WORKLESS CRISIS
STARVING CHILDREN AND MISERABLE WIVES LABOR APPROACHES PREMIER RELIEF ORGANISATION (.Special to the ‘ Stab.’] WELLINGTON, February 11. Labor representatives from the whole dominion interviewed the Premier, Air Williams (Minister of Works), and Mr M‘Leod (Lands) on unemployment. The deputation was introduced by the Leader of the Opposition. The unemployed problem was greater to-day than it had ever been, said Mr Holland. So many out of work in the summer meant that the winter would be far worse. To meet the position immediately, the Government should put in hand works for which money had actually been voted. This might increase the cost of these works, hut it was more wasteful to have n largo class of the community idle. ft was suggested by Mr Roberts (Alliance of Labor) that unemployment is chronic in the dominion, and must be handled as a permanent problem. The Government would say it was not responsible, but its chief duty was t'o consider the general welfare of the community. Mr Roberts criticised the payment on relief works, describing it as a mere “ fodder wage,” causing reliable workers to become poverty stricken. When be proceeded to discuss unemployment insurance Mr Coates asked him if he could confine himself to unemployment, leaving the political aspect to be handled by the Leader ol the Opposition. Mr Roberts replied that it was useless to keep away from politics in ..discussing the subject. He was sorry the Government bad not passed an unemployment insurance scheme last session, The Labor movement was willing to contribute its share*
Mr Coates; One-third of 15s weekly. Mr Roberts; We will pay one-third, but we arc not: asking for 15s. .New Zealand (he concluded) can recover its economic position if we employ every man and woman on a living wage.
Mr F. Cooke (Christchurch) and Mr T. Bloodworth (Auckland) described local conditions.
“ We are not exaggerating when we say there are thousands of hungry, desperate men in New Zealand, with starving children and miserable wives/' declared Mr Semple, on behalf of the New Zealand General Laborers. He quoted some pitiful individual cases, assuring the Premier that young people were developing into loafers, because they could not get work. Mr Coates denied that unemployment was worse than ever it had been. He asked Mr Holland to remember the ’eighties. However, the point was that the difficulties had to be met to-day. There was danger about putting all public works in hand, because the winter programme had to be provided. The Government had 8,000, on public works From a national point of view it seemed dangerous to increase the country’s outside financial liabilities to meet a local emergency. The Government had organised its finance within New Zealand so as to provide work for a number of men. ft had reduced immigration to a. minimum. Compared with countries close at hand, New Zealand was not so badly off, and it had done, more by co-ordinated effort to relieve the situation. When it was suggested that the Government was responsible for unemployment he would ask critics to examine the records of other Governments opposed in principle to his own, and sec if they were any better.
The Uremic r gave the deputation some details regarding the organisation of tho work, but specially asked that the particulars be not published, as local authorities found, when they publicly raised money for undertakings men immediately flocked to that centre.
Mr Semple asked if the relict wages wore still 9s a day. Mr Coates replied that Cabinet would make no change. It considered that in the country’s interest the economic effect of paying standard wages would be disastrous. While they paid standard rales the individual would not look for other work. The Government expected that with improved ' prices there would be more work in the summer, but (bis did not eventuate; consequently, many works were reopened and numerous other works started, it was not a question of not thinking about the problem. They ,hnd been at it for twelve months. Afforestation and lands schemes were moving along, and some local bodies were co-operating.
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Evening Star, Issue 19788, 11 February 1928, Page 6
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681WORKLESS CRISIS Evening Star, Issue 19788, 11 February 1928, Page 6
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