UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 151, 29 June 1927, Page 8

UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF.

LABOUR ON RELIEF RATES. I GOVERNMENT TAKEN TO TASK ! QUESTION OF IMMIGRATION. i I ALLURING ADVERTISEMENTS.*.. . I ' (By Tolceraph.—Parliament a r.r Kqwrior i WELLINGTON. Tw«dar. ( All stapes of a bill to facilitate loan'- , j by local hodies for relief of uncmployI I went were qiii<-kTy passed by the Hmiw jof Representatives thi< afternoon. Tt wa« a short measure introduced by tlic- ' Minister oT Finance, extending Jill .luikr>o. 192*. last \.-ar'« Act on the subject. I The Hon. I>..ui)i ; . Stewart added that ' J local lilies were in a better positiou this year, l»eoausc tho facility to obtain j loans wa« accompanied by a Government i subsidy on the amount expended in ' wage* under certain condition.-, laid down by the Minister of Public Works. Preference would be given to loans intended for expenditure mostly on labour instead of material and equipment. Mr. .1. A. Nash (Palmerston North): \\ ill the subsidy depend on the amount of relief wages * The Minister replied that the subsidy was 50 per cent of the wages at the Mime •-rale ihe Government relief [lavnicnis. Mr. N.T-h: Th<-» local bodic» pay what they like ; Mr Stewail: That is k». Labour Amendment. J 1-atK.ur members raised in a general way their objections to U)e Government scale of wages on relief works being 9/ a day for single men and 12/ for married. They allowed the bill to pa.ss without much discussion, knowing it to be followed by the Imprest Bill. When tic latter was introduced. Mr. Holland (Leader of the Opposition), intercepted the motion to go into committee with an amendment condemning the Government's policy as mainly responsible far unemployment, and lor using Ihe defenceless condition of the unemployed to reduce the worker* , standard of "living, in violation of the Arbitration Court awards. "Impossible to Earn Food BilL" Mr. Holland quoted the experience .f : relief workers on the Duller line to demonstrate his contention that these men were not permitted to earn good wages. They earned a fraction over 0/ }«t day last month, but as a result their contract rale was reduced from 3/3 p»-r yard all round to 1/11 for gravel and 2 / ll a yard for rook. Another party which earned 12/ a day on contract was reduced from 29 to 1/8 per oulii.- yard. They realised it was impossible to earn their food bill and refused to continue. They were informed that the men working on the Westfield railway deviation at Auckland were unable to make more than 6/ to 7/ per day. while some road workers near Wellington drew 4d after paying their food bill. English newspapers' contained recent advertisements statin™ situations for experienced farm workers "ere guaranteed by the New Zealand Government, yet the Premier must know j that that wa? a falsehood. Not a Government Advertisement. Mr. Coatcs: That is obviously not a Government advertisement! Mr. Holland: It is signed by the offi- j cial agents for the New Zealand Government. He asked if the Government was so bankrupt of ideas that it could not put in hand a great railway or road development works which were economically sound and would usefullv' absorb every idle man. Decreased Purchasing Power. The Prime Minister immediately fol-' lowed the Leaner of the Opposition, remarking that it wa<=. no doubt, the onlv course an Opposition would take politically to blame the Government for the unemployment situation. "But " he added, "we should al! realise that the purchasing power of the Dominion has decreased by approximately £10.000.000.' that there has l>cen over importation to' the extent of £2..-»O0.O00. and thai local bodies y rightly «ro reducing their borrowing liabilities All this must have its effort on the employment of labour." As for the immigration aspen, the Gov-i vernment bad decided to stop immipra-I lion in May. for six months, and it would revi>e tho position again and continue the restriction if necessary. The Attack on Wages. A» for the accusation that tbe Government was attacking award wage*, thai said Mr. Coales, Jud denied time and time apain. The Government had Its MKIO men in, the revised pubis,.! I works oi the current piogramme. and it j maintained award wages for thox- v h, always M,,,-k by them. V.-n t.. i«v -.]• I the unemployed standard wages was l'.,'< vond the country* financial caparitv for it could not ke,p tho** m<.,, 1 on public works. To f0 ,,0w the course suggested by the Leader of the Opposition .imply n)canl havinp lo j whether they should not reduce all wares! paid on public works. The Go>cmmJnt however, desired to maintain its standard while paying relief workers such a ££! that it l>e an inducement to th«m w. seek work elsewhere. Otherwise' there r, ,, ;, :: I*™ «• »*» men ZployZ] xt »i " ld I,anß °" «•' »>»<• job " ' itjw.rr Th;,, -^-"- ! Mr. Coates: Tha: i« 0 ,, r «,«.,;„,„, |f«r condition. ~„ ~„,,,„. works so man, ~an ? s on the Wes.field deviation jworkn. he knew n] vhi(]| '-. - IK-r day and th.y had no, W n „„ 'low,, Thoro weie olher r »,.^ ll( . ri . m .-.mated that xoung felU , „,„,,, r ■ An Emergency Wage Mr. Holland: If ,hr v ,, )n , ,_ <io you make jt „.,« mu ge a return for money p ai<i . Mr. (oates: No. nol m,m' Hi "»»"»«■». »«< tbe max,., mum ii unM tm <Tgeiicv we..,. Tt, ''■"!'" I'roi.ircd other j.nictur. ? ini at V a ' Pn, f :<, °^ r «» men wo,k- ---'"». at laun.an.nni was lo «» |H . r ~a V

,! "Cleariat Up" up qujte steadily. Cieaii^ • Mr. Holland: This year' Ihe Minister of <Hon. G J in no M-nse authorind by tbe Hi»h >!"»«••■ «'.r the Goxcrnmont. Q °*' The Mini-toT- qn..iod firiirr* <« u i ! IK-<-n able to give relief work ; I Position in Auckland, i Mr. WK. p eiT? . (Auckland" CetnD , arpu<-d that th* Government had . notL.ng to solve tb<- unemployed probW— There were unemployed in AnckhadS the- end of last session, and there «J» I upward of 3OVO unemploved in that J*l to-da_v. *-"»«> a^ : The Minirti-r of Edn, a i i()n (H - : A- Wright, M,d the Labour panrda . hid toTa<:, } " diffiru,,i^ibe . Mr. .?. ALw iAuckland East) qaoW f from tbe Keform ,uirty e election iAvmt t.semems. whh tbe object of that the Government had not redeeaM - its election pledges. Thcv hadS n<.ihing to (ash the blank "cWm •*«-- them by a confiding people. *^ Mr W. D. Lvßnar (Gisbornn coatenirf J that tlie wa-e offcrod by tbe GovcraaS i .was ample and sufficient. Jf a t&nritZZl : could not Uve on 9/ a <3 a y. th7%«a2 ' ability xr flh on binj. and not oettl . IGoverntticn". m I "Disgracing New Zealand." .1 Mr. H. At more (Ndson) contended ti. !! Government should not w-ei to Bt t ,'■ work done at less than the ««Stoi , J rates of wages becauw- of u, e neoeaS of working people. TJ ia t . Xew Zealand, while at the Kan* tie**! ,!w< rc boaMing that we were the rid»i j) J«m of lie Umpire. The CexenuneauS nght jn imtiatmc the immigration poliw but ,1 should at the same tiae sorted a sclkwo of deveW Mr. E ,1. Howard aims-uWch Soafti siid that m the last throe rears "LOOi ( J male immignuits had cnt-cr<4 Hie mon and in the same period 25,000 K*. : Zealand W b }^ d UU K . hoo] "T ' ; work. ~*~* Tbe Prime Minister; You would not stop unassisted immigrants* Mr. Howard: AsMsu-d or not, U» si,3l have to find work. Ue quoted fi«Z to show that the number of various industries had not increased n [proportion to the number of immjOTani , »ho had set down their ! various oc-cujiations -*-•«*