UNEMPLOYMENT.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19888, 27 March 1930, Page 13

UNEMPLOYMENT.

TO TBS EDITOR 07 THE PRBBS Sir, —The Rev. L. B. Neale deserves fcredit for his brave effort to penetrate the unemployment labyrinth; but, to v come to crips with the problem would 'Mr Neale please answer these questions? ,If new industries start, will there be jm increased urban drift from the luidrwhere the'long hours and lower Mges compare unfavourably with those teino citiesP >■ ■■ .;--•... ■lf. we reduce our imports, mainly JSrfish, to the. extent of*l7 per cent., Mat amount "of unemployment will we «5d to-John Bull's acbi«igj)aek? Will-i these' dole-supported eitr.-V unemployed ■ a*, Britain :be"lpßgmg: fpr J>few Zea- ; land butter and mutton ? 1 Are not both America and Germany "protected up to the hilt, and do not the 'cables announce millions of unemployed in both countries? Why. have Norway, Iceland,- and , Sweden so few unemployed ?—Yours, •tc, F. J. ALLEY. March 26th, 1930.

-.siSi *0 THE EDITOR OF -TBZ PRE3B. Sir,—l ask for space to explain one of the chief causes of unemployment, lad Jwtv to remedy it. It is not all due to shortage of work; it is the high cost of living, brought about by the retailers, not by the producers. Why does not the Government form a body to go into this matter? Tbey • will find that many country store.ikiepers are charging excessive prices. I have paid 125 per cent, profit, only five miles from rail. This does not encourage people to go into the country «to live at the award rate of pay, £4 ,40s per week, when the cost of living I ii.so much dearer than in the City. It enly means that when your employer is finished with your services you have ' Bo money saved to keep you while getting yourself into another position.— Yours, etc., WORKER. -March 2.5 th, 1930. ...

• TO Tim EDITOR OF THE PKESS " Bir, —As a working man whose aver- : tfie-working hours per week are 52 tod average wage £4, I should like to to your correspondent "Audax" 1 also to your leading article ot ■ Jfittch .25 th. VilCou,- Sir, like your correspondent seem to think that the aver- ' working man's wage is always fair for attack; but we never hear ' •fcything about the huge salaries paid i-ia JearTy every one of our principal P. and there I think is the high costs of living, and not average wage paid to the , averr J4O worker - who, in many instances, a living wage but "simply an j never hwr a word aboul. the ' of £3OOO and the luxurious of travelling adopted by the J ; <»g«ral Manager of Railways, the * salaries and free trips to Engy -tjw chairmen of the Meat and Produce Boards respectively, and the salaries paid to the secof both Boards just men/"oned, neither is there any proentered against the huge paid to general managers anu in such commercial ®®Ooerhs as freezing companies; far- - . j cooperative associations, dairy companies, and a host of others W anmerous to mention. - you will argue that brains paw for. This I admit, and "ght; but why pay them extra- ' -S t j(a,ar jes ? If they require such to be able to live in a respeeti 1 ,^Z- ,na, W er > how can you expect the ' K?"!* 6 *orker on, say, £4 a week, to | JJT® lh even a decent manner, leave ' respectable manner? that the huge salaries d-fvT? JMst mentioned have a great ' the high cost of living. , average working man s '' ■ the working man who industry running. Take the 1 away from the workshop, ' r^". l mav be. and that particul Will stop. No matter how 1 general manager fe, or [ salary i B . both must i- correspondent "Audax." : this advitoe, that he P 111 "" [, " JZjWK®* standard book on economic. L course of lectures on the i , ceonomife system: of tof \ other things ' besides Lj'expert on -the- subject,,

being an ordinary working man who has given 1 some" little thought, to the subject. take the average working man of to-day, who has ? family _or ■say five persons—that is, himself, wife, and three, children—and whose wage is-£4 ss. 1 think that is a fair sample lor the present day., T ask "Audex." who glibly, quotes the Gcrtnan case of a pel - centi _reduction; which would bring the wage to i-o 3d per week, how he would expect any man to live in the least degree of comfort, when out of that he would have to pay at least £1; or £1 5S for house rentT besides clothing, lighting, fuel, and, in the case of a young family, doctor's and chemist's fees, and. a host of others too numerous to mention. Is "4udax" prepared' to guarantee that* if the working man will reduce his wages, li© 'will provido ltim wit" cheaper house rents, cheaper food,, clothes, lighting, fuel, doctor's fees? Only then will the work:ng-man be agreeable tq a reduction; he dare not do. otherwise. > • % , In conclusion, I, will be -pleased if "Audax" will solve this problem. How' is it that America eon pay the highest wages in the world and ,sell, motor-cars in New -Zealand cheaper than England can, who pays lower wages than America does? "Audax'' seems to forget that if the working man, gets. n fair wage he buys "some of. the goods lie helps to produce, thus lessening unemployment-. . If. he has no money to spare, he does not buy, hence unemployment.—Yonrs, etc.. ' WORKING MAN. Ashburton, March. 25tli, 1950. ~