THE SNOWDEN POLICY

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 84, 30 June 1927, Page 3

THE SNOWDEN POLICY

RATES OF RELIEF WAGES DIVERGENT OPINIONS (THE HUN'S Parliamentary Reporter .) WELLINGTON', Thursday. Just how far the views of the Labour members in the House of Representatives and those of Phi 1' p Snowden, one of their confreres in England, on the question af wages, compared, caused a short dispute in the House yesterday afternoon, when the Minister for Finance, the Hon. W. Downie Stewart, was speaking on the Relief of Unemployment Bill. Mr. Snowden had said that the difficulty in paying fn]] wages for relief works was that there was no inducement for men to return to private work. This assertion was hotly disputed by several Labour members, and eventually the publication itself was called into question. ylr. h. T. Armstrong (.Christchurch East) interjected: Can you quote from some of his good books? The Minister: 1 This is a good one from my point of view. Mr. D. G. Sullivan (Avon): Are you sure he arrives at the same conclusion as you do? The Minister: That is a question of opinion. It is a matter as to whether two men get half a loaf, or one man gets the whole. I advise you to read this. Mr. J. McCombs (Lyttelton) : Tou have not quoted his views, and have probably misrepresented him. The Minister: Oh, well, that is what I might have expected from over there.

Mr. McCombs: But you have not told us his words. The Minister: I will probably have an opportunity later on. A little later in the debate Mr. McCombs secured the volume in which Mr. Snowden dealt with the wages question, and pointed out that this reference was to unemployables and those training themselves to become citizens. In this case a lower rate of wage was suggested. “But,” went on Mr. McCombs, “this Government wants to pay efficient navvies who are competent of earning 16s a day, at the rate of 9s and 12s, or put them on contract work, where they can earn only 6s and 7s a day.” The Minister: Oh, no; you had better read the passage. Mr. McCombs: It would indeed be surprising if Snowden were to write a justification of this policy.