THE UNEMPLOYMENT MUDDLE

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 207, 30 May 1938, Page 8

THE UNEMPLOYMENT MUDDLE

If the Government is to be believed then New Zealand has never enjoyed such prosperity as is being experienced at the present time. Yet month after month the Minister of Employment comes forwatd with his statistics showing that there are ’still thousands of people m New Zealand without work. It is true that Mr. Armstrong usually has some plausible excuse; and he quotes figures comparing condition.) in the period with those of to-day. But the unpleasant fact remains that the great majority of those who have been found work by the present Government have been taken into temporary Government employment, a large proportion being engaged on uneconomic undertakings. That this should be necessary in prosperous times shows beyond question that the policy being pursued is merely a makeshift one and is not proving of any value as indicating any movement toward a permanent alleviation of the unemployment problem. .... A/striking proof of this is being afforded in Auckland city at the present time. Even while Mr. Armstrong last week was proclaiming the achievements of his party in dealing with unemployment, hundreds of young men in the northern city were clamouring for work. This is not a matter open to argument. The Government placement officer in Auckland stated on Wednesday last that there were, then 700 unemployed single men in Auckland city and that the total ’ was increasing daily. These men are not of the unemployable type, According to the placement officer there were 111 new enrolments in the past week and 81 of these were under 35 years of age ami capable of labouring work. In addition to the 700 single men there were 469 married men on the roll, and the total number of new enrolments is climbing up at the rate of 25 a day. This apart fiom reenrolments. Quite candidly the placement officer states that he cannot find jobs for these men, either private or Government. The men want to work, they have stated so publicly, but they are told they will have to be content with their sustenance payments. The Minister presumably will state, as he has on occasion already done, that this position is due to the fluctuations of seasonal employment. No doubt this has something to do with the unfortunate situation disclosed. But seasonal fluctuations in employment occur every year. The Government knows this, and if its plans were soundly based it would have prepared in advance for what was bound to happen. If it cannot provide safeguards against the known contingencies such as the seasonal employment of certain groups of workers, what hope is there of it being able to provide against the uncertain and greater problems.arising out of a depression period? That really goes to'the heart of the whole matter, lhe Government is just muddling along spending huge sums of public money to make temporary jobs in prosperous times, and apparently is quite unable to develop any constructive plans likely to lead to more men being absorbed in productive and permanent forms of industry. If in good times it is necessary to provide .for an expenditure of over £17,000.000 on public works’ undertakings of one kind or another, and to collect over £5,000.000 a year in unemployment taxation, what will it require, under administration of the present kind, in a period of bad times? ’ It is obvious that the methods being pursued arc piling up the country’s debt and making a heavy drain on the pockets of ail classes without the slightest hope of any lasting betterment.