The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1929. UNEMPLOYMENT.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume LIII, Issue 5534, 4 October 1929, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1929. UNEMPLOYMENT.

The Prime Minister's promise to have the Unemployment- problem settled' in a few weeks time has given rise to a great deal of comment. The whole world over the absorption of labour is causing- the leaders of each country much serious thought. There is something- intrinsically wrong with our modern sccial 1 system when men willing- to work cannot find occupation. One lly.ory advanced as an explanation of the amount of unemployment after a war is that a large nurriber of profiteers obtain properties owned by long established' families and' run them on extreme business ,lines. Where the large landowner looked up.-n it as a duty to support local lal-;ur and help local institutions sf.T.ding his whole income, the profile made his purchases' in London <;!' -.i.me other big city and practised ;i 1' kinds of small economies never sin-nding his full income. Those e-'.'< Mi inies and' the resultant piling ! up - f a larger fortune mean unenv i pliivment to many. After all wealth jsh.ukl bring with it a certain resj ])i n-ibilitv to others less fortunate jar-d wh:MO people are consistently ; "stingy" who own vast fortunes so j much of the world's wealth is renj dei od 1 -useless to the community as a ; whole. The substitution of up to ! date machinery and efficient methods i ai'e the most potent factors in un- ; employment ; but in the Ol'd Country ] particularly soir«3 of the new rich do j not employ as much labour as they , ,-hould. Without being extravagant ! people can spend l more freely and i undertake improvements on their

properties to absorb labour. Everyone must hope that Sir Joseph Wards promise will be fulfilled not from any political motives, but because unemployment causes so much, misery and discontent. The farming industry will absorb a'certain amount of labour and the Public Works a num'ber of gangs. The. problem is an acute one and' its final settlement would be welcomed' on all sides by everv Political party.