BLACK PROSPECTS

Evening Star, Issue 19805, 2 March 1928, Page 3

BLACK PROSPECTS

the unemployment crisis DISCUSSION BY LABOR COUNCIL ! . ENTICING WORKERS WHERE N’O WORK IS. The question of unemployment was discussed at length by the Otago Labor Council last night, several delegates who are closely in touch with the various industries expressing the opinion that unless the Government or the local bodies did considerably more than they are doing at present to relieve the position it would be more acute this winter than it has been for a great many years. It was considered that, notwithstanding the bleak prospects and notwithstanding the fact that already there were thousands more workers in the country than industry could absorb under the present arrangements, the Government still- persevered with its immigration policy, creating unemployment, which it reluctantly attempted to relieve by relief work at cut rates ol pay. The Prime Minister and his colleagues had repeatedly asserted that the relief of unemployment was not the Goiernment’s responsibility; but when, by its immigration policy, it interfered with the supply of labor, thereby aggravating the fundamental causes of unemployment) it became responsible for relieving the whole of the unemployment in the dominion. Some time ago Mr W. Downie Stewart (Minister of Finance and Customs), speaking in defence of reduced rates of pay on so-called relief works, quoted Mr Philip Snowden as saying that the experience of Britain was that when men received ordinary rates of pay on relief works they would not search for other work. Mr Stewart conveniently ignored the difference between Great Britain and New Zealand, for the former was trying to rid itself of its surplus population, while the latter, by most deceptive propaganda and the expenditure of .much money, was enticing British workers to come to New Zealand without making adequate provision for employing and housing them when they came. About the time, that Mr Stewart uttered his defence of relief rates the Government stated its intenion of discontinuing immigration for a period, but it did not appear to have done so to any appreciable extent. Many other contributory causes of unemployment, such as the land policy, tariffs, and finance, were introduced into the discussion, the feeling expressed being that the Government had not attempted to relieve the situation by removing a number of the glaring anomalies and impediments which accentuated the unemployment problem in this country. Generally Mr Stewart’s speech of the previous evening was regarded as a, confession of failure. According to him, private employers could not be expected to employ more men than their industries could conveniently absorb; the Government could do nothing, and local bodies could do nothing. What, then, was to be the outcome? The workers surely could not bo blamed for refusing to repose confidence in the Government when one of its chief Ministers, in attempting to defend it, admitted its inability to deal with a pressing problem that materially affects the domestic Hie of the people, 'the council challenged the Minister to issue a comparative statement showing (he cost of work done at relief rates of pay and the cost, of similar work done under similar conditions at ordinary rates.

'The council appointed Mr Robinson to wait upon the Prune Minister during the latter’s visit to Dunedin regarding the local unemployment sitnaI ion.

The Secret ary reported that he had attended the open industrial Labor conference in Wellington on February I J . which was called for the purpose ol preparing fur the industrial conference which has been called by the Government for March 27. Me had been selected as one of the twenty-five delegates to represent Labor at that, conference, which would be one of the most important of its kind ever held in New Zealand, as the Prune Minister had indicated that in all probability tho findings of the conference would be translated into legislation during the next session of .Parliament. He could say definitely that the Labor representatives would go to the conference determined to meet the employers with the utmost goodwill, and to discuss the various questions on their merits.