LABOUR PARTY APOLOGIA

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 176, 12 August 1937, Page 4

LABOUR PARTY APOLOGIA

Our Government has, by way of party propaganda, issued a couple of paraphlets which make quite interesting even if rather laborious, reading. Indeed, those who are intelligently watching the course of events and the consequences that have followed and continue to follow on them raay well be able to extract some little amusement from these press productions, though, sooth to say, it will probably be with rather grim thoiights as to the costliness to taxpayers of the matter providing the entertainment. The first of these brochures is issued under the title of "History in the Making/' a caption which gives some indication of the very high esteem in which our Labour legislators hold themselves as world leaders. This, broadcast gratis throughout the Dominion professes to be "a summary of the legislative and administrative actions of New Zealand's first Labour Government during its first year of ofhce — November 27, 1935, to November 26, 1936." These dates, of course, make it a little bit stale, for, as very many know to their sorrow a great deal has happened in the further eight or nine months during which the Labour Party has enjoyed, indeed revelled in, the power bestowed upon it at the earlier date quoted. The second pamphlet, compiled by Mr. James Thorn, M.P. for Thames, and procurable for a modest shilling, purports to be "a record of the New Zealand Labour Government's legislative and administrative achievement" during the same period. ""It will thus be seen that between the two there is room for a good deal of overlapping and rather wearisome repetition. Throughout both, however, there runs a very strong note of self-satisfaction and self-commendation that gives but little promise of amendment for the future. It is, of course, impossible to enter here into any detailed discussion of these close on a hundred pages of close print-.and the many erroneous or incomplete representations made and the entirely wrong impressions they are obviously intended to create. However, a solution of the problem of unemployment was the first plank in the Labour Party' 3 election platform and Mr Thorn also gives it first place in his pamphlet. The treatment of it may thus be taken as a fair sample of the rest. Mr. Thorn makes a really valiant attempt, considering the material at his command, to show that the Government has dealt effectively with this problem. The result however, is far from being either conclusive or convincing. In fact, the very figures he himself is compelled to submit show that very j little has been done in the way of bringing the unemployed \ back into remunerative and productive employment. By way ' of supplement to and correction of Mr. Thorn' s representations the following summary showing the monthly variation in the number of registered unemployed during the years 1935 and IQ36 resoectivelv mav be given: —

JFrom these it will be seen that during the last three months of the earlier year, before ever the new Government could have done anything appreciable, the number was reduced by 6,547. Then, taking the column for 1936, it will be found that, over the whole twelve months, the reduction was only 2,481, whereas, at the rate it was proceeding under the old Government, it should have been ten times that number. Then, Mr. Thorn admits that since Labour took ofhce "about 9,000 have been absorbed in Government departments," public works railways and 50 on. By bringing into the 1935 count all those who were a charge upon the Unemployment Fund Mr. Thorn makes out that "over 10,000 had passed into private employment,'' mariifestly an altogether fallacxous deduction. Even were it sound, it would not compare favourably with the figures of the last few months of the Coalition Government's administration. Moreover, that Government showed its confidence in the process being continuous, under the better economic conditions then dawning, by reducing the rate of unemployment taxation by one-third. Under the present Government " there has been no further abatement and, according to gazetted figures, during the first three months of the current financial year it collected from the whole mass of the people £1,350,000 in unemployment taxation, or at the rate of nearly £5^-million for the full year. or £i^-million more than for the last year of the Coalition Government.

1935. 1936. January 36,191 34,777 February ... ... 35,071 32,384 March 35,568 32,019 April 36;792 33,277 May ^ ... ... ... ... 38,100 35,270 June ... 39,330 39,038 July ... 41,-499 42,939 August 42,631 45,045 {September 42,200 41,908 October ... 39,681 39,056 November ... ... 35,979 "35,467 December 35,653 32,286