PROVISION OF WORK

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1073, 10 September 1930, Page 7

PROVISION OF WORK

SPECIAL COMMITTEE’S REPORT MANY AVENUES EXPLORED Press Association W ELLINGTON, Tuesday. The interim report of the Special Unemployment Committee was submitted to the ITouse by Mr. J. T. Hogan (Independent— Rangitikei). who ; said the committee had found its task ; * difficult one, more particularly in i egard to affording immediate relief. Much confidential information on the ; financial and administrative side of the matter referred to the committee had been placed before it by the Govern - ment. In addition, the committee had obtained valuable and useful reports on the number of men employed on public works and possibilities of further absorption of unemployed, the number of unemployed men registered and graded according to their capacities, the amount and conditions of subsidies for the relief of unemployI ment approved, the employment of j labour by the State Forest Service. ! the possibilities of employment of labour on sand-dune reclamation, the activities of the Lands and Survey Department and the possibilities of tho immediate development of certain. in dustries. Air. Hogan said a number of private individuals had submitted ideas for helping to absorb the unemployed, and ! where technical opinion was required ; these ideas had been referred to experts for report. Included in this list , was a proposal for the conversion of scrap or waste copper into sheet copper. SHALE OIL DEVELOPMENT The committee had also asked for the valuation of land, namely, some 3,063 acres planted by the State Forest Service at the mouth of the Rangitikei River, with a view to determining the commercial possibilities of reclaiming sand dunes for grazing purposes. At its next meeting the committee would be supplied with information on the , question of the development of the shale oil industry and the Department ; of Industries aruT-Comijierce had been Disked to furnish a report on secondary industries suitable for assistance i or development. ! Some consideration had been de- : voted to the question of coal carboni- ! i sation and the committee had been furnished with much information by ' the Under-Secretary of Mines, who had j given very interesting details concern- ; ing suitable localities and the value of j the industry to New Zealand and the i practically certain displacement of ! imported coals. As a result ot' the in- j formation gained, the committee had j passed a resolution that the Govern- f ment be urged to take whatever action | was necessary to encourage the establishment of additional coal carbonisa- i tion plants. “The committee,” continued Mr. Hogan, “being of the opinion that the local unemployment committees, more particularly in populous centres, would help the work of this committee, and later of the Unemployment Board, the Minister of Labour is communicating with local authorities regarding employment of those who apply for sustenance, so that there will be no delay after the Bill is passed. Since the committee was appointed, 500 unemployed men have been placed by the Government on public works, and a further 200 will be sent out in a few days.” BOVS ON FARMS

The Leader of the Opposition, the Right Hon. J. G. Coates, asked tire committee if it would be prepared to indicate whether the Government's policy in paying standard rates of wages on relief works had had the effect of making the position more A°ute or not. He also suggested that the committee should inquire into the question of employment of boys in initial stages on farms, even to the extent assisting farmers to pay the wages of boys, and into the question of developing the flax industry.

Mr. J. S. Fletcher (Independent— Grey Lynn) urged that gas companies should be recommended to use New Zealand in preference to Australian coal. He could not see why it. was not possible to produce benzine by hydrogenation of coal. Mr. W. J. Poison (Independent— Stratford) stressed the necessity for economic readjustment. He said 14s a day on relief works for single men was not a fair thing at present. If it was not too much, it must necessarily follow that the same amount was insufficient for married men with dependants.

Mr. A. Harris (Reform —Waitemata) asked the committee to consider the effect of restrictive labour laws on unemployment. He complained that such laws in many instances hampered attempts to earn a living. Mr. R. Semple (Labour —'Wellington East) contradicted the uggestion that labour laws were a deterrent to employment. Boys could not get work after they had been admitted and trained ill various trades.

Mr. Hofati replied that among various other questions which would lie considered by the eommi •ee were the possible improvement of farms, and whether assistance could usefully be piven to farmers by way of loan or subsidy. The report was tabled.