The Guardian And Evening Star, with Which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1927. THE UNEMPLOYED PROBLEM.

Hokitika Guardian, 15 February 1927, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with Which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1927. THE UNEMPLOYED PROBLEM.

Reverting to tne reply or tne Acting Prime Minister to a deputation at Dunedin on Monday, the Auckland Star thought- it a great pity that Mr Stewart and his colleagues will persistently talk as if the employment now prevalent throughout the Dominion were an ordinary and normal feature of our economic condition. We believe, on the contrary, that at the present time the position is entirely abnor-

mnl. Generally speaking, the summer time is a comparatively busy season in most occupations and trades, and yet there are just now many hundreds in all the large centres, and many thousands throughout the country, who with the best “will to work,” cannot find any sort of regular employment. These facts indicate a decidedly unhealthy and depressed economic condition which it is impossible to ignore, and which tile Government should make every possible effort to remedy. No doubt a great many distinct causes have combined to produce fhe.se unfortunate reults. During the ulsciission on this topic which took place at the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, various speakers drew attention to the fall in our export values, the failure of our local industries to expand, and other possible reasons for the .spread of unemployment. But the most obvious cause for the present overstocked condition of tlies labour market is the continuous influx of immigrants, and on this point -Mr Dmvnie Stewart felt ci(ai| clled to say something In. his Dunedin deputation. While wo recognise the difficulties ol the position, we cannot admit that the Acting Premier has heeii able to put up a sound defence for his Government's management of the immigration system, or for the methods Hint it has-adopted in dealing with the unemployed. As to the number of immigrants arriving here, Mr Downie Stewart frankly admits that they are greatly in excess of

our present requirements. Then why was the influx not stopped before ? The Minister's answer is that Mr Coates was asked by cable last year to cut of! the stream of immigrants for some

months. But apparently, nothing ef-

fective in this direction has boon done, and the Government now stands convicted of negligence and procrastination to an extent that cannot be justified. We believe in immigration, propcrlv regulated and controlled. But the newcomers .to play their rightful

part as economic producers!* must have

work to do and the Government’s policy of attracting them here, without making proper provision for their requirements when they came, Ims been reckless iand unstatesmanlike to an extreme. We maintain also, that under such circumstances, it is the positive duty of the Government to provide

relief works of some kind to absorb thn unemployed. Mr Downie Stewart holds that the Government cannot he expected to find work for the unemployed unless, on balanee, il can show a commercial profit. We consider that it is impossible under such conditions to expect or to secure a commercial profit in every case. But the justification lor carrying on relief works for a time even at a loss, is that, though economi-

cally unsound, the system helps to save the country from the far greater miseries which are the invariable eoncommitants of widespread unemployment. Tf this is all that the Acting Premier has to say on the subject, we tear that the industrial classes need not expect much aid or comfort from the Government.