THE UNEMPLOYED PROBLEM.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13474, 14 July 1909, Page 4

THE UNEMPLOYED PROBLEM.

REMEDIES FOR. UNEMPLOYMENT. THE "RIGHT TO LABOUR ,, DEMAND. LECTURE HY DR. HIGHT. In his Social Science lecture given at Canterbury College yesterday. Dr. Hight dwelt at length upon the unj employment problem, making particu- | !nr reference to the "Right to labour" demand, and to the remedies for unemployment. The lecturer said that at the present time there was heard the loud and insistent demand of the Socialist that to every man should be conceded' the 'Viglit to labour." That doctrinal right was a supposed natural right of everyone to have seemed to him by the State, whenever he alleged lie could not find it for hiras-elf, employment of the kind he had been trained to, and, further, to h«ve that employment carry with it a remuneration sufficient to support himself and his dependents at their customary standard of comfort. That claim had been acknowledged in the vicious system of poor relief in England during the latter part of the 18th century, and it occupier.; an important place in the belief of 19th century Socialists like Fourier and Saint Simon. But it was first recognised in practical politics during the French Revolution of 1848. largely owing to the influence of Louis Wane, and the attempt to maintain all and sundry at the public expense led rapidly to disaster. The full recognition of the claim would, of course, be an immediate reisult of the establishment of Socialism, when the State would be the solo employer and would have to find ivork at a certain remuneration for all its members. But when the pay was given, not for the sake of the work, but in deference to an alleged abstract right, then inefficiency was a certainty. In the present state of human nature, indiscriminatei provision of work of that character would' at once suspend the operation of all prudential checks on population, and taxation of tho efficient and honest workers, would advance by leaps and bounds, until the springs of industry would givo way, and national bankruptcy ensue. Such was the result one would , expect from our knowledge of human nature, and such was the result which history showed had followed swiftly and inevitably -upon every attempt to realise the ideal implied in the claim. The "right to work," as claimed in Christchurch, was that men ought to be provided , with work by tho State and paid' for it at tho current rate of wages whether work was in demand or not, and whether the labour was competent or not. If the work was not useful their funds were mis-spent, which might have provided work required for other labour, and a largo expenditure on public relief works, on ■which anyone could bo engaged, would mean reduction, of employment by private employers. Payment of tho current rate of wages w;ould attract the indoltnt, thriftless, and incompetent from abroad, and would decide those hesitating to throw vi) 1 their work. A far more reasonable right, and one which even the enemies of Socialism might admit without fear, was the moral or legal right of destitute- able-bodied persons to temporary maintenance out of the public funds, there being a lack of employment honestly sought. Private charity, wisely directed, could work great benefit in jtyeriods of acute unemployment, but it was the Government that oould intervene with most advantageous effect, and the intervention of tho State could be justified even on the narrowest grounds of economics, apart altogether from any question of its moral obligations.

After dealing with the causes of unemployment, Dr. Hight proceeded to deal with the remedies. The effect of the particular remedy, he said, must vary according to the cause of the unemployment. For exceptional and. , unforeseen unemployment the provision of temporary work, the commonest kind of remedy, was suitable, but it was quite inadequate to deal with unemployment arising from a permanent decrease in the demand for labour. Education was a most beneficial agent in increasing the prudence and. foresight of the workers, in cultivating adaptiveness and ability to pass easily from one trade or one locality to another, and in equipping employers for the task of so organising industry that there should 'be fewer crises owing to miscalculations of the needs of buyers or of the amounts likely to ibe pnt on tlhe market by competing suppliers. The establishment of Labour Bureaus, Statistical Bureaux, and: Commercial intelligence offices also facilitated the shifting of labour and improved, the general organisation of industry, diminishing the congestion of labour in certain areas and the causes of industrial and commercial upheavals. Public contracts 1 should be distributed so as to compete a.s little as possible with private works for labourers when trade was brisk, and to supply the needed extra demand for labour when private trade had declined. Emigration, was effective wlhen it was not counteracted by immigration, and when it was not followed by increased growth of population at home. Farm colonies and similar relief works wore liable to great abuses, and were excessively costly, but were absolutely necessary as expedients at times of exceptional unemployment. Any appreciable reduction in the- present hours of labour would probably mean in the end a lower real rate of wages, and protection, viewed simply as a means of cmployino; out-of-works, was costly arid generally fraught with many serious indirect evils. Any factors operating to diminish unhealthy speculation, etc., would, by diminishing forces which brought about price fluctuations, render the conditions of industry, including the state of employment, much more stable, and generally employment would become more regular as there was more of publicity and organisation in business, whether of production or exchange. The nationaf and compulsory insurance against unemployment would benefit both employers and employed, and each should con-tribute. The system, however, was fraught with many difficulties, but there would be a net gain in the- end.

A fairly large number of men continue calling at the Trades Council enquiring for work. Some are new faces, and some have been frequent callers. The only work offering yesterday was a job shifting furniture. Some of tho unemployed waited on Sir Darcy at tho Trades Hall yesterday, and stated that there were more men out of work than ever about tho streets. They further stated that they were dissatisfied with what is being done by the Trades and Labour Council's Unemployed Committee; they thought it was not sufficient that the committee- should confine their activities to raising money, and expressed the opinion that the committee should keep the fact before the public that there were men out of work by holding meetings daily in Cathedral square. Mr Darcy was unable to do anything for them, and they went off to interview the secretary of the committee on the subject.

The Department of Labour has been advised by the Crown Law Officers that under tho Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act Amendment Act of 1008, Inspectors of Awards are the persons who are to deal with applications for under-rato permits, ana not, as prior to tho passing of the Amending Act, the chairmen of Conciliation. Boards, who have been notified of tbi3

reading of the law. The additional duty thrown upon Inspectors of iAwards will mean a considerable amount of extra work. ' The final party of men to complete the number required for the Cass-Bea-ley section of the Midland Railway were despatched to the works yesterday. Mrs Cunnington, who has, with the assistance of Mrs L. R. Wilson, done much to alleviate the hardships jthat have befallen tho wives of men out of work, intends making a further appeal to tho public for help. Mrs Wilson states that up to a week ago she* was hopeful that the worst cases had been relieved, but she now finds that she is only beginning to find out how widespread the cases of necessity are.

(press association telegram.)

WELLINGTON, Jiily 13. Seventy-four men oommenoed -work for the Citizen's Relief Committee at Victoiia Collego grounds to-day. More will be put on as speedily as possible. The Citizens' Fund is now approaching £600. Thei Government has extended tho terms of its subsidy to embrace any useful work carried out by public subscription. Tho Wellington Presbytery to-day passed resolutions recommending that collections for unemployed be taken up in the congregations. Some statements made at the recent citizen's meeting were criticised , by members of the Presbytery, who combatted the argument .that standard , wages should be paid for relief work, it being feared that this would lead to othere out of employment pushing to Wellington. The Rev. J. Kennedy Elliott said ho thought that five shillings a day would be a fair thing under present conditions. * Several men wanting work called 1 at the Selwyn County Council's office yesterday, and inspected the specifications relating to the clearing and grubbing contracts which the Council decided to put out now to relieve the unemployed difficult v.