TAXATION NOT NECESSARY

Hokitika Guardian, 17 June 1930, Page 8

TAXATION NOT NECESSARY

UN EMP LO YME NT REU EF

VIEWS OF EMPLOYERS

“New Zealand Herald,” June 5.

Opposition to tlie Govei'innent’s unemployment in.smiu.ee proposals, which are to be embodied m a bill to be presented to Parliament, is forthcoming from the Auckland Employers’ Association, which suggests that the unemployment situation is not so serious as to warrant the introduction of a system calling for the imposition of additional taxation burdens on the community. Instead, a number of suggestions are advanced by Hie association for minimising the unemployment evil bv national and private effort. I n a statement issued yesterday on behalf of the executive, Mr Albert 'Veneer, president of the association said that the idea that wages at 14s t day were to be raid indiscriminately to those who applied to the Government for work caused, in October b'is f n rush to register, and the unemployment figures were probably increased ’ y in my who abandoned, or proposed 'i abandon, at which they ••c at least making a living. Tn any case when the figures, were sorted out and applications investigated over 4000 lapsed or were withdrawn.

' >t might account for the rumorof so many leaving the gumfiekls niv’ wo’-k in the countrv in order to apnlv '“or relief work. How many actual!'did so, and of +hn«e. how many were '-n on, there was no evidence t’ow.

RE EFFICIENT REGISTRATP’

Figures showed that, out of the ah 'ormal total of 13,157 registrations. 'l2B lapsed; 1179 apparently refused work when the actual conditions gov•ruing it were realised; another PPf refused work unless in the locality ' here they resided; and 562 were found to be unemployable. That automatically reduced the figures from 13. W)7 to 5889. As all those were subsequently nbaced in employment the ■ ■ I'tiion did not appear sufficiently serious to warrant the assumption that i large and permanent body of unem-

n’oved must he provided for. There was isornot’tries a wide discrepacy also 'ween unemployment figures given by the labour unions and those of the r "hour Department. A more thorough and efficient re- : tration should therefore he adopted -”M records kept under a card inrley system, enabling the Labour Department to keep in touch with, and classify under iseperate headings, all np--hV-itions for employment. Those ea'dv containing all the information required l)v a registry office would enable i I he department to keep employers in touch with al l craftsmen out of G \-| eminent work.

CO-OPER ATT VF CONTRACT SYSTEM.

Work provded by the Government, for labour so registered should he carried out as far as possible under the co-operative contract system, or under such control as to ensure that the wages paid had been earned. It had been suggested that farmers might in some eases be assisted by loans to employ some of this available labour. Work undertaken should bo of a reproductive the more immediately reproductive having the preference. For instance .the breaicing in and oreiiariwr of land for close settlement should take precemmec ever forestry and other works imt pronp«'iig such sneedv return.

Vf't.er nmetin" requirements on duly authorised public works and work for >1 Itorl!os, nrelim inary preparations of land for settlement would probably absovh profitably all registered employlabour wliieli from present figures was likely to be available. Preference ‘•boiild be (riven on such work to those who wished to take up holdings.

TNCR Ft 8 r vr: v 'TION A L PRODUCTION.

The principle that no set'-me should be und'o'biki n simply foe (be purpose of providing work should be strictly

adhered to, and everything undertaken j should he with a view to increasing national production . The meaning of the term “relief work” should he • more clearly defined. I

.\.r Spencer considered that second- j ary industries should he encour- . aged by providing that all articles in New Zealand at reasonable cost should be protected by an adequate tariff. Land settlement should in everyway be promoted and the interests of the primary producers 'conserved in recognition of the fact that our real strength in the work! struggle for extstance lay in our being a‘ food-produc-ing a food-producing'and food-export-ini"'-ountry.

Changes in tfie education -a stem tending' to give'the ' young people a more practical view" b’f life and its requirements, and fitting them better for their environment 'would largely prevent failure to obtain employment

1 NOTIFY INTO WAGES AND

PRICES

“Xotlnvithstahding the failure of the Industrial Conference to arrive at an agreement, further investigation is necessary as to the effect of the Arbitration Court as a wage-fixing tribunal on ihdiistry and unemployment,” said Air Spencer. “Inquiry should be made into the causes which have produced rises in local Costs of production and produced that ‘inaladjhs'tment of price levels’ 'hic-h the department of economics of the Canterbury 'College consider tim prime cause of our economic difficulties! More practical use might probably he made of the scientific knowledge of the staffs of our universities by concentrating inore on the possibilities of the undeveloped wealth-pro-ducing resources of'the country.

“The credit of New Zealand is good and money has in the past always been available tfor any legitimate! and

F-tnte-guaninteed development schemes. Our contention is therefore that tliose wliose labour is of any economic value can be placed in work and repro-

ductive work, (/ which in this young ai 1 only partly-developed country th..re sliould be plentlv available, Those who cannot, or will not, give value in labour for wages received, can only.-be considered on humanitarian grounds, and will always remain a

charge of this or any other community.

SPECIAL TAXATION UNNECESSARY.

i “The provisions to meet this charge | are at present no doubt inadequate and ! throw an abnormal strain on ratepayers and charitable aid boards, which should he relieved by grants from the consolidated revenue. The contention that special taxation is necessary to meet unemployment, or that a special board is required to collect and deal with moneys raised by such taxation has not, in our opinion, been substantiated. “While the Government and the Government alone, is, through its various departments, the proper and only ••Giority to deal with this problem, it must sooner or later be realised that as the question is industrial and economic, it must he removed from party polities. “No political party alone can find a solution, as has just been admitted by Mr Ramsay MacDonald, and it is only bv united effort and the complete and fearless investigation of all causes, without prejudice and without bias, that the unemployment problem, which should never reach an acute stage in a sparsely-populated food-producing country like New Zealand, can lie effectively dealt with.”