UNEMPLOYMENT

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17247, 10 September 1921, Page 8

UNEMPLOYMENT

plain speaking by sir FRANCIS BELL REPLY TO ALLIANCE OF LABOUR deputation. (PRESS ASSOCIATION* TELEGBAiO WELLINGTON. September 9. •V deputation from the Alliance of Labour's Unemployment Conference rSS— to-**- The" ™ P«sent: The Horn. Sir Franc.s Bell, Nosworthy, Sir Heat-on Rhodes, and W. Do* nie Stewart. The speakers were: Messrs M. J. Mack (chairman of the Alliance of Labour), VT. T. oung (secretary of the Seamen s Union), and H. T. Armstrong (Christchurch). The deputation said assisted immigration was resulting in an increase unemployment. It was suggested that unemployment bureaux should be opened everywhere in the country. pon registration, each man should be given useful employment or an unemployment wane. To finance this the deputation suggested a betterment tnx, a land tax, a levy on accumulated capital, and the establishment of a btate Mr Armstrong suggested reduced h °ln S ':eplying, Sir Francis Bell said: "Franklv, I am very disappointed. I was asked to meet representative men —and you are representative men—on matters of unemployment. I thought tfe might have had a real conference and an interchange of views. The greater part of the addresses has been attacks and advocacy of measures and political principles entirely, beyond the present and immediate exigencies and emergency. I do not in the least challenge the right of gentlemen to meet us and take up the attitude that has, I think, been adopted, of making addrosses to-'the public rather than the Government. That is where I have been disappointed. But, of course, 1 accept it, and desire to meet you on that basis, and try to show that the Government is not without a policy, and has some sense of the position, and is endeavouring to meet it in the way it thinks fit." In Defence of the Government. They had a perfect right to say that the Government was wrong, and to put the Government out, but while the Government was in office, it would consider and welcome suggestions, but its business was to decide questions, and to govern. He had tried to explain before with regard to public works and the Public Service, that during the period of depression that began early in the year, the Government, at great financial strain, had employed all the men passible on public works, and had retained in the Public Service all civil servants, including temporary hands. "That is the way the Government endeavoured to meet the emergency," said Sir Franoii Bell, "and I really do not think it is fair not to recognise that, and to allege that m some way or other the Government reduced the number of its employees." In regard to gorse grubbing, it was put before the Government nere, and in other centres, that men were being thrown out of private employment who were incapable of heavy physical work, and light work had to be provided for them. Mr P. Fraser, M.P. said that the Government grant to the City Council was made on condition that the money was spent on afforestation. Sir Franciß Bell said that request ■was made by members of Parliament. That money was required to provide ,wnrk. for those incapable of heavy laboui > and to ensure that the money should be used for this purpose, a condition wa'i attached.

What the Government Has Done. | "Aa long as I am a member of the Government," continued the Minister. "I will not admit the principle that the Government should find employment for nlen unemployed in every locality, any more than I will admit that the Government should find houses for everyone all over the Dominion. I do not quarrel with peop!e who hold these viewß, but I do not want to have any misunderstanding of the views of myself and my colleagues." He would not admit that wherever there were slum a the Government should be expected to clear things up, any more than he would admit that Government should go poking its nose in, and offer monoy to provide employment. It was the function of the local authority to see that the people in the locality were well governed. It was only when a general question arose, such as was caused by the collapse of produce prices,»that the Government had a duty to make some general, provision, so that it would be possible for localities to do their duty in this respect. That had been done. He did not think they knew how much hod been done. Notwithstanding the difficulty of providing money fur public works, the State Advances Department had been employing its funds largely in advances to the smaller local authorities. The reaenn why there had not been a tremendous amount of unemployment was that the boroughs and counties had been employing labour with monev borrowed. * In this way public works had been, continued, and new works initiated; also the Government had provided extra .works, of which complaint had been made that they were carried on at less than a proper wage, or at less than the Public Works Department was alleged to have agreed to pay. He did not know what the Public Works > Department had agreed to, but he said that these works had no more to do with the Public Works Department than with the Department of Marine. , For example, tree-planting was carried on under his control as Commissioner of Forests. With the possible exception of one or two works, such as Akatarawa road, they were not even authorised by Parliament. Thev were no more public works under the Public Works Department thp.n thev were ecclesiastical works under the Archbishop of Canterbury. They were initiated for the alleviation and mitigation of unemployment. "Unemployment Not so Serious." Sir Francis said that he would not discuss a State bank, because' it was a wide question. He did not think it would do any good to express his own views, and they would probably not pay any attention to them if ho did. The unemployment was not so serious a# had been stated. Mr Young had been obliged to Bay, for the purpose of his argument, that many did not register at the Government bureau, but, even if they did not, registrations were only the measure that the Government could take. Thoae applications had never been largely in excess of normal. Mr Mack: There is no bureau m the King County. Sir Francis Bell said he quite believed that some men did not register, but the Government had to accept the bureaux as the test of the position. There must be others outside, but there always were. On September 3rd the total unemployed were 1158, and for the previous weefc iuu. in one week 125 men were placed m employment. It was not the same men.who were out work all the time, but the number remained about the same. Then there was always a percentage who .did not want work, as they knew from their experience in offering jobs to men, paying their ratify fares and then bearing no more of them. Married Men Not Being Displaced. Mr Mack: What about displacing marriea men by single men because

they wore eligible for permanent employment? ~ Sir Francis Bell said he really could not say. It was certainly not the Government's policy. "It might happen in one or two cases, ana there might ho good reason for it, hut if you ask mo to belipvo that the officers of the Public Service and the Railway Department are engaged in dismissing married men so as to engage single men. you could go on saying it for a, hundred years, and I would not belove it. You don't want me to believe that these officers are n pack of heartloss rogue 3. It is not common sense to make such a statement." He could never quite make out what Mr Young meant to say, but what he thought he iv.as aiming at was that the Government had broken its pledge to the soldier*. He did not that wag so, but, if it were so, he wns sorry, and he would have it put- right-.

MR H. T. ARMSTRONG'S STATEMENTS. . (SPECIAI, TO "THE TBESS.") WELLINGTON, September, 9. Two Christchurch representatives ■were members of the deputation that waited on the Acting-Prime Minister today regarding unemployment. Mr H. T. Armstrong, of Christchurch, maintained that there was plenty of useful and necessary work to be done in New Zealand. Unfortunately there were people who were using tho present situation to lower the wages and tho standard of living of the workers. The Government policy of dismissal of publio workmen had the effect of aggravating the position, and the situation bad arisen under which the Department was employing former employees at the unemployment work wage. Sir Francis Bell: No, that is qui to incorrect. Mr Armstrong maintained that thai was what happened in tho Christchurch district, to which Sir Francis Bell replied that the Department was employing to-day on full wages as many njen as before the unemployment started. Mr Armstrong suggested tho shortening of the hours of men already in employment, aa a me ana of securing work for more men, and added that an energetic housing echcme would provido both work for many, and proper accommodation for the people hero, and the immigrants when they arrived. Sir Francis Bell : Is not housing a local matter P Mr Armstrong replied that, personally, ho thought this_ was a matter for the State, but dealing with it as ft local matter, he said Christchurch could obtain the material and the labour, but it had not the money. Ho believed the necessary money was in Chrietohurch, in Wellington, or anv of the other large cities, but under present conditions it could not be secured ■unless the Government exercised the power in its hand in regard to tho rate of interest. Tho Government could do' much, too, by cheapening timber. Mr F. R. Cooke, Christohureh, spoko regarding unemployment among women.

CHRISTCHURCH COMMITTEE. Tho North Canterbury Unemployment Committee met last evening. Present: Messrs W. H. Winsor (chairman), W. J. Jonkin, C. Benjamin, W. E. Leadley, T. G. Fielder, S. P. Marshall, the Rev. P. N. Taylor and Mr T. Drummond (secretary). Mr Benjamin, representing theFwmcm' Union was welcomed totfcecom* mittee. Mr Leadley reported that lee and Mr Goss had waited -on the EUeemaro County Ounuu which had given them a sympathetic hearing. 'lne Council had been asked to stop as far as possible any drifting of unemployed Into town by promuig Vvorfc ior tuo unemployed which the Council had prom- ■ iseil to. do. Messrs Marshall and Winsor reported on visits to the Oxford and JSyre Councils respectively; their reports stating that tnose boates would both do iheir best to relieve the positions in their districts, and to obviate any drifting of unemployed to the city. Both Councils hail put works in hand to relieve tho position. A lengthy letter from Mr H. H. Holland incorporating various suggestions as to tue building of cheaper houses was referred to. the City Council Housing Committee. Tho V'oolston Borough Council wrote atating that during the week, two men had been given employment. The Hi ccarton Borough Council wrote that since it had been waited on by members of the committee it had found work for six casuals. The Wkipara, Tawera, ftnd Ashbtirton County Councils wrote expressing their intention of co-operating as to as possible with the committee in finding employment. . ' , ■ A letk'jr was read from the Minister of Railways stating that work in connexion wjth the railways was being pushed on as fast as posnbje, but the finances of the Denartment did not permit of anything further in the »lj'® works being put in hand. . Mr Leadley expressed the opinion that tlie Department might do more than jt was doing, and ho suggested that the members of the committee, should wait on the Minister in connexion withitne matter. He himself would be m Wellington on September 20th ; and if another member were appointed, they could interview tho Minister. • Mr Leadley's suggestion was regarded aa a good cno, and it waa decided to* appoint tho second delegate at the next meeting -n Mr Marshall, on behalf of the Repatriation Board, said that 58 unemployed were now on the books, 3o ot them being labourers. Twentv-two of the number were married men. Twentynine men had been placed in employment dming the week. Mr Marshall expressed tha opinion that the position I was mora acute than was generally Vh Mr h p.ieMeir. for the Labour D&partmenl, saia that 40 mwi of the A, grade and 7 of the B. grade were now on the '.ocal books of tne Department, twenty-five of the former being single men, and five of the latter. Eight men had l>een placed in positions during the week, and the whole situation appeared to show an easing off. After a private discussion, it waa revived that the question of a publxo appeal to help the unemployed into positions should be held over until the nest meeting

WELLINGTON CITY COUNCIL'S tebt.TßT WOBKS.

(press association tolegbau.) WELLINGTON, September 9. A special meeting of the City Council was held to-day to consider the question of raising money for the relief of tb© unemployed. It was decided to raise £25,000 out of tho £IOO.OOO loan authorised to be floated in Australia. This amount is estimated to be necessary to provide employment on relief wo: ks for four months. The money will be repaid by striking a special rate.