UNEMPLOYMENT.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19889, 28 March 1930, Page 15

UNEMPLOYMENT.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE FRIS3. gir,—May I answer your criticism, Jn The Prkss of March 27th, of the Canterbury Manufacturers' review of the Unemployment Report? The Association's committee did not think that the Report "would < have been very good" if it had paid attention to the manufacturing industries. The unfortunate Report, as T ou call it, was, except for some valuable statistical information, pretty bad a ll through. It has been severely'criti. cised by the newspapers of the Dominjon. A review of the whole Report was not needed, and the committee were justified in conferring their criticism to those portions which mostly concerned them, namely, the total disregard of the manufacturing industries as a means of solving unemployment at the present time. Thev do not "invert tlip relative importance of primary and secondary industries"; but thev do'object to having pig and poultry-keeping made of greater importance than the development of manufactures. The Report proposes that. until pig and poultry-keepers populate the country, manufactures ar© to remain undeveloped, a conclusion too absurd for (serious consideration. Finally, it seems a pitv to foster tlio idea that manufacturing . can be detelooed only at the cost of the primary producers, and that the primary producers have to nay for the growth of the secondary. There, are none so blind as those who do not wish to see, and guch as these are the ones who will not see that this country would be ' no worse off if low-priced (but not cheap 1 ) imports were stopped bv tariffs, and thus, with a. consequently larger turnover, provided wages were not undulv rai«od, our manufacturers could reduce their prices. This has been the result'.,of safeguarding in England, and it is the natural result of such a wise poliev. One thing is certain. This cotintrv cannot continue being bled to the tune of fortv-five million pounds per annum,, beside interest and sinkin" fund on her loans. 'To prevent the disastrous consequences of an adverse trade balance, tfith its train nf depression and misery, Trp nre respondin" to the cry. Buy New jjpaland trends. Nr> one questions the rifhtness of this'. Whv therefore should anyone object to protective and safejpiijrdinT measures as a means of de-. veloDinT the Dominion's industries? — Tours, etc., F. T,. HUTCHINSON. A vice-president of the Canterbury • r '-' Manufacturers' Association. ■. March 27th. 1930. [lf Mr Hutchinson thinks it is a pity to fester the idea that unsheltered industries bear the cost of sheltering others, then lie thinks it is a pitv to face the truth. We do not. , TO CHE EDITOR OF THE PRESS., Sir, —In your issue of Wednesday ' "Working-Man" asks: "How is it that America can pay the highest wages in the world and sell motor-cars in New Zealand cheaper than England can; who pays lower wages'?" ; The answer to this is contained in a : itatemept I saw in a New .Zealand Newspaper not l,ong ago;—A bricklayer in New Zealand lays 400 bricks a day, and in America he lays 1000 per day; the w.ages in New Zealand are 25s per , .day, and in America £2 per day.—Yours, ttc., _ f ; A KEAJDEB. |%arch 27th, " * ' v-*#.-'- w r t -