CASUAL LABOUR.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 604, 4 September 1909, Page 7

CASUAL LABOUR.

ITS WASTE AND THE REMEDY. LECXTJJRIS BY TIIE HON. DR. FINDLAT. SOMAN. AND SOCIAL SIDE OF LABOUR. ;' v."..; Boford a large, audience this Attorney- ,' : Ganorttl (Hon. Dr. Findlny) dolivored an ini": address on, "Casual Labour: Its . Wasto and Remedy" in' tlie. Concert Chamber ;of. tho Town:Ilall last night. Sir. J, ■■■presitiexit .Vof:tho Wfilluigtoiv AVater- . .. wdo -Union, ocobpicd the chair. : : among the. audionce a fair' < :; >;;;6prj!(kling of Socialists I; and■: holdCTa ,of kindred' view s. • . ; : Dr:.;Fmdlay (who rcccived a good hearing) '■ J; : |)refiiced;his,.remarks by,stating. that:^ho: wis -liot.farosoiit to deliver a:political spoech nor to aayooato a party, platform. Ho went on to siycthat tho'proolem Vhioli hoiwould dis- • . .cuss'.was ono of tho most difficult which met tho... student of social /progress,: and that its ■ ■...,iolutiofi concerned everybody. 'In recont-ad* Crises;'he :had-shown: that Britain had at! last; really • Wakened to the■■fact:'.l;hat, raise r i';thoyiicial lovol'sho must majte 1 tho improyc- . i tnent.of men, women, aiidoliildren. and' not "the. mcrcate of national • riches, tho dircct i. purpose) of . State action. ■ Temporary employ-mttotoof-a siiiall number of men hero and i,,. neyer bo wholly ■ avoided, but tho contiuuod oxistenco of a olasa of willing :;. ..Vv./.ljutiunbmployed could,-and must. bo ( j)rev;onted m 'New Zealand.'- :, • ' - - . r Unsteady. Work: Tha Boat : Romody. i Ho had ascertained from .tho Labour Do- . birtraent that tho number of watersido wor-1 V "kerfi'ih Now, Zealand was as .follows ; Au,cl:-' landi j899;. Wellington, , 1838; Lyttelton, ineluding Casual' wharf <■: (75) and stevedores ;(390;,v; 465; ' 234; >.- total, - 3486. Spreading . the' . earnings of many. of i them :'.;over ( ,_a»considcrablo period, they would aver-neo-'nOt moro than 10s. per week, which meant ■n;,'- \thdt';,these workers were really unemployed. • As.'Wrplus-labour among., the waterside ;. : worKcijs.,wsis ; iii a special way, - a benefit to the .Community, in'that it jmabled rushes of :. work ••to jta speedily met, it seemed- to -,'.im' • that.-.that i bonefit cast . upon 1 tho community M :i^MC;POri i esp6hdingf obligation 1 to, do .what it .i-.r: yeason&bly\could .to ■lighten, the burden' of '- WCTlaJity- of . upon those ; ttirectay f aifecte4 ft by; it/ ::The ,problem :to . lie ■ facod-,wasHow could casual . labour, be sup--plqirionted by other profitable employment . eo' as.'.to,give' the workers 'a living wage? ;He"was;satisfied : that:no schema.of instirance ;:.g'(W6nld.Vsatisfao);prily i unskilled tlaboiif-^whero.' : thb.. numbers and . : .broken; time wer.o. both great. • The best ;". remedy he could see for the ■ unemployed . worker, iVas■: to nrovido him: with a . houso.and, sufficient • lantf upon which : ' he , i . tmgHt j employ • his spare . hours, days, #t ■ . weeks,, in producing food for his household .-, consumption and, if he desired ■ it, for sole. Although the proposal waa net a new one .'- , /v'\M v Mppgllt'■■.that' : perforraiaj Mine ill';femging:'Spointodl^,":uiider .the. :.:V' tho.' siljcesa ,;with/ which :the oiVlrimodyfrhad ;stancds in- other partj of • the,'world. Much /;wd.\ftlr'Mdj.vb'eeiii;;a6no';-.l>y-th6''present Government to settle the people on the Innd- Dur-■-'■■-V-v,'. .|ng.;tngyj^eri6d*,qf. i iita' iidihiniairatiaii,'.' tlift ''sum : i ff- inillions'.had rvbeeii - spent', in.. acquiring' ' 1 1 and. jf6'r.ithai purpose. ..'The" average cost to i;: 1 -■|^h^', .of '.settler-had-been \ ; £l2oly ■ v-biit..fithe:'sehenje;'had , been ,^'a-..; triumphant A voico- Too largo a mm , Findlay; f^who -Tepiicd!' fhait.- ho thought' ; • tho mterjfiction wus iustifi(>d, proceeded ,to say..-./tln^... the... policyi-iat?-'- the .-. Govern. : , inent, l must ; aim' . .at doing , . mora vj -than . j fiottlo.rt country * dwellers ,-.en.. -the .- .land. What Should bo Dono In Welljncton, It'iVas of -tlia-htmb'st; importance 1 that- tho : .;-....<;;Congejstion. whicln was taking place in Wei. :-J.';-y''^-i™gWjnJ i slioUld.\ba;."TOin<!ilißt!Wy i and ~; ;ij,tuat Sr'thfi ■.casualworkers' ru'poii '.whoin'.'city ;: ronts/.now, fell ,iijosJi,(U«»nly, bo :given . ' a: -chance of ou-hmg' (or 'or 'occupying end , . of properly cultivating):, a-small'area of land • .OTthin-easy cjtyi If, say,; eiily ' '■ 9° o: h,ti. n ," r ®d-.faMill^ - nQt'Only- bcucfit tlicmivbut, by .re< '■;li llev , ll ;g/.;the j.cpn'gestfonli-.woiild, reduce ..city : -i; ren J'3j'i o r-- ; othni ; l wftrkera.'",-It 'cli(l ' not stem : fiirth^'f"'legislative measure V a ®.-';n^^, s tpJatlyhnco ,th£i- remedy, hd.waa scheme improved'. succ"3f!t 'i''Jt,could;be extended to. other'ilasscs •'>' '^P'J^hah;;tho. jyatbfside-workers.: ..ddubt workin" arrangements ' could ;• bo ' •' - rii-:' P P IQ - .conimimieationwith- the .. • Mttlemont -. or' .. settlements -■ -when men - were required, Then, again, jironsion . trams .could - -be' made.. ' The effect of giving men a chance on land from . which. .thov could ,make, er help to.mako, a 1 - i.. J ll iflßr. had . inother countries been to give 1 ■ them a genuine (ntercst in the land, and to and' =.thes other cities of ith(j:;]}qrmnion, .had the ri-ht (and he thought .. j in sqmc cases thcy had the diity) to prevent ■ / -benefits he', vr 'ihadr outlined .byenabling a proper class of front ereirded ■.streatsi to .-siaall . areas , of land, whioh tkey ■. in : their ■ spare, time-' Tk« duty, of the cities in such a matter as tin , ond-to which ho was referring -seemed to T : Mcast.:as.iclear and urgent •as tha u«ty .of the- Govornrcent.. He could .illus- ' .-trate_ that faot by reference-to a few -fijures . showing.'the., progress of. the. city of Wel;lmgton. ;The imimproved- value of,.the area :■ ia ' lbOl, was, £3,440,156, whilst in ISO 9 area waa ' £9jwS,7Ba., During the; same peried ; ,efl7 or,JB, jcarc tlio .population of the -cit-r a« :constituted in 1891, had increased by 27,588 ; aouJa.i. At least. ajpoiiioa of the. erisrraous increase in the ■ unimproved yaluo: was due U ' •-.'iV^-:gWtrtH. : 'md:.'conßiKtion' of :; populatieh.*lf ; :a : Bill proposed by the English : Government had w-f'Oe^^'wvNowZealand^anee / era. cqf;,tho:jjand-iin the, city of Wellington •': w WW'|a! r cady;for 'inittio futiirisj^have ; paia'dbout ono million out of thcir uncarned increment. Tho cost of'providing one lum- ' ;.,tlrotj-i'liQnies of ;tho' .olasn haf ' suggeated v ! '.?'9 l Ji?.^P r < : 'bably:.not. exccbd:£so,ooo.' But th' 6 .:.:v;^«chßmfl^.»as^ii4t^6tt<»:' , «f.- ; 'ch^l^k; ! aji... ,it ..r'nocd:. cost'fthe - :city nothing, - for "the:, rents M- v rintorest otir.all V/ itei Moreoycr, ■ ttej, establishment' of- - . tho,hoTr.es would f(dd •.to.tho'businesa "and prosperity pf. the,city, itself. (Loud - ap- .

J; .;': V ■" ; ' '■-'- '■■ -who i'aslieii questions : at• iii 6 ; tlio:,ad«reM.-. w'as. .Ceuncillor: Car. .-;,■ 'JniehWl;■' who .'declared ;that' r.q loan for-tho dwellings.'was likely to ■•;:.:be>-Arn«di_enVa..poll: ; et:.the ratepayers alone: ■. ,::■ 'lr.ffiadlay:,(in-reply) 'expressed the opin- " ';?;^ lf ?, t l l^ tll «;P rte =» t lav;.wss not ■workable. "::.r.ltt.W«W(| al ttted; to-mate.it" to;-':- , : ■•!.::. v ;',!', iiTfrJUtoi Hogg '.aiked; : whetherV' if- it waa ■,:: / that -'had .tVe :«vfcbf-Britois!j ; ;the' glpfi6cation .•■■Vefj/JBtotMtiift. had iijot .c'Aiised.."the-evils V of - : r '#s&£ Tindlay v> «m c*»t • Freetrsie frss.. introduced ■ in; Eng. /;.;' .liitfytei'-e*. Htiek: i& -mate■■■the liying 'of'the ;jl: : ,-^nltfM;: •α-sier,; 1 but;.te[mate:: their;;:,wages _.:/r' I leifOT'«j'f-i ■''.'■' ';.■;';: ■/..".'..'',"■':.■. ,■"/ i ■ ',;,'■', /': ■ ■ ■.' .- ''"'. . ■■ ' ;■ :v: ■•■-:; of the' audience ;. -.:appeared-, ahxi»us;;tq :ely, questions more oi ;;V. : :les3.v-releTant, : :.Dr. Findlaj-, v tt; a later stage, : - ;. rep>Ated that,:.he<waei qwtb preparad'to giro '..'.'■ jlexflahatious; on./poinfe connected j4->'iw';jW-,pmhioi)sVhe;;had!'"eipreßßed| , . , l)rit'".ho; :■::..;;did;- tiot-wieh ; t6/give any' repne'a which.lyonld .•-' : 'comolifc'the, Qoveriimcnt'to in'y riewa or uri- ■: dwtiikihgs , .;;- -'He 'further declared 'Vthat he ..iwaS'flot.Eoiiiß.'to ..allow himself-to .be '.'used , ' ■"•■^.. ;^!V)<j, hicn':-;there' /had' been some : indicatione ■---.{-rßVjonoi.or iwb-mombers:of : the audierioo'' ■■■■ "• .•:;;:;'.;.l)pon"thQ"call of Mr. D.,M'tareni 'U.V., 5 : -hearty \ Vote .'of. thanks ;wae ".accorded'; Dr. w \ : : Fiiidlay, inspito of.the protestatione of Mr. ;; ;E;;H6gg/ : who at-iirst expressed a.determina- ;! .tion.;to reel .off-what'appeared' to.jbo a series .■■''. of '."questions, : . but;-subßeque'nt!y suKsided..:'- :,