea that it took days and days to formulate a policy was "pure bunk."

Mr. <tA, Harris (Government, Waitemata) said business people had previously been' hesitant about dismissing men,-.but when the Unemployment Board came into existence that hesitancy disappeared. It was felt that unemployment was a State responsibility.

. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr. H, 33. Holland) said that the conditions in many of the relief camps were far from satisfactory-, and gave instances of the hardships which were being experienced by relief workers. At the present time the Government was appealing to the people to support local industries, and at the same time they bad the record of various New Zealand industries being broken down by imported commodities. For instance, he did not know why they should go outBide New-Zealand for. railway sleepers, tints throwing the sleeper cutters out of work. At a time when the iron manufacturing industry , was endangered, iron was be,ing imported into the Dominion. Sufficient clothing could be produced in the country to provide for everyone, but shoddy goods were coming in and being allowed to undercut New Zealand goods. The Government held in its own hands.the power to deal with the situation, together with other situations which were arising. Eetailers and manufacturers were complaining that the wages cuts were not giving them any relief, but rather aggravating the position because their markets had decreased owing to the lower purchasing power of the people. The president of the N.Z. Master Bakers' Association had stated that the falling off in the consumption of bread amounted to 10 per cent., which was the same percentage as the wage cut.

Mr. W. E. Barnard (Labour, Napier) drew attention to the fact that no provision was made for. elderly people nnder the present Act. Mr. Coates said he would not be in a position to make a statement as to fntnre policy until after Tuesday next.

A return made available to-day by the Minister in Charge of Unemployment (the Bight Hon. J. G. Coates) shows, a small increase in the number of registered unemployed on 28th September, as compared with the previous •week.

Total registrations for New Zealand.

were 51,375, being 496 more than a week earlier. Included in that figure are 37,206 men who have been placed in partial employment under the board's schemes: this is an increase of 342 over the previous week's total. The net number of unplaced men on 28th September was thus 14,169, showing an increase of 154 for the week.

In reply to Mr. Howard, Mr. Coates pointed out that other Labour Parties had made promises in regard to unemployment which they had been unable to fulfil. The whole matter was controlled by the amount of money that was available for unemployment. The country's resources were limited. ■ Mr. T. Langstone (Labour, Waimarino): "Can you te]l us the limit?" A Government voice: "You're the limit." Mr. Coates said there was a difference of opinion as to where the limit would bo reached. There was a duty on the Government, as well as on local bodies, to recognise that resources were not unlimited by any means, and they were called upon to make the money available go as far as possible under the present circumstances. Mr. P. Fraser (Labour, Wellington Central): "Can the Government lay down a, policy for the hospital boards? At present it is all chaos." Mr. Coates said that the camps were not so terrible as had been made out. A member: "Would you like your boy to be there?" Mr. Coates: "If I was the proud possessor of a boy, and' he was up against it, I would admire him for facing the position." It was impossible to pay standard wages on the country's resources. The amount which was being paid to the men could not in any sense be called a wage, but to payment they were receiving should be added the cost of their accommodation and food. On the other hand, the country expected a reasonable return for the money that was being expended on unemployment relief.

Mr. Coates made an appeal for the assistance of . everybody in grappling with the problem. He was hopeful of being able to improve the present position of unemployment, but the Govern-, ment'Was concerned as to how far it could improve the existing method of relief. He would make a statement as to the Government's intentions in the matter in the course of a few, days. Where it could be shown that a single man had dependants, he should be treated as a married man. The board had discussed the matter, and had decided that where it could be shown that a single man had accepted the whole responsibility, and that all the members of the family were dependent upon him, he would-be given sympathetic consideration, i

In the case of a man who had small savings, the. board was faced with the question as to whether his need was as urgent as ' that of a man facing starvation. It was all a matter of immediate necessity. The private taxiservices would have early consideration.

Mr. F. Langstone (Labour, Waimarino) said that 'the men in camps could not hope to make any provision for the future. »

A member: "It won't last for long."

Mr. Langstone: "It has lasted a long time now." It was' the duty of the Government to find* work for the unemployed at wages equal to the value of-services , they were rendering. If a war broke out to-morrow there would be no difficulty about the finance. The Government -seemed to have no ideal and no sense of its responsibility. Ho declared that the unemployment camps were proving very cheap, so far as the Unemployment Board was concerned, because all th© money except the men's pay came out of the Public Works funds and not out of the^Unemployment Fund.: . The -men wero-noj receiving the 10s a week that had been laid down;, some were getting more and others less, generally they _ were not receiving the amount,(promised. The whole quesetion. was one of money, but if the country had the security there should be no. difficulty in. procuring currency and credit. The Government would have to'recognise that the prob: lem was a monetary one.and stabilise the positiwu ■ ■ . :

(Proceeding.)