The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, MAY 19th, 1925.

Hokitika Guardian, 19 May 1925, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, MAY 19th, 1925.

THE UNEMPLOYMENT DOLE. Thk unemployment dole at Home is regarded as the most important problem of the nation. With it of course i.s bound up the whole issue of industry and commercial progress. But there is another factor—startling in its realisation. It is that in a recent debate in the House of Commons, a statement was made that about three hundred million had been spent in one form and another for unemployment relief since the armistice. Such an amount is a terrific sum of waste as it were, for this great sum was unproductive of

any material return for the vast outlay. Such a v.-e-t outgoing without any return at alt tor the oxpcmlitnro. can he under.-itnml to <1 i l ll2-1* til,* economi" situation seriously, and in foot mills to the whole diflicultiee of the nation. When the Labor Covernmont at Home had its opportunity for action. it failed to earn' out its declared pledge beforehand that there was a specific cure lor the labor ills Britain was .suffering from, but there was no panacea, produced, and the best that could he done was in copy the nteass tires of the cat italist ic governments before them, and so negative all their ridiculous pre-election talk. 'lhe present. Covernnietit has not n licved the I fossil re \el. Mr baldv. in made an appeal to employer and employee on the subject, lint so far with little effect. On the contrary, there is the tear that tile position will be rendered more and more difficult by cert it in elforti; to promote an industrial war. and aggravate the unemployment situation. As to real remedies, lew suggestions ..f value are being made. Tariff reform whereby British manufactures might lie defended at least against foreign sweat-

ed goods, is one suggest ion. and Here is some move in that direction. but tlie llow of the dole as a dole shotml he cheeked and should he used as one Liberal at llnme lots suggested, for ; lie benefit of the worker, to u~s' his ttreo:ployment pay. not to keen him out of work ton to enable hint to obtain work. The application ot this advhe was nege.st.ei! ),y anniher speak'-!', lie stated that: there were 130,009 miners on; if employment ii n rel-eipt of the dole which was impoverishing the country because it was unproductive. Ilis proposal was that the Covoriinieiit tdntitld say to the mine owners, employ the unemployed and pay them full wages for the full work they do; the Hovernment itt return to pay the equivalent of the dole otherwise payable to the men, to the colliery proprietors. Tlti-s suggestion has some immediate advantage. The men would tie kept at reproductive work, and the coal would Ik> produced at a cheaper cost to the owner. Cheaper coal, if the benefit, were paused on. might mean a groat deal to industry generally. The dole “waste” would cease under some such scheme, and it might serve a good purpose to look closer into the matter. If the payment through the colliery proprietor would reduce the cost of coal to the consumer and nianunoturer. then the result would he obvious. Instead of paying people not to work, the money would be used to stimulate industry, which would carry more general prosperity in its train. Looking to the enormous outgoing itt the matter of dole payment, the whole situation might well lie reviewed closely with a view to remedying the position.