UNEMPLOYMENT

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 192, 7 April 1932, Page 6

UNEMPLOYMENT

BOARD'S POUCY REVIEW OF PAST SIX MONTHS! OPERATIONS BY DEPUTYCHAIRMAN METHODS DEFENDED The deputy-ehairman of the Unemployment Board, Mr. J. S. Jessep, has issued the following statemenl concerning various aspects of unemployment : — The aftermath of the economic depression tJjrough.which the Domin- j ion is passing is, in every instance, ] reflected by unemployment. The difficulties of the board grow as the depression inevitably causes a curtailment of ordinary industry. When the present board came. into office in August last, it was faced with a heavy deficit due "to the fact that the first board had been compelled to anticipate revenue which later legislation would bring into the coffers of the board. The present board decided that it would budget to provide that measure of relief only which the funds would allow: in other wo^ds, live within the income provided. It was laid down as a cardinal principle that directly productive work, which would lead to ncreased production, increased exports, and .thereby increased revenue to the State, should have first conslderation. This policy the board has consistenly pursued, with the result that at the present time a large percentage of the work for which unemployment relief is paid is directly productive, and should eventually tend to lighten the burden of taxation. During the six months ended January 31, 1932, the Unemployment Board's policy of drafting as many relief workers as possible into developmental and productive work was rigorously pursued. From " returns received by the board it is known that some 10,000 men were engaged during January on such work as land drainage, river protection, improving access to backblocks, etc., under Scheme No. 5.

Numbers Employed If reproductive work of the nature carried out by single men in camus be included, the total will be 19,612, made up as follows: — Scheme 4A — Employed on farms .- »• ••• 4,9(8 Scheme 4B — Employed on contracts, bush-felling, draining, etc. ... - 1,289 Scheme 5 — Definite reproductive work ... - 10,006 Maoris on developmental work .» — ••• 1,500 Gold prospecting, etc. ... 844 Main Highways Boards' camps, single men ... 995 19,612 ' These are the figures as at-Febru-ary 1, 1932. Since that date an in- • creasing number of me.n have becn sent out gold-mining, and a number of these are now earning sufficient to . do without any assistance from the State.

Apart from these figures a vevy large number of men have. been employed bv local bodies on work of "community value. The foregoing figures dispose of the statement so frequently made regarding the uselessness of work upon which rel'ef labour is employed. One of the greatest difficulties which the board had to face is the fact that demands for increased allocations come to hand constantly from all ouarters of the. Dominion. and pressure of all kinds is brought to bear to induce the board to make increased expend:ture. which in D e aggregate would far exceed toe amount provided by the State. If public men would bear in mind that an increased measure of relief must necessarily mean increased^ taxation and shoulder the responsibility of the one, whilst making demands for the other, the position generally would be clearer. If we admit the fact that ... one section of the communitv must ' definitely provide for its less fortunate fe.-low citizens who, in many instances through no fault of their own are unable to find a livelihood, there is surely also a definite responsibility - on the part of those assisted to acknowledge the fact and do their utmo^t to assist themselves in every possible way. There is no obligation on the State to provide a definite and fixed standard of livmg for the whole community; such standard must of necessity vary according to the. pros peritv of the whole community. ^

When local bodies and committeos have realised thafc they are co-trus-tees with the board for the propcr - administration and expenditure of funds, excellent results have Wn attained. When local bodies ar-d comrm'ttoes have not viewed the prob- ■ lem from th's angle the reverse hos been the case. Side by side with definite statements from local bodms that they can no longor find wmk for the unemploved in their midft, the board has definite demands from other local bodies that they shall be ahowed to retain the services of a certain percentage of unemployed. regardless of whether. in the ooin.rn of the board, the work they would be called uuon to perform was of a nature 1'kely to be of productive value.

A'l 'PI? Relief .Ao-fiin Imve dfctortion of fact" as, for instance. statements recenfy made ;nsinuating that the board hn« rrevnt^d. cirrlo,r6rs augmenting tio relief sriveu by the board. Througaout the whole Domlmon. in all itQ "oreret'on*. the hoard has consirtently sougbt to have such rehef. as the funds of the board would allow, ■ augmeotsd in every nossible way by . rnbhc bodirs or private employers. The boa^d has soucht throughout to ehdeavour to- stimulate such industries as world give the unemnloved an opportunitv of once more gettirg permanent work and re-establishmg themselves in the ordinary routine • «l-'fe of .the community. If the whole . ■ of the funds of the board we^e to be exhausted solely in direct relief ard * n oue of them applied to tvy ■ and end unemployment, we would be travellinff towards a dead , -. eud. It is only by the re-establish- , • ment of industry that unemployment 'will ce*se and the heavy burden krd upoh thooe in employment, or in pos'session of means, be lightened. ,: ,.The board's problem cin the Jarger

ain proportion of the population back ' to the country, from which many of them were drawn by artifi•ial conditions created in the cities, vill tend to solve the problem. Meantime, the board is daily faced ■a itli problems due to tbe fact that .he expenditure of loan money has -eased and large numbers of our fel!ow citizens who, over a period of years have depended for their livelihood on the expenditure of such loan moneys, are now cast upon resources which must be found within the Dominion; in other words, to put it bluntly, the country must exist on what it makes instead of what it can borrow. There is no laek of food in the Dominion, and it is possible that the board may, in future, have to ?ive a measure of relief, not in noney, but in rations. The cash posiion of the Dominion may preclude monetary relief beyond a certain measure. Tbe measure of relief being given to the unemployed in New Zealand is *ar beyond that granted in any other oortion of the British Dominions. It vill -be a bad day for the Dominion when the unemployed in "our midst are satisfied and rest content with the measure of relief which their fellow citizens can accord them. _ It will be a disastrous day for the Dominion if the insistent demand for greater relief is .strained to such a point that it dries up the sources from