THE QUESTION OF UNEMPLOYMENT

Taranaki Daily News, 18 June 1921, Page 10

THE QUESTION OF UNEMPLOYMENT

IS THERE ANY REMEDY FOR IT? (Contributed by the N.Z. Welfare League.) But a little while ago we found our Dominion in the happy position of being free from any stagnation of trade, and more demand for labor than there were porkers to supply. A change has come about, and now we hear the cry of unemployment throughout the land In facing the problem we are met with the same difficulty as confronts us in dealing with some other social questions in the absence of exact, reliable data from which to judge, ivhat is the nature and extent of the unemployment is a question difficult to answer. An evil that attaches to the proper handling of this matter is that it is made far too much of a party issue. The Socialist politicians make up figures to present the number of unemployed as being very large and steadily increasing. This we expect, as they are always anxious to create discontent and unrest. Their statement of the case is an extreme one. On the other hand it appears to us that the Government, which wants naturally to show things as good as possible, goes to the opposite extreme in under-stating, if not even under-estimating, the extent of the trouble to be dealt with. For the sake o.f. those who are in the unfortunate position of being out of work we should like to see the problem of their circumstances dealt with on non-party lines. W-hy should the unemployed and their hard conditions be made the shuttlecock of contending parties? Party wrangles will not find them what they require. We no more believe that the Government is the cause of the present unemployment than we have credited it with the great demand for labor that previously obtained.

The causes of the present situation are, we believe, well known to all. The drop in price of one or two of our staple products, particularly wool, and the restriction of industrial credits which the banks have found it necessary to enforce, have been the main causes of checking operations in several directions, which has limited the’ demand for labor. It is a question whether the restriction of output in coal production, the enhancing of the costs in shipping transport, and the general lavishness of expenditure in Government Departments, have not been rather important contributory causes. The adage that “we cannot eat our cake and have it too,” applies here. For some years we have been living high and neglecting to develop the productive resources and industries of our Dominion until the inevitable halt was called.

Now that the unemployed are with us in considerable numbers we find the only effort at solution being presented is the old, and, to our thinking, somewhat wasteful method of relief works. Is is certainly more wasteful from an economic standpoint to have work done at 10s per day by men who know nothing about it, and are unfitted for it, than it would be to pay competent men 15a. The relief system is certainly no solution. At this time it might be well to have some review of industrial conditions instituted in order to discover whether there are any means of stimulating the same or not. If we face matters in a spirit of entire pessimism we are most likely to make conditions worse rather, than better. The Government might consider’ the advisability of inviting some of the ablest men, both employers and employed, to form a voluntary board to investigate and advise upon this whole subject. We believe that there are men in business and men ,in trade unions who would carry through such investigation on uon-pdlitical lines with advantage, to the people seeking employment and benefit to the Dominion. The whole matter of our unemployed citizens appears to be dealt with too much on the lines of drift, official direction and political feeling. We urge the need of dealing with the issue on the broader basis of independent investigation and sucii direction as will give the best results to the individual and the State.