THE ESTIMATES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 263, 19 August 1936, Page 3

THE ESTIMATES

CONSIDERATION BY THE HOUSE.

MIGRATION AND EMPLOYMENT.

iPer Press Association.) WELLINGTON, August 18

The House of .Representatives went into Committee of Supply this afternoon to consider the Estimates. On the vote for the Census and Statistics Department, the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes drew attention to a statement that there, was to be a further reduction in South Island Parliamentary' representation. He said it was most important that members should know when the boundaries were to he altered so that they could make themserves aekquainted with the new districts. He hoped ’that the matter would he taken in hand at an ea? ly date. The Hon. W- Nash said the matter was under consideration. Referring to the Valuation Department, the Hon. Sir Alfred Ransom (Nat., Pahiatua), asked if there was to be a general revaluation and how it would affect local bodies and individuals. The Hon. F. Langston© said there was need for a greater number of efficient valuers to deal with local bodies, for the benefit of ratepayers, and more valuers would he put on. The Prisons Department. On the vote for the Justice and Prisons Department, complaints were made by some speakers regarding the competition of the products of prisons with outsides products. The Hon. H. G. R, Mason said competition from prison labour had always been a difficulty, and whatever line was tackled they were always told that the prisons were competing with outside labour, but a prisoner was entitled to sell his labour as much as anyone outside. He felt that useful work was very necessary for prisoners, but it was hard to find work that dul not come into competition with outside workers. He would look into flie position and see to what extent he could minimise the competition of prison labour. Immigration. Coming to the vote for the Department of Labour, Mr W. J. Poison (Nat., Stratford) said there still seemed to he some provision for immigration. If they could get suitable immigrants, chiefly from the Mother Country, and fit them into industrial and rural occupations it would he a very desirable thing to do, hut a progressive plan was needed for the development of the country which would enable them to assimilate a number of suitable people. The Hon. H. T. Armstrong, referring to the apparent increase in the vote, said the recent Labour legislation had thrown a tremendous amount of work on the Labour Department, particularly the Fair Rents Bill. It was anticipated that the Farm Labourers Bill would add some more. Over £200,000 of the vote wias transferred from the administration of unemployment. Actually the vote was within a thousand or two of the cost of running the two Departments. The Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates asked whether land that had been brought into use by unemployed labour could lie successfully occupied, afterwards in view of the present labour costs. New Employment Scheme. The Hon. D. G. Sullivan said the difficulty to-day was to find employment for the unskilled worker, hut lie predicted that when the Minister of Labour had completed the scheme upon which he was working that difficulty would he largely overcome. He said that factories were working to the utmost capacity and in some cases there was a shortage of skilled labour. Mr C. A. Wilkinson (Ind., Egmont) maintained, that the reason why factories were so busy was that people were stocking up in view of increased costs. . Mr H. G. Dickie (Nat., Patea) said that thousands of men were wanted on farms in spite of the fact that there was a large number of men on sustenance. A man with seven children on sustenance was given £2 17s a week and lie would he given £3 a week oil a farm. Could any man ho expected to go to farm work under those conditions?

Mr Poison said there were numberless young people all over the country, who were being put out of work because of increased costs. Many small employers were unable to carry on. Mr Armstrong said the victims of unemployment were better housed, better fed and better clothed than they ever had been. Men on relief were classified and 2000 men a month were being placed in permanent positions. If a farmer wanted a particular class of worker ho had only to make application, and if he paid a decent wage he would get labour. Hundreds of men were being supplied for farm labour. He could not see that there was any shortage of farm labour. The following votes were passed:— Internal affairs £357,777, Public Service Commissioner £5200, printing and, stationery £200,183, census and statistics £06,642, valuation £58,980, justice and prisons £269,946, and labour £238,066.