The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times WEDNEISDIAY, AUGUST 10, 1932. A DESIRABLE ENQUIRY.

Hokitika Guardian, 10 August 1932, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times WEDNEISDIAY, AUGUST 10, 1932. A DESIRABLE ENQUIRY.

At the Ottawa Conference last welsh, Mr Coates made a useful proposal in the direction of ’setting up an expent committee to report on uniemployment relief schemes operating, in d.ffertcnt parts of the Empire. _ The suggestion' is timely, for not only is unemployment rife in the world at large, hut there are not any signs of an early mending of the position. For that reason it can be expected that unemployment will be with ns ratbtlr indefinitely, and it would be ‘well for the countries to organise their remurtes to 1 the be ,t effect, so that the available labour may be list'd to tlto ’jest advantage. . Last week the Acting Minister of Public Works, stated that thore was not likely 'to be any estimates for the current • year, for the reason of the money shortage! This is a further indication of the stringency of the financial position and ‘ makes it all the more urgent that the expencLture of what money is available through' unemployment taxation is used well and wjsely. People w r ouild pay their quarterly levies and regular wages tax if they had some understanding that the present waste to a great extent would cease, and the money applied more tenuously to useful public works. In this • country relief is on a large scale, and the outgoings of the Unemployment Board are . increasing weekly. The Board’s concern is largely in the wav of finding the money and allocating it. The Board however requires a policy of utility in ex penditure, and by this means money wou'd go further, and the return in national value would be more adequate'. Great Britain, Australia and Canada, all have differing schemes, but probably in no case do the -scheimies cure the, position. .Rather, as in iNdw Zealand, the situation grows more difficult. An intor-Dominion con-

sultation on the varying schemes should be of soul'© help, and generally the- extent of tile obligation to 1 which a country should create work for all. It is a question how far the individual initiative is being broken down, and what will ,bo the ultimate effect on a country if such, should come to pass. The question, is not one of nieie'y emdeavuring to, raise money to fritter it away There more desirable objective,, So far aa the Board is concerned, its duty should .be to seek to cure .tlte trouble, by organising the labour on useful work. Unless that is done the Board is misdirecting its. efforts, and there will be dissatisfaction with the- raising of continual levies if a better syst-m of useful administraton is not rrovde c l for. Of all the present troubles of the Government’, this is one c-f the most pressing and requires to be dealt with on the soundest economic lines, so that the funds -found by the people will not he - wasted. • At present it is plain a great waste must be going on, and while that continues tlr;.re will be reluctance on the part of the people to,find more money. There have been hints rat mors taxation for unemployment’,' but before that js imposed, the Board in consort with the Government should produce a scheme of relief administration which will offer mere possibilities’ in regard to a national benefit for the great expenditure going on. -y . ; ' "VP ■