THE UNEMPLOYED.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 438, 22 February 1909, Page 4

THE UNEMPLOYED.

; ; -If. ; the • unemployed. : . difficulty in New V Zealand--> were.- ...measurable. -.'■;'bys the ... excitement/.- that, .attended >: the; demonstration'■.'.:in .'"Auckland,-■''-, on Sap urday, , . the. , position- would /indeed' be; a ; most, serious, one.. - Bub it ; - seems 'rather that the:.noise and excitement are' merely|.the ineasureof the success.of local 'agitators'...-, in ■-.'manufacturing . a scene which it; was hoped would impress the: Pni&E, Minister. An attempt was made;' in fket, to "rush" Sir Joseph Waed, arid "we are/very glad' io note.that he .did not. lose hie .head for all the clamour., On..'the : contrary,:, ho-was. so little impressed by the mob which descended upon; him as to give mortal offence*:tq.some.of ihe.leaders oEthe. demonstration,, who, met the Prime 1 'for adjournment .'on the'; score,'of ,a prior ehgagement with tho melodramatic rotort that with .several' ■hundred men, "pfa'ctically starving, tho occasion. \v & s one. of \. more importance, than.the; presentation of medals to school children." ; -It'.is' difficult .to. see what tho Socialists who led-the demonstration expecti to gain'.;-;by.-'.':picturing '', the Prime 'Ministerlas: a/callous poseur ready to leave/men, starving..while .he.'.'plays the military:ding-;ddng to a lot of children.": Such as: this, and, the. sugges-tion:that'-a- "slight" had beenjpiit upon the unemployed, are -not -only .very,'absurd, ;. but. very unmannerly, also. ■ .: Wβ .may "disagree with. Sir Joseph Ward's opinions on many'subjeots, but' we have,, no sympathy; with-any kind of disrespect for the/PRiME Minister's 'office;.-;; . :-, . ;■ The- statements which' Sir Joseph Waed' made. bnV'the unemployed difficulty are satisfactory enough in form, although ho , might havo been more explicit than he appears to have been' from , the' telegrams which wo print to-day. 'As ho says, periods of -unemployment are -inevitable in.overy State, : hpwever r well 'organised,' since "there musfc.be fiuctu.atioris, of industry, and population cannot rise and fall' with the industrial tides., Even the State monopoly of everything, which one of tho 'crowd • suggested' as. a. remedy, will not , remove what is a necessary- condition of industrial, civilisation. 'The-sugges-v tion that the Government should abandon its;' policy of assisting 'immigrants, appears to havo mot", with little favour llfrom (jhe; PRiMB;MiNiaTRR|..-ftnd wo,hopethat ha will continue to reaiat what ia at

bottom ah attempt by organised;labour to manufacture a labour shortage. 'The existence of a body of bona, fide unemployed is no reason why immigrants of. the right l land should not be encouraged to come to a young and growing, country like New Zealand,. which ihas a/higher coefficient/of absorption than other countries which are calling,{pi; new citizens. The country is constantly absorbing'newcomers, 'aricl the'volumo of unemployment has not been thereby ■', increased, v Sib Joseph. Waiid' is least satisfactory, in his statement of the Government's immediate intentions. Everyone who requires'work, : he says, will find employment by the Stat'o on "reproductive works. , '. At the saine time; he will ■ ■ hot start". '"relief works.". ..So many "reproductive works" ' ' ; put in.hand by the Government- are reproductive only .in so far as. they pay part of ..their, annual cost that -we have ..some misgivings :■. as : to:: whether.', "relief works" < will be altogether avoided.'- ,In view;.of:tho. state::of; : ttie; country's. nances, 1 the Government "should 'restrict its enterprise to the works, already; ; authorised. : ; The Government should distribute its _expendituro, on ..authorised'■ works quitc.iairly. To take a case jn/point, it should for sometime ; past have employed, mofe'.meh: on ,the Hutt road and' railway, -works.. Since the 'work. must, bo done, in any case, it'is "obviously: most profitable to get .if done! 'as speedilyas-possible, in order that- it may the : sooner begin to justify the money expended:. On the,general question ■of unemployment, we:would: suggest, in 'view.; of. the.. conflicting reports as to the , ; extent of. the trouble, that the Labour Department should take steps to have a careful and properly-classified estimate/ made without delay. ■ | . ■.'. ■■.■■; ■ :