NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 262, 1 August 1929, Page 8

NOTES OF THE DAY

The present Government party during the election had a good deal to say by way of protest against State interference with private enterprise. Yet it has renewed the Rent Restriction Bill. The Leader of the Opposition declared that the Bill was unsound in principle, but did not oppose it, and the Bill passed all stages in one sitting.' According to reports the housing problem is no longer acute. In many centres are empty houses. Rents arc coming down. There is, therefore, no need for the Bill, for the law of supply and demand is settling the arguments between landlords and tenants. If that were not so ,much more would probably have been heard in protest of its continuance. In actual effect, on those it is supposed to benefit, the Bill is little more than a sentimental gesture. That an important economic principle was thereby negatived did not seem to matter. Very little seems to matter just now in Parliament.

Rumours of a new political organisation are confirmed to-day by .an announcement of the birth of the New Zealand Political Association. It is not, however, a party organisation as has been suggested, but is designed to uphold certain broad principles, chiefly of an anti-Socialistic' nature, and to promote the candidature for Parliament “of persons who are best qualified to represent the public.” There are a great many people not strong adherents of any political party who will welcome an organisation which is capable of inducing men of high character and special qualifications to come forward and offer their services. Too often the range of selection by party organisations is restricted by circumstances which lead to undue weight being attached to past party services. . If the new body can assist to raise the general standard of candidates offering themselves it will render a valuable public service. Men capable of rendering useful service in public life frequently are discouraged from coming forward thrqugh lack of organised support. The names associated with the new political body suggest that it is likely to develop into an active force.

In the Legislative Council yesterday the charge, was made that men engaged on unemployed relief works were, in some cases, practising “go-slow” methods, the idea being to make the work spin out. An instance that was quoted was the re-levelling of Sydney Street to provide better road and tramway access on the through route to Karori via Tinakori Road. Whether the work is costing as much as was alleged no doubt can be tested, and certainly should be inquired into by the City authorities. There can be no doubt, however, that the emergency works put in hand to provide work for the unemployed are almost invariably uneconomic. Many of the workers engaged thereon are not skilled in the class of work s and the general average cannot be high. The claim made by the Attorney-General that on the majority of the relief works carried out by the Government the co-operative contract system is in practice affords no guarantee of an adequate return for the money expended. Payment may be by results, but the scale is fixed to enable the men employed to earn a standard wage, and not with a full regard to the value of the work actually done. Moreover, as was pointed out during the discussion on the subject by paying standard wages instead of the relief scale rate, men in the country have been attracted from their ordinary occupations to the ranks of the “unemployed ’ on relief .works. We are going the right way to have a permanent body of unemployed engaged on uneconomic relief works. It must have a demoralising effect as well as adding to the burdens of citizens generally.