PRODUCTIVE RELIEF

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 69, 12 November 1931, Page 4

PRODUCTIVE RELIEF

" * 'dne of the first' things ^omis'ed' b'y"t Ke Coalition Gov*afW ]it* * assurMd ' bffifee,; waspa ^fedrgamsatio^ ;thie system providing work for the Tefief 6f^ ' un:4&pToyihehii^ : witli the far as ppssible, that all works finahced out of ^ t^e**hn'6^pjDj^ei}t fund; should be either immediately ; ^o.cfu9jU^ ' The work done under the ip'/aiuable 1 Ko." 5 'Scheme.,1.Had largely achieyed its immediate objeci^^— the relief of the1 most presSing'. needs of tlie 'thou'sands 'of 'citj^ens who wero' unaBi& to secure emplpynient.. It was clainjed^thht much of the work provided had Been of some'value 'to'the Statej suph, f orihstance; as' worl^ oir highways, but it was also admitted that ipuph of the wqrk dorie. ,had been1' of v*ety little ec'on'omib Valtid"arid*thkt'th'e tittiO"hdd "c'dmp wheh It^was irfbre ahd'mdre difficult to provide, through the chapnels, at presept employed, which -cpiild ,be jjhstifie^; bh 'ainfy^ diher groiirids thao .that ij; Tvas • at lea,-st.' a l'it1tle .better than the dole. Another ^tbiriise§'Bi^d.e'.l)y 'tfie new Government was that pTovisibir should b'e 'made 'to' a'ssist the farmers, Whbse" posi^ion i was admitted to be one of acute Histress. The nee.d'Was stressed for. increasing production as a ineans both of reduclhg pfobuction costs tand of^incr easirig th|e gross income of the ''farmers, ; and. fhrpugh,.them?,,pfr!the Sfatel 'Unfortunately the soil/unlike j the'faetor.y, is a slow* prbducer and the materials and* iabomr'emj ployed by the.farmer must be paid for. usually months before •| any return.' ca'n bb exbdbted, Re'ady cash or reasonably cheap } Jong^e^^eredif ate|therefore,essentiaL And it ist just. these ; things which'tKe sfump lias made it difficult tb'^ecure.1 Sbmething | more than mere talk, therefore," is necessary, . if the farmer I is to be given practical encourageiherit tb'pr'b^uce 'more. Tii ; most cases he is bnly too anxidus to do' so and it is ohly the | of working capital that is jhplding him back. In these circumSt^hcjeA the iGwerhWenf'Siopportuhity'is'bbvious/'By ineans : bf taxation a special fund has bpen raised for -the£ relief of uni employment ahd/this should be used to bring together to the | fullest possible extent the idle laboup and' t'he" financiMly handi- | capped farprer, ;thus relieving the necessities "'of ' both. To devise a. system tHiher which this could be done on sound lines, en- ; suring that every pound spent promised some eventual return, ; directly or iridirectly, to the Sta^e' ' Shoiild*,n6tv1)e difficult. "This, ; apparently, is. just what the Government proposes to attempt, as is indicated by'c'dftain clauses in the Finance Bi'll passed this week hy Parliament. The couptjry will watch'with interest the development of the proposals/ In the^Rptorua' Yi^rict' there should be s'dopfe'tfbP the profit^ble employment in this way of every man on the ur^employment r egist er .' Atlts meeting'ybsferday the Rotorua Cbunty Council received U TepUSt' fPom' theaMihister in Charge of Unemployment, the Rt. Hon. J. ,G. Coates, for suggestions as'to the best \yay of puttihg thej' Government's plans into yperatjon /n this di^fict. ' The' bppoftunity is thus offered bofh to relieVe local unemployment and to advance the development of the district an# there can be no doubts about its-reception-by^fchesiocal.authbrities. . v? . r