EMPLOYMENT FIGURES

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 253, 22 July 1938, Page 6

EMPLOYMENT FIGURES

Misrepresentation Alleged By Mr. Hamilton

MINISTERS’ STATEMENTS “In view of the fact that I have on numerous occasions directed the attention of the Government to these misstatements of the true position .find it difficult to escape the thought that the wrong figures are knowingly given, said the Leader of the Opposition, ll°nA. Hamilton, criticising the unemployment figures annbunced by the Government from time to time, in opening the Budget debate last night. Mr. Hamilton said that he had once more to direct attention to a gross misrepresentation of easily ascertainable facts in connection with the uneniiployment figures. 2 . “In my recent broadcast from \Vtllington,” said Mr. Hamilton, “I drew the Prime Minister’s attention to the fact that he had stated that in March, 1936, there were 54,500 registered unemployed in New Zealand, whereas the 1938 official year book clearly shows the number at 32,019.. Neither the Minister of Finance in his broadcast from the Hutt, nor the Minister of Education in his broadcast from Dunedin, thought fit to make the correction. Both preferred to permit a gross misstatement of ascertainable facts to remain uncorrected merely for the purpose of gaining an assumed party advantage. In view of what I have said one would have thought that much care would have been exercised to ensure that correct figures were used.” The Budget, said Mr. Hamilton, stated that in the depths of the depression the number of registered unemployed rose as high as 79,500, and that to-dav the number had been reduced to 8300, plus 8000 unfit men who were also receiving assistance. The 1938 Year Book would show that at no time did the registered unemployed reach 79,500. The number given by tlie Minister on Wednesday evening presumably referred to September. 1933, when 79,435 men received assistance in some form or other from the Unemployment Fun, but of that number no less than 30,391 were in full-time employment in industry, and the Year Book pointed out that these 30.000 men were not registered as unemployed.

“Misrepresentation Repeated.” “These figures are not. hard to quote correctly,” said Mr. Hamilton. ‘ I regret that this is by no means the first time that responsible Ministers have chosen to give entirely wrong and misleading figures. A misrepresentation is repeated in the Budget where the Minister of Finance states that when the Government took office there were no less than 57,000 registered Un.employed’iuen in the Dominion. That statement is quite contrary to fact. The Minister has chosen, in order to make his Government’s administration look better than it really is, to include in his figures 21,267 men who wbre in full-time employment in industry and were not registered as unemployed. The actual number of registered unemployed in New Zealand on November 23, 1935, was 35,979, and not 57,000, as stated so emphatically by the Minister of Finance in the Budget.”

At this point Mr. Speaker. Hon. W. E. Barnard, intervened to ask whether, the Leader of the Opposition were making an accusation of deliberate misrepresentation. Such an accusation should not be made in the House.” Mr. Hamilton denied that he was questioning the Minister’s actions personally.

“If the Opposition were the Government, during these prosperous times.” Mr. Hamilton conchi'ded, “it would have been safe to say that the unemployment problem would have disappeared by the men v being absorbed naturally into both primary and secondary industries.”

MR. SAVAGE’S REPLY

Year Book Figure Quoted

The suggestion that Mr. Hamilton had quoted the figures that he found convenient in support of his contentions was made by the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, who followed Mr. Hamilton In the debate. “The Leader of the Opposition quoted from the Year Book, and very conveniently selected page 804,” said Mr. Savage. “I would draw bis attention to page 802, which says that on October 28, 1933, the number of unemployed males was 79,587.” Mr. Hamilton: Registered? Mr. Savage: It does not say. It says thev were unemployed. Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates (Opposition, Kaipara) : What about page 801?

“It says on page 802 that the number of 79,587 given excludes all applicants from whom the department bad not bear'd for 14 days,’’ Mr. Savage said. “Those figures are gradually dropping, right up to the present. I will leave it to the Minister of Labour to reply, to the'rest of the argument of the leader of the Opposition.”