"NEVER WORSE"

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 205, 15 September 1937, Page 3

"NEVER WORSE"

Member Urges Measures for Unemployed MINISTER'S HOPES (By Telegraph— Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Last Night. Mr S. G. Hollaud (Nat., Christchurch North), speaking in the House of Representatives to-day, said the timo had conie when something should be said about unemployment. He contended that the Government 's promises in this respect had not been fulfilled and said that, comparing the figures of the past witli those of tho present, the unemployment position had never been worse. There were more men employed by the Public Works Department now than ever before and this had been done, and quite rightly so, to relieve the unemployment situation. The Hon. P. C. Webb said he believed that it would soon be possiblc to find work for all employable unemployed and so clear up the mess with which the previous Government had lei't them. Under the previous Government men had been herded into unemployment camps and taken away from their wives and families, but they could not find these camps throughout the Dominion now. Factories to-day, said Mr Webb, were crying out for young people, and one of the biggest worries was that boys and girls were leaving school to go into factories. The Government was not being given credit for rehabilitating thousands of young men. He appealed for co-operation in solving the problems regarding unemployment with - which they were faeed, and ho wae sure that these problems would be solved. Mr Webb drew attention to the assistance the Government had given backblocks settlers and assured the Opposition that not so many men were leaving farm work now for Public Works jobs as had hitherto done so. The Government was doing everytliing possible from the employment point of view to utilise labour in the most economical way, and every job being done was one that. should be carried out. 40 Per Cent. Decreage. Mr W. J. Lyon (Govt., Waitemata), in tbe course of his speech, dealt with the unemployment position and quoted figures sbowing that , unemployment had decreased 40 per cent, since the Labour Government took ofbce two years ago. Tbe Government, he said, liad also materially assisted the single unemployed man and was attempting to catch up the lap in tbe apprenticeship system for which t-lxe previous Government had been responsible. * iMr W. A. Bodkin (Nat., Otago Central) contended that the Government's legislation liad been responsiblo for greatly increased costs to the produc- [ er} and he also said that there liad ; been an increase of 1133 in tho unemployed for tbe month from June to July this year, which had been one • of the most prosperous years in the history of the country. The Government's policy had driven both men and capital out of industry. If the present Government had travelled along the road followed by the Coalition Government all the unfortunate unemployed would now be absorbed in industry. Mr J. Hodgens (Govt., Palmerston North) said that the Government was givipg to youths of from 18 to 25 years an opportunii.y of picking up a trade which had been denied them by the previous Government. Mr S. G. Smith (Nat., New Plymouth), said he had investigated the apprenticeship problem for the previous Government, and at that t-ime had predicted that. unless more apprentices were employed then when New Zealand emerged from the slurnp there would be a serious shortage of apprentices S'o far the .Government had done nothing concerning any proposals for land settlement. All tlie Government had done towards abolishing unemployment was to abolish the Unemployment Board, cliange the name of the Act and put 22,000 men on Public Works. That was not solving the unemployment problem. Mr Smith drew attention to the dis-. crepancies existing between the wages paid to permanent civil servants and those obtaining for casual labour, the latter in many cases being substantially higher than wages of i'ull-time civil servants.