UNEMPLOYMENT AND ITS CURE

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 56, 7 March 1934, Page 10

UNEMPLOYMENT AND ITS CURE

No country has boggled tlio unemployment problem more than New Zealand. The effect of all the legislation has been to impoverish the employers of labour and attract from the primary industries many who would normally be employed therein. It is futile to expect any reduction in the number of unemployed while relief workers are not required to give a reasonable return for the cost of work done, which should always be of practical utility and of a permanent nature. Science and modern machinery have been blamed by the ignorant. These aids to civilisation should tend to raise the standard of living instead of being used as a means of forcing large numbers out of useful occupations to help spend about £4,000,000 per year, as is being done. In the earlier part of the depression I made a suggestion, which I believe was placed before the Cabinet, that would have reduced the cost of living and prevented the enormous loss of money and morale that has attended the eirorts of the Government to cope with the problem. In the national interest an Order-in-Council should be made compelling all employers to reduce the working hours and employ their quota of those fit and willing to work for economic rates of pay. Factories should work two shifts of six hours per day. This would double the number of employees and reduce the cost of the product. Also it would enable us to reduce imports. Superannuated civil servants should be debarred from competition with the general public. I know of cases where Civil Service pensioners draw good pensions and good 'salaries. We do not know what the producer of 4-£ per cent testing milk will get per gallon for butter making for export, but at Od per lb for butterfat it works out at 2 7-10 d per gallon. The futility of producing for export at all under existing conditions must be apparent to all. New Zealand is the debtor; let the creditor worry. Unionists want standard rates of pay for their work and this has been granted for many years, while the primary producer has to face the competition of all countries; it is all out of balance. Produce must have a guaranteed value as well as labour if New Zealand is to prosper; there should be no hunger and no want of work in n country that produces far more than it can possibly consume. A. V. PETTMAN.