A Word for the Workless

New Zealand Tablet, 10 November 1921, Page 11

A Word for the Workless

The Rev. Father O'Meara, a Labor Alderman on the Southwark (London) Borough Council, dealt on Sunday at St. George's Cathedral with tho agitation amongst certain London newspapers against the payment from the rates of adequate means for the support of families affected by unemployment (says the Catholic Times for September 10). He emphasised the fact that the spirit of charity had always been 'impressed by the Catholic Church upon her children. The first service was to God and then came the love of neighbor, and because of that law they were bound to give their neighbor his rightful and proper place as a brother. The State had a duty to those who were its citizens, and whilst the* State had the right to call upon its citizens in the time of its need, it had also the responsibility not to ignore them at a period when they were confronted with trouble and difficulty. It was all very well to talk about laws and regulations; it was far better to recognise that certain laws must be set aside, even if only temporarily, when it was a question of dealing with acute distress. Would it be fair or just to deprive a mem-, ber of a family of the bare necessities of life, because he or she had the misfortune to be unemployed through no personal fault? The State had a right to demand service of its citizens, but it had also a duty to those citizens based upon charity and justice. Citizens were bound to observe the laws of the State and they were punished for the breach of them, but when a question arose which was in the main not the fault of the citizen but of some economic difficulty, and oppression resulted, surely it was only fair and just that the State should come to his assistance. To-day there was considerable perturbation regarding what was claimed to be an excessive demand of the unemployed, but Every Man Had a Right to Live The most perfect exposition of the rights of employers and employed was found in the letter of Leo XIII., who laid down the regulations of charity -and justice that should obtain between the employer ' and the employed. There were, of course, duties oh both sides, but it was made clear by the letter of the Pontiff that every man had a right to a proper livelihood. He had that right because he was a citizen of the State and ho had that right also because, he was a creature of God, and because the Almighty had distinctly defined the law of charity as well as of justice. It was all very well to argue about economic laws; of course they must be observed when times were normal, but when they were otherwise then they must be temporarily suspended and relief given in the hope that the situation would improve, and that, through the contentment caused by such relief, a better frame of mind would be created. The demand for relief might, in the opinion of some people, seem extravagant, and no doubt there were extremists amongst the working classes who were "work-shy," but the majority were honest in the desire to live and to give others a chance to live. When mothers of families balanced the cost of maintaining the families they would agree with him that the amount received at present for unemployment was not excessive. Speaking from personal experience, he could say without fear of contradiction that the majority of working men would much prefer to do a day's work and be paid for it rather, than receive double the amount of pay without working for it. The working-man had . certain rights and it was the duty of the State to recognise those rights and to meet his needs as far as possible. . The law on the matter could be quoted, and the difficulties of the economic situation fully set out, but by so doing the mouths of starving men, women, and children would not be filled.