UNEMPLOYMENT.

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 11, 4 September 1931, Page 5

UNEMPLOYMENT.

BOARD'S RELIEF SCHEMES. MiNISTER'S FRANK OUTLINE. NEW PROPOSALS IN HAND. " I defy any man to show me a magical way. of solvlng this probIem,', declared H.on. S.: G. Smjth, Minister of Labour and qllakmap of the UnemploymentBoapd, In reviswing , the Govepnment's steps to reli.eve unern- _ ployment at a gatherlpg. of Hamilton electors and JUnltecI Party "supporters. . . . As chairman of the Unemploymeat Board. it had been his duty to . read piles of schemes to .settle unemployment. Some men, even |n the Rouse, considered unemployment could be cured by. a vigorpus land-settlement policy. Some .people considered unemployment could be cured by a wave of the hand. The m'an who talked about the immediate cure of unemployment by taking thousands of men out of the cities and putting them on the land had no idea of the real position. When he took office as Minister in May, 1930-, there were 5QjQ0 registered unemployed.- In over- 12 months m the number had risen to 49,000. A special committee had been set PP by the .Reform Party to consider unemployment, but the maximum number who it was thought 'possible could become unemployed was 15,000. With the present levy. of 5s per quarter and 3d in the £ on wages, salaries and income it was hoped to produce £50,0.00 a week. . Yet the board had been spending £50,0(^0 a week sinc.e June 20 and the expected money frpm the new legislation was not coming in. The Government had been upbraided in connection witb tbe No. 5 seheme, but it was all that could be done with the money available. He was well aware that it was almost impossible to live with. the wages under the scheme, but tbe Government had intended to provide only a measure of relief until the economic position improved. It wanted to assure itself that all registered unemployed had at least some money to buy some food. Tbe works were only relief works. He hoped, as a result of the experience that the country was going through, that when times returned io normal the taxpayer would not begrudge the setting aside of an amount for other cycles of 'depression which affected all countries at different periods. "I know the present money is not enough, but we have done the best with .th>e money at our disposal," continued the Minister. "In no country in the British Em--' pire have they shown so much work for the same amount of money expended. ' I have mixed with the un'&mpl.oyed in the cities, and only a few are wantlng money for nothing. Every decent, honest worker Is not wanting charity — (hear, hear) — or relief works, but a permanent job. If It was in my powar to give It he would have it." National Income Greatly Decreasad. Mr Smith said there were hundreds of men to-day on relief works — he had made personal investigations — who last year were paying income tax and in business on their own account. Some had made mjstakes, but the faet had to be faced that farms, homes, businesses and savings bad gone. One man he knew who was said to be worth £10,000 two years ago, and who bad been 55 years in business, was reeently evicted from his home for failure to pay rent and had only 5s to pay for groceries. There was no need for 'any deputations to tell him how much suffering existed. Ile lcnew only too bitterly of the suffering, but he did not care what anyone said, there was no magical way of dealing witb the problem. The country had to realise that the national income was greatly decreased and there was no money. A claim was often made that the unemployed should be. placed on more productive works. That is what the Government had always wished to do, but it first had to have the money to do it. In the process of doing it the board might have to tell the single men unemployed that food and clotbing would be guaranteed and a lower wage pail if they went into the country on useful work. Once the money was available he believed the new Unemployment Board would evolve some good schemes almost immediately for lessening the suffering and distress. Unemploym'ent Board a Sucoess. Had the Unemployment Board been a failure? asked the Minister. Personally he thought not. In New Soutb Wales singlp men had no relief works, but only a weekly chit enabling them to get stores valued at 5s lOd. Tn New Zealand the Government . had made an improvement on that. Tho total expenditure and commitments on unemployment relief on July 31 laet amounted to. £1,343,022. The excess expenditure was £147,923 and it was because ' of this that the board had had to lower the allpcations to local bodies. Under the Nos. 4a and 4b schemes 9000- men were placed with farmers at less than £100,000, and it was to the credit of those 7000 single men and 2000 mai*ried men that they left the cities and went out on productive work. "We want bigger schemes, and have some under consideration now, to take the single men out of the cities an.1 lighten the burden of the married men," concluded the Minister. "I claim that in view of all the circumstances the Unemployment Board has been a success." (Applause.)