UNEMPLOYMENT ACT.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20087, 17 November 1930, Page 11

UNEMPLOYMENT ACT.

FARMERS' DISCUBSICH*. ! REMITS OF PROTEST HBL» OVER (SPKC lAI. TO THE r££SS.) INVEBCARGILL, November 16. I The views of Southland farmers en the Unemployment Act "wore expressed at the monthly meeting of the Southland Executive of the Farmers' Union on Saturday, when remits from branches demanding exemption for fanners from paying the poll tax and requesting that a petition for the repeal of the Unemployment Act be circulated throughout the country were considered. After some discussion it was decided to hold over the remits for 12 months. When the remits were presented to the meeting the president,. Mr Erskine Bowmar, recommended that they should be held over. "Wei!, Mr Chairman, if the Farmer*' Union is not going to take any a«tiou concerning this Unemployment Act, you are going to lose hundreds of members/' said Mr A. 11. McLean. The president said that the matter had been discussed at the Dominion

Executive's meeting last month and it had been argued that the new system was more equitable than allocating money direct from the Consolidated Fund. By the method of collecting tbe lew from the workers that class would be compelled to contribute towards the sustenance and the relief of the unemployed. The Consolidated Fund wan made up from very varied sources, and the contribution to it from the worker# was a very small percentage. Mr Peter Arnott said that in view of tlie executive's recent decision to give the Act a fair trial it was the president's duty to rule the remits out of order. "I have heard these remarks about hundreds of members resigning from tlie Union ever since I first came into it," said Mr Arnott, "but I have not seen a general exodus yet. If Any man does resign on account of this, good luck to him! He's not worth kMSplnfi> O. E. Niederer said many f&ftners were seeing red on the question. Mr McLean: They sWear they won't pay it. Continuing, Mr Niederer said h 6 Bad met no continued opposition tftet giving a reasonable explanation of the measure. Mr J. J. Crainpton said he believed the measure would do more to help the small farmers than to hinder them, nnd his motioft that the remits W Mfla over was carried. " LABOUR DIFFERENCES. AUCKLAND COMMENT. I TUB PK.KSB Special *«TTIo6.I

AUCKLAND, November IB"It is a pity that several of tfe® ■Labour "Union secretaries in AttcklanA have made tie debate on the TJfiour ployment Act an excuse for airinjf thrff personal feelings against the AiliAtic© of Labour," said Mr T. F. Anderson, secretary of the Auckland branch ot the Seamen's Union. Mr Anderson said such action enly tended to disintegrate the movement in New Zealand, which h«d ! made the progress it had chiefly by th« unquestioned loyalty of its supporters. Ail that tho unions trere Staking, warn that the -workers' representatives on the Board should be chosen by the flAttie system as was used for the appolntflitofc of their representatives on the Arbitration Court. If that were arranged for, the administation of the Act wotlld be - facilitated rather than hindered. UHfler the present system of forming the Board the workers' represent»ti*ea would have the support of only * V * T T stnall minority of the workers. The statement made by one of tM Auckland Labour secretaries that the Alliance of Labour was only afr aid t&st its nominees would not bo appointed was characterised by Mr. Anderson _M absurd as it was disloyal, became the Alliance had refused to recommend the nomination of anyone for tM Bdjurd under its present constitution. Tns Seataen's TJnion was one of those _wnleh declined to nominate a representative, considering it futile in view of «* / Minister's determination to decide «M appointments himself. \ STATEMENT PROMISED. ; (P&E*B ASSOCIATION TBLBGXtK.) DANNEVIRKE, November IS. The, Acting-lPrime Minister (the Hob. "E_ a. Ransom) informed a '' Dannevirie News" reporter that the Government is preparing a comprehensive statement for presentation to the publio or pw~ visions of the Unemployment Act. He was convinced that when the pOblie thoroughly understood the provision® and intentions of the enactment apposition to it Would largely disappear. , He admitted that there was a gftOd deal of opposition, but was conviA6«a that the measure was going to be of great assistance in alleviating unemployment. Farmers would be able to ItctlM moneys from the fund at a vary lw rate of interest for the purposa •£ carrying out extensive improvement* with men at present unemployed. The Act, he Was sure, was going to ba. «. good thing for taxpayers, because it would be a cheaper method of dealing with the situation than the pre# est costly system of relief works.