UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 88, 14 April 1927, Page 8

UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF.

PRIME MINISTER HECKLED.

LABOUR LEADERS'

DEPUTATION.

PROPAGANDA SPEECH" ALLEGED

(By Tclejraph.—Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, this day

A deputation representing the open conference organised by the Alliance of Labour, at present sitting here, waited on the Prime Minister and the Minister of Lands, yesterday, regarding unemployment and immigration. At one stage in his reply. Mr. ( oatcs was subjected to a barrage of interruption. The replies of Minis-tor* "ere on the lines of their previous replies. The Hon. (.;. .1. -Anderson remarked, in connection with the charges against the Govern ment, that these were easy enough to utter, but they could not be proved. He trusted the country was a long way from giving out doles. Finance the Acid Test. % In regard to housing, he said it wain) use suggesting a scheme unless an explanation was given as to how- it was to be run financially. A sound afforestation scheme was in hand and a larjjc amount was contemplated for th:winter. Mr. Coates: Thirty-five million tr<- ■= are ready for planting out. We are second in the Empire, but this year Britain has got it on us by a few milliou tree*. There was a general outcry of protect when Mr. • ontes supgc«-t«»d that everyone was living hicher than h<* should. "That's all rieht." vaid Mr. ( oates. " I know what I'm saying. Wo are ail living higher than is absolutely necssary. Every one of us.*" Allegations Denied. The difficult question of unemployment w-as exercising the minds of \a hi net Ministers day and night, said ihe Prime Minister. To listen to the remarks of the deputation was to gain the impression that the Government was deliberately trying to devise ways in which men could become unemployed. From the political point of view perhaps it was all very well, hut it wa« wrong. Rather the reverse to what had l>een said was the ease. Mr. .T. Roberts had said the Government should find every man a job. That was not the position, whatever country was cited.

Mr. Roberts said the country should be able to fulfil its own economic requirements.

Mr. Coates affirmed that the last thing the Government wanted to do was to lower the standard of living. If we were to expect better times, we must have more people, more industries and more encourajement for them to develop along national and sound lines.

Later Mr. Roberts said Mr. Coates had made propaganda speech and talked to the Press.

Mr. Coate?: You have hail a prcttv good po.