LABOUR'S STRENGTH

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 101, 19 December 1931, Page 5

LABOUR'S STRENGTH

mr. w. nash's views states unemployment will be Very acute next YEAR FOOD MUST BE SUPPLIED "I am satisfied that unemplo'yment in the Dominion will become more acute than ever during the coming year, and that it will be imperative for the Government to take steps to ensure that food supplies are available in the homes of all men who are willing to work," said Mr. Walter Nash, M.P., secretary of the New Zealand Lahour Party in an interview yesterday with a representative of the "Post." Mr. Nash arrived in Rotorua yesterday and .after meeting representatives of the party leaves this morning for Auckland. Food Supplies Referring to the unemployment . position generally, Mr. Nash stated that taking into account the present economic situation and the financi'al difficulties of the Government, it was: essential that adequate food supnlies !

should be maintained in all homes, and that at the same time, provision should be made to enable unemployed families to remain in their homes. The Labour Party advocated that so long as food supplies were available, all families whose. breadwinher was registered as being willing to work, should be assured of some supplies. This should be done by endeavouring to make it possible for each breadwinner to earn the sum -set out in the original Unemployment ' Act-1— 21/- a week for each adult male, 17/6 a week for the wife where the man was married, and 4/- for each ehild. Productive Work If this was the object of the board, there was no reason why the work should be confined to non-essential or

non-productive channels, but taking the standard rates of pay for the different types of trades, such work as painting, carpentering, and land der velopment could be carried out. For instance, a painter with a family of three children and a wife to support, would be 'qualified to Work at his own trade for a sufficient period each week to enable him to earn £2 10s 6d. Unemployed painters could be used for painting State advances houses or. other work of a similar nature, which would be definitely productive. The weekly earnings mentioned would enable the family to purchase all essentials without the assistance of eha-ritable aid and other welfare relief. Steps, however, Would still have to be taken to enable the worker to pay something either to the property owner by way of rent or to the mortgagee by way of interest and as there would not be -sufficient reserve in tlie amount mentioned to enable him to do this, it would be necessary for the Government to negotiate some speeial form of relief for mortgagees and property owners.

Kecent Election Referring to the recent election, Mr. Nash stated that while the party was naturally disappointed at the result in the Rotorua constituency, it appreciated the magnifice'nt fight put up by Mr. Moncur, and loolced forward at some^future date to having his assistance "in Parliament. So far as the general Lahour results were concerned, they must be regarded as highly satisfactory. The 53 official Labour candidates had polled 241,991 votes an increase of 40,000 votes over the Labour figures for the 1928 election, with two less candidates in the field. In addition to this very large aggregate vote, the party had polled the largest vote ever received in any single constituency, and had won five new seats. The strength of Labour in Parliament to-day was greater than it had ever been sinee the inception of the Party.