UNEMPLOYMENT BILL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 173, 24 July 1930, Page 8

UNEMPLOYMENT BILL.

DISCUSSION IN PARLIAMENT.

GRAPPLING WITH PROBLEM.

EXAMINATION OF CLAIMS,

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

WELLINGTON, Wednesday.

The debate on the Unemployment Bill was resumed in the House of Representatives to-day. Mr. C. L. Carr (Labour —Timaru) said he trusted that men out of work would be considered as valuable to the State as the machine which had displaced them. , Mr. J. T. Hogan (Independent—Rangitikei) said that the stimulation given to immigration by past Governments had had a detrimental effect. He complimented the present Government on at least doing something to meet the unemployment problem. Mr. A. W. Hall (Reform —Ilauraki) said that the fact that the Government had introduced an unemployment insurance scheme amounted to a confession that it was incapable of dealing with the situation, while its proposal to set up a permanent board indicated that it considered the trouble was incurable. He did not think this view could be justified in a young country like New Zealand. He urged that the main function of the Unemployment Board should not be to provide sustenance, but to find remedies for any economic difficulties arising.

Mr. W. E. Parry (Labour —Auckland Central) said personally lie accepted the principle of the bill, but he was seriously opposed to some details. He could not understand why women had been excluded from the scheme, because women were becoming- more and more established in industry. If the bill were allowed to pass without some provision for the employment of women, there would be vigorous protests from one end of tho country to the other. He took strong exception to the flat rate of 30/. Taxation should be sought from people who possessed the ability to pay. Future Improvements. Mr. R. W. Hawke , (Government — Kaiapoi) said the bill was an honest attempt to grapple with a very serious matter. While it would not be agreed that it could meet every situation, it was undoubtedly the foundation of a scheme that could be amended and improved in future as .circumstances warranted. Mr. H. T. Armstrong (Labour —Christchurch East) said it had to be admitted there might some few individuals who would prefer to exist on a meagre sustenance allowance rather than to work, but provision had to be made for thousands of others who genuinely wanted employment and who could not get it. He urged the Government to fix contributions on the bagis of one-third from workers, one-third from employers and one-third from the Government. Mr. W. E. Barnard (Labour —Napier) submitted that the Government had been too timid in framing the bill. It did not' embody the principle of calling 011 industry to bear the burden of its own depression; Spirit of Independence.

Mr. R. A. Wright (Reform—Wellington Suburbs) said he would oppose anything in the nature of a sustenance clause in the bill, because it would destroy tho spirit of independence in the working man. Ho could not agree that in a country such as New Zealand it would be absolutely impossible for a man to get work.

Mr. D. G. Sullivan (Labour —Avon) asked whether there was anything more likely to sap the independence of the worker than inability to get work. Men who at the outset had revolted against going to charitable aid boards for assistance had ultimately reached a state where they went regularly for help without any hesitation at all. Mr. W. J. Poison (Independent— Stratford) expressed the opinion that the bill embodied more satisfactory proposals than the report of the Unemployment Committee, because those who received the greatest benefit paid their fair share. The success of .the scheme would depend largely 011 the administration of the board. Discretion of the Board. Tho Hon. W. Downie Stewart said it should be (settled as a matter of Government policy whether the sustenance allowance was to be a matter of right or whether it was to be subject to the discretion of the board. If the latter was the case, it was little better than the present system of charitable aid. Referring to the flat rate of contributions •Mr. Stewart said that members were considerably in the dark how this might be affected by the Budget. Unless the Budget contained something that would have the effect of distributing the burden on a more equitable basis, there would be some justification for Labour members' objection.

Replying to an interjection, Mr. Stewart, said he had insufficient time to deal with the whole problem of the causes of unemployment, but he believed at the back of the situation was the inability of the world's gold supply to keep up Avih the production of wealth, thereby hindering exchange. Another difficulty wa.s the tendency among nations to create high tariff walls, thereby retarding distribution. Poll Tax on Men. Mr. W. Lee Martin (Labour —Raglan) said he was disappointed' with the bill as a measure for the purpose of curing unemployment. The country was looking for a more determined effort to grapple with the problem. The proposal to place a poll tax on the male population was a most unscientific way of meeting the situation. No attempt had been made, to get down to root causes. Responsibility was merely being shifted from one set of shoulders to another:

Mr. G. C. Munns (Government —Eoskill) voiced approval of the provisions of the bill, stating it was the duty of the House to adopt effective legislation as soon as possible. Mr. A. M. Samuel (Reform —Thames) said the bill seemed to have been made a weapon for an attack on the Reform party. The bill should be considered on its'merits for the purpose for which it was introduced. Mr. J3. J; Howard (Labour—Christchurch) said there was 110 obligation on the Labour party to keep the present Government in office. If it did not "deliver the goods" it would follow the same course as the Reform party. He looked on the bill as a means of opening up discusion on the subject and it had achieved that object. He trusted that it would be liberally amended in committee. The debate was interrupted bv the adjournment, and the House rose at midnight until 2.30 p.m. to-morrow.