AMERICA’S PROBLEM.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 September 1921, Page 5

AMERICA’S PROBLEM.

MUCH UNEMPLOYMENT. MAY GROW WORSE. CHARITY NO SOLUTION. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. Received Sept. 27, 5.5 p.m. Washington, Sept. 26. Fifty-one prominent representatives of capital, labor and the public attended a conference on the question of unemployment. President Harding, in his opening speech, said: “The industrial depression is in no way peculiar to America. In the inevitable reaction of war there is always unemployment. Under the most •fortunate circumstances there are 3,500,000 unemployed in the United States, but there is excessive unemployment to-day, and we are frankly anxious rest it should grow worse with the hardships of winter. The problem is the most difficult the Administration has been confronted with. It is a delusion to think the present situation could be avoided by any particular formula of action.” President Harding attacked those who make the charge to America’s failure to ratify the Versailles Treaty and enter the League of Nations. The President declared that aid from the Public Treasury to relieve unemployment would be a source of trouble rather than a cure. He would leave the conference to decide its own course of relief, to which all America could be committed. He predicted that Capital and Labor would find a way to co-operate and overcome the business depression. Mr. H. C. Hoover (Secretary of Commerce), made a speech, emphasising that unemployment must never be solved by gifts from the Public Treasury. He said co-operative service to the unemployed, and not charity, must be the conference’s aim. The unemployment conference, after organising into twelve small committee’s to study and recommend practical emergency measures to relieve the situation, collecting statistics, etc., will later regroup for the purpose of recommending permanent measures whereby unemployment can be held at the minimum. There will be public hearings every day during the coming week.-Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.