UNEMPLOYMENT.

Waikato Times, Volume 107, Issue 17973, 19 March 1930, Page 7

UNEMPLOYMENT.

COMMITTEE’S SCHEME. STRONG CONDEMNATION. , AGGRAVATION OF THE EVIL. (Special to Times.) WELLINGTON, Tuesday. • The worthy Mayor of Wellington and many of the editors of newspapers ! are strongly denouncing the proposals | of the Committee, set up by (he late ! Reform Government, and continued by | the present United Government, to j report upon ihe unemployment probj lem as it has been presenting itself in : ihe Dominion during recent years. It i seems that their attention has been ; mainly occupied by the paragraph in • the report headed “Employment and Sustenance Fund,” in which it is suggested that a million or so should be raised by widely distributed taxation ; for the relief of idle hands, either by j the provision of work or by monetary j assistance. The Mayor appears inj dined to accent the “dole,” as the ; only effective means of mitigating the ! recurring evils of unemployment; but | the editors, for the most part, see in | this panacea only an aggravation of ! the evil. Just, what their own cure j would be they do not make at all j clear, but it seenrs to suggest in a general way harder work and less pay. No Milk and Watery Scheme.

As a matter of fact, the Committee docs not anticipate that more than :10 per cent, of the Employment and Sustenance Fund would be expended merely in relief work. The Minister of Labour, who has closely examined the proposals of (lie Committee, thinks even a smaller proportion of the fund would he required in this direction. There is nothing milk and watery about the proposed scheme. “An unemployed worker,” it proposes, “to he required to accept any suitable employment offered by Die Labour Exchange” to be established by the Government. “Any worker offered what the hoard deems to he suitable work, and refusing lo accept same, may he refused or deprived of benefits for such time as the hoard dclermines.” “On any work provided by Ihe hoard or public 'authority not less than minimum award rates of wages to lie paid lo ail ‘eompetents’ who are employed on those works.” The word competent is emphasised, and its meaning cannot lie misunderstood or misconstrued. Training. The Committee docs not prescribe a temporary scheme that would merely carry idle workers over a dull period of the year, it would have work ol' a remunerative character found for everyone fhat was physically fit and anxious to he self-reliant.. It would' have competent workers found jobs at award rates, and it would 'have incompetent workers given an opportunity to qualify for the same relief. “The hoard to have power,” it proposes, “to arrange for the training of workers to enable them to lake and completely perform any work in certain industries, including relief work The rates of pay for

such workers decided by the Employment Board; provided liiat a worker employed on such training be paid not less than sustenance rates of benefit provided by the board.” .Many olher provisions are suggested for the maintenance of the selfrespect of the workers and for the quality of their service, which, of course, would ultimately determine the fate of the scheme. The Tribunal.

The first report of the Committee runs into 34 pages of closely printed matter, and the second report into 36 pages. II would would be too much to expect the- average elector lo assimilate and digest such a mass of reading, hut. it Is the plain duty ol' every member of Parliament to study closely the recommendalions of Mr W. D. Hunt and his colleagues. The report, it is desirable for the reader to remember, does not represent in detail the opinion of every member of Ihe Committee. It is. in fact, a compromise on the part of seven earnest, capable men, who realised the vast Importance of their task, and determined lo reach a unanimous conclusion. Employers and workers were equally represented, while the. Govenment Statistician and the Undersecretary for Immigration occuiiiod Ihe other places. 11. was a gathering that should be of far-reaching, consequence to the Dominion, and if will be deplorable if its labours should prove io be thrown away upon the politicians,