WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 4 February 1931, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS

WAGES OR SUSTENANCE

LABOUR LEADER’S VIEW

WELLINGTON, February 2

Mr H. E. Holland, the leader of the Labour Party in the House of Representatives, is alarmed lest the Prime Minister should be backward in providing the sustenance allowance to workers who have been unable to find employment. “Either the Prime Minister has been incorrectly reported,” he stated in Westport at the weekend, “or he has taken up an attitude which he will discover to be wholly untenable,” Surely Mr Holland himself is labouring under an illusion. -'lt Forbes at no time has renounced the (government’s responsibility in regard to the provision of sustenance to workers who have honestly sought employment and (failed to obtain it in spite of their efforts. What he has done is to make it perfectly clear that sustenance will not be awaiting the pleasure of workers who will not take advantage of such opportunities as the Government can offer them, It is only the dependents of men of this type that deserve any consideration,

“WILL NOT TOLERATE REDUCTION.”

An example of the kind of demands being made upon the Government by organised workers was supplied by one of the speakers at a deputation from the Alliance of Labour which waited non the Priipe Minister just the cither day, .“1 have been instructed by my members,” this gentleman told Mr Forbes, “to suggest that the only way to meet the unemployment situation is -o reduce the hours of work and to increase the wages. The workers are not responsible for the unemployment problem and should not be asked to suffer. By increasing the consuming capacity of the people we have a splendid solution of unemployment. My organisation will not tolerate an increase in hours and a reduction in wages.” This breezy economist when asked by Mr Forbes to give the name v<f a landlord, who he alleged, was turning his starving tenants adrift, preferred, on second thoughts, to explain that the owner of the houses was in as sorry a plight as his tenants.

RATIONING LABOUR. Tlie scheme for rationing labour announced by the Hon. S. G. Smith on Saturday lias not so far aroused a great deal of enthusiasm, etuier among those it is intended to profit or among those who ultimately will provide the necessary funds. Briefly a single man is to be given two days’ work each week at the ruling rate for the work undertaken ; a married man with a wife and one child under sixteen years, three days’ work for a week; a married man with a wife and two or more children four days work a week. The supervision of the workers and the payment of their earnings seem likely to involve the State and the local bodies in a good deal of labour—the übiquitous postmaster, as usual, seeming to come in lor rather more than his share —but no doubt the members of the 'Unemployment Hoard have framed the various details of the scheme with the utmost care. VALUE OF SERVICE. The “Dominion” this morning gives the members of the deputation which waited upon the Prime Minister last week, with the contention that 'inemployment would be cured by tin* adoption of shorter hours and higher wages, the distinction of a place in its ending article, “It is becoming generally recognised,” it says, “that the root cause of unemployment in New Zealand is the disparity between the cost of labour and its productive value. The result is that it does not pay to engage labour, a fact which is illustrated in many industries to-day. With

the fall in prices, the balance between the price of labour ami its value has boor) disturbed- To restore tl)e balance is to restore the demand for labour and so bring unemployment to an end.” These are facts which any fourth standard hoy or girl should realise and understand, hut unfortunately such simple knowledge is not provided in tin 1 primary schools.