THE COST OP LABOUR.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20024, 4 September 1930, Page 13

THE COST OP LABOUR.

TO THE EDITOB Or THB PRESS. Sir,—"Fully one-half of the farmers in this country are bankrupt or nearly so, and still "the United Government" keeps piling on the taxes, and putting up the cost of production by holding up the price of labour. It is all very well for the Government to pay the. unemployed 14s per day in order to keep itself in office; but it is quite another thing for the private employer who is using his own money, and has to make a living. The very best worker is not worth 14s per day of eight hours, and it. takes a very good man to do work •to the value of 10s during that time. Instead of economy, we are getting waste and extravagance of the worst kind, for millions are being thrown away on useless works like the East Coast Main Trunk railway, which when completed will mean a further huge annual*loss. Labour politicians who are forcing the hand of the United Government at the present ti'ffie will very soon bring us down . to the same deplorable financial state that Australia has arrived at unless something is done to check them. Arbitration, as we bavo it how,, is one of the main contributing causestowards unemployment, for the Court keGps on making awards regardless of the ability of people to pay" the high, standard of wages fixed by it. Labour is now regarded by most people as a luxury, and as most of us "cannot afford luxuries, we are doing without it. No single men without dependents- should be put on unemployed works; for if hecannot earn enough money to keep himself he is nothing more or less than a

waster. A man can. always find work if he is prepared to work for a reasonable wage, and do an honest day's work for that wage. The first step towards doing away with unemployment is to abolish ''Arbitration," and get people to work ? a little harder for a reasonable wage Most of the farmers work from ten to sixteen hours a day, according to tho seasons, and do not make anything like 14s per day in many cases. All these public works which are being done by unemployed labour are costing the country fully 100. per- cent more than they should, on high wages and low efficiency, added to which they are taking twice. « long to complete as they should do. Why not do them by. contract if they really are - required, and save both time and money? In conclusion, I may say T»t if some relief is not given to farmers and other employers of labour , the whole country will very soon be- insolvent. —Yours, etc., , COCKATOO. .. August 30th, 1930.