UNEMPLOYMENT CONFERENCE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 140, 22 September 1910, Page 5

UNEMPLOYMENT CONFERENCE

"AN INTERNATIONAL GATHERING. IMPORTANT MATTERS OF DISCUSSION. Hy Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright Paris, September' 20. Twenty-one nations are at the conference on unemployment at Sorbonne. Lord George Hamilton is leader of the British delegation, which includes Mr. Beveridge and other economists, Mr. MicKenzie King, Minister of Labor in Canada, Sir George Reid, and AgentsGeneral of British States and colonies. Mr. Georges Cochery, French Minister of Finance, welcomed the delegates. He etated that organisation of the labor market was essential. There was a superfluity in one place and a shortage in another, without publicity being given to, the facts. M. Bourgeois, French publicist, stated that investigation of the causes of unemployment must be applied in all industries and in all countries in a scientific spirit without class prejudice. He eulogised the work of Herr Varley, of Ghent, and of Dr. Freund, organiser of the Berlin Labor Bureau. The conference agreed to the appointment of an organising committee under the permanent presidency of Mr. Bourgeois. COLONIAL METHODS EXPLAINED. THE TROUBLES OF OLDER COUNTRD3S. Received September 21, 11.30 p.m. Paris, September 21. "Fhe Conference discussed the question of unemployment. Mr. Taverner, of Victoria, read a paper explaining the Australian system of utilising the police to collect information on unemployment. He detailed the working of the Victorian Labor Bureau, and advocated a permanent secretary to be attached to the International Committee, to collect and circulate reports. Mr. Beveridge justified Britain in establishing a national institute of municipal labor exchanges. The powers of British municipalities were more limited than in Germany. Britain was shortly extending the exchanges to small towns in country districte. Mr. Kirkpatrick, of South Australia, declared that land, monopoly was the principal cause of unemployment. He explained Australia's land legislation, and the methods of arbitration regulating the hours worked and wages paid. Professor Devine, of Columbia Univeri eity, doubted the possibility of interna- , tional action, though America was anxious to adopt it, because it received one million European laborers during last year. Many failed to find employment. Mr. McOall (Tasmania) said the unemployment trouble bad not arisen in Tkemania. The troubles in older countries was largely due to want of proper training of boys, resulting in the production of many wasters, who were not employable.