RELIEF WORK.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 243, 14 October 1931, Page 10

RELIEF WORK.

LAND DEVELOPMENT. TWENTY THOUSAND MEN. MR. COATES' NEW POLICY. POSSIBLE INCREASE IX TAX. (By Telegrapk.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON", this day. The removal of 20.000 relief workers from scheme Xo. 5 into productive work was announced as "an immediate objective" by the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, Minister in charge of Unemployment, in the course of his policy statement in the House of Representatives last evening. "The position in Xew Zealand to-day is thai more than 50,000 adult men are registered as unemployed," he said. ""Many women and young people are unable to find employment. As yet, there is no tendency for these huge numbers to contract. Not all of the 50,000 men are wholly unemployed. Many of then! are engaged in part-time relief work for sustenance. We have not resorted to the sovalled 'dole,' or relief without work, a decision which in my judgment was sound, and for which the Government previous to this one Is entitled to credit. "Must Be Changed." "Of the men placed, however, more than 36,000 are employed under what is vailed scheme Xo. 5, which is mainly road work with pick and shovel. The Unemployment Board is spending money at the rate of £2,500,000 a year, and more than nine-tenths of that large sum has been going into scheme No. 5. Much of the i:oad work is useful, but it cannot be described as directly productive, ahd as time goes on it becomes even more difficult to find a satisfactory road work to be undertaken. ."The position as it is to-day must be changed. We cannot afford to become a nation of navvies. In the interest of the country, and of the men directly concerned," those who are now unemployed or are engaged on unproductive relief work must, as far as practicable, be diverted into productive work. '"An immediate objective will be to move, say 20,000 men from scheme No. 5 into productive work. • That is a substantial number, although far short of the total unemployed, yet it is well'to remember that every man placed and every forward step toward recovery will indirectly lead to the employment- of other' men": . General Considerations. "I do not- profess to have any magic physic, nor- do. I profess to .say the last word on the way in which the question has' to be dealt with in New Zealand. I expect criticism, and I invite it, because I am convinced the remedies to be applied will, be as. varied as are the. industries 1 and districts of Xew Zealand. i

".At.the bufrset, however, I must start with some indication ; of my. general viewpoint." ItjSeeins.tp me basic, that:— should.view pur problem less as one of simply relieving unenvploynient, of making..work for work's/sake, than as '.one of. enabling production, to proceed. , "(2) L New Zealand has reached a stage in its development when its people must depend more and more on the fruits of industry, and less on development work, national or local, out of loan money.

"(3). We have/Unemployment because on present price levels it' 'is : uneconomic to employ labour under the conditions on which it must; be employed. ; Unemployment .will only be solved when the wheels' of industry revolve of their own volition and again employ labour to the fullest extent. ;.'.''. •

■" (4) Primary production from our farm lands is the keystone of the Dominion's economic structure. It is essential that the unemployed labour should be directed from road and unproductive work to productive work on the farms."' This is the policy which the Unemployment Board, by every possible means, intends to pursue. ' So far as men engaged on road work.are concerned, the ideal must be: to move them 'over the fence' on to the land. . . :'".■■ - Other Productive Work. "(5) Important' as.farming is, we cam, not hope-to absorb in it the 50,000 men now unemployed. After PP vcars "" development, New Zealand has .80,000 farmers. It would be vain ; to expect now. to place 50,000 additional'men _pn the land., Consequently, wo must look also, to other .productive work for the absorption,.of the unemployed. • It may be hcld'netesr sary to take-action-to relax restrictions now militating: against the employment of labour pn L an; basis. This I recognise raises controversial issues bear - ing upon'labour legislation, and I .shall not" deal,.with the matter here. . '.' (6), It as, also to' be recognised : that in expending moneys on productive.work, we must take,into account.not the equal allocation, of- funds as among, districts, but those 'purposes, and localities- which promise <tq, be.-most. economically justifiable. ' v -•.".' "* ■';'... >'■■ -. : Mr. Coates said the. Unemployment Board's whole income was £2,500,000' a vear,.and it was spending at the.rate of £50,000 -a week. It had been compelled to consider the necessity for recommending ah increase iri'the charge by 2d in the pound, that is to say, from 3d'to sd. Every effort is being made to avoid the increase, yet if the steps necessary; to effect an improvement cannot otherwise be taken, the board must .not hesitate to ask for further funds.' Helping the Farmer. "Our first effort must be directed .id see that the farmers already occupied are enabled to absorb additional labour, and to increase production. Everything! that retards the prosperity of the farmer adds to unemployment. By helping the farmer, we help everyone in the country.. Already the board has devised plans under which farmers may obtain additional and subsidised labour under scheme 4A. Provided' the labour is additional to that which would otherwise be employed and does not displace men already in employment, it may be used for productive work not entirely developmental. Under this scheme the board finds 10/ per week for single men and 20/ per week for married men, the farmer providing food and lodging. After being temporarily suspended, this'scheme again operates as from October 1.

"Under another plan known as scheme 48, we will assist in developing farm lands on a contract basis. The Unemployment Board pays one-third of the wages of men engaged on contracts for developmental work on farms. It is open to any farmer in New Zealand now to apply for men und,er either of these Kchemes for labour. Under scheme 48, ho should apply to the commissioner of Crown.lands for his district. New Land. "Apart from existing farms, we must *eo to the bringing into cultivation of new land.. In consultation with''my colleftjfue*; and their Departments, we are fraaammf*. afreet ; #h«i jjwflfflSalities ; ££

opening up blocks of Crown lands. "VVe have under review with the intention of taking immediate action a block of 48,000 acres. Another area of 20,000 acres, now subject to flooding at high tides, may be reclaimed. In still another case, there is a possibility of reclaiming some 50,000 acres of first-class land.

"Already some relief camps for single men have been established and it is hoped to use them as part of the plan for bringing land into use. The men drafted out for developing these lands will be given an opportunity if they desire to acquire sections when the land is partially or wholly developed. .This is but a beginning. lam not satisfied that we have yet done enough to explore the possibilities of absorbing men on the land-. Good as the plans are that have already been devised, they do not go far. enough. We are faced with the fact that with 42,000 men placed under the various schemes, less than 6000 are on the land and more than 36,000 are on the roads. (

Mr< C'oates-said that to assist in the work on laud, he proposed to consult the chairmen and members of county councils-, who would indicate blocks of land worth consideration and suggest means of absorbing more men. He paid a tribute to the important and selfsacrificing work of the local unemployment committees.