UNEMPLOYMENT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 July 1939, Page 4

UNEMPLOYMENT

(To the Editor.) Sir, —Judging from recent remarks made in the House by members of the Government and the Opposition it is becoming more and more apparent that neither party has the least idea how to deal with the unemployment problem in a practical manner so that the unemployed are no longer a burden on the State. The Government is partly meeting the problem by encouraging local industries, firstly because we can no longer afford to purchase goods from abroad, and secondly because a number of unemployed will be absorbed, but at the best it is doubtful whether more than 20 per cent will be absorbed in this manner, and possibly not 10 per cent.

ri iooks as ti tne uovernmeni views I the unemployment problem from a sentimental aspect rather than a practical one. When the Government were in opposition they were stirred to righteous indignation by the condition of the unemployed in what is supposed to be a civilised country. As soon as they obtained power they found work for the unemployed regardless of cost. They could not do anything else after the promises they had made.

iney aiso increased wages anct immediately millions of pounds were put into circulation, and shopkeepers and most traders had all the prosperity they wanted. They gave the Labour Party the benefit of the doubt as to what would happen should overseas markets decrease. They have now learnt that it is necessary for fhe Government to borrow several million pounds, in addition to paying off a loan, to carry on and are becoming very worried and anxious because they still have to carry thousands of unemployed on their backs when, if a little wisdom had been shown in addition to sentiment, it would have been possible to put thousands of unemployed on the land where they could by now be self-supporting and no longer a burden on the rest of the community. The unemployed problem is no

nearer being solved than it has been at any time in the past, beyond the fact that the unemployed have the sympathy of the Labour Party and all decent people, as well as Mr Savage’s word that they will still continue to have good wages. The attitude of the Government towards the unemployed is rather like a noisy hen with ducklings when they have got into a swamp, and the attitude of the Opposition is rather like that of a dog on a chain, who cannot chase the hen away, but can only bark and make more noise, and put the ducklings into a panic. Neither the dog nor the hen is capable of looking after the ducklings; yet they need help till they are capable of looking after themselves. The hen pretends to look after the ducklings and the dog can’t, and yet makes a lot of noise about nothing and couldn’t do anything if it were off the chain but chase the hen away.

If neither the Government nor the Opposition can produce some practical scheme to solve the unemployed problem there are very dark days ahead for New Zealand and (he taxpayer will wake up when it is too , late. Some of the early pioneers would (turn in their graves if they knew the real state of things in New Zealand today and in the meantime the living dead of New Zealand turn in their chairs or in their beds when they listen to some of the futile utterances of our leading politicians over the radio, and the most intelligent of the taxpayers wonder whether they had better not give up smoking and knit their own socks.

Before long it will be necessary to increase taxation and the wealthy will grumble more and more, but not one of them will produce an idea that will help to solve the question of unemployment. When some of them have had all their wealth taken from them and they are unemployed themselves then they will begin to think. When there are no wealthy left to tax and the workers find that money cannot be produced out of the sky then will they curse the day that no politician was able to produce a solution that could give them security before it was too late. It takes far less steam to put a ship on the rocks than it takes to get it

n off and every day that passes withe out some practical solution being found ,f to cope with unemployment the fury there is the ship of State getting on to the rocks, and soon it may be a 0 wreck that no government can possibly handle. L) Sir, have any readers of your paper 1 got a single practical idea as to how the problem can be solved? Has a a single reader of any paper in New j Zealand got an idea, because if anys one has I have not yet heard of it? j If a solution cannot be found and acted upon very soon there will be t trouble for every member of the . community.—Yours, etc., , ‘ L. 13. MAUNSELL. , Masterton, July 7. THE LAND “GRAB” (To the Editor) . Sir. —What a somersault for Mr Savage, the Minister of "clear the way." He finds he is up against something solid when New Zealand farmers defy him, and justly so too. as he will see that they are not going to be deprived of their heritage by men such as he and his colleagues. After the mass meeting of farmers at Ohau and Levin, he sees the error of his way and says, “I want to harm no one." He knows he cannot legally take a person's freehold from him. especially from Ihe Maori, :i race of which we can be proud. The Labour Party professed to be so deeply concerned about the Maori race, before , the election, but what are they doing j now? How humiliating to have to back down after all the boasting. Just after the election it was nauseating to hear them blowing their own r trumpets and patting each other on , the back. A pack of “egocentrics,” j but they will find that their knowledge , of law is infinitesimal. We will now , hear of resolutions passed by trade unions, giving unqualified support to the Government in this matter. Were ’ 1 those farmers, I would absolutely ignore the Premier’s suggestion that * the persons concerned wait on him to discuss matters appertaining to the s taking of land.—Thanking you for *’ space—l am. etc., c M. W. WELCH. c Mauriceville, July 8. C