NEED OF PLAIN WORDS

Evening Post, Volume XC, Issue 38, 13 August 1915, Page 6

NEED OF PLAIN WORDS

— <m One strong element in the Hon. W. Fraser's character is his firmness and frankness, which political opponents have admired. There is nothing of humbug, nothing of plausible, delusive, nor sauve evasive promise in his composition. The Minister of Public Works likes to face facts, and he exerts himself to induce the public to take a. similar view. It is well known that a programme of works, beyond New 2p«land's need ia tiicee timaj, haj been

maintained to protect marned men against the hardships and misery of unemployment. As the Minister remarked yesterday, some of these operations have been in the nature of relief works —yet Mr. Fraser has been asked for an increase on the present daily wage of 9s. He gave a kindly hearing to the speakers, but declared, as it was his duty to do, that "he could hold out no hope that the request would be granted." The Minister hinted, unmistakably, that the scale of public -works would have to be restricted in the near future, and thus labour would be released for the primary industries, which will need a large number of hands, at good wages, according to Mr. Fraser's anticipation. New Zealand has for every able man some work which can be beneficial to the community as a whole as well as to the individual. Any "relief work" must be of a kind to fit into the national plan of war-winning. The promised register will help, of course, to ensure a maximum useful employment of ,©very available worker. One necessary result of this marshalling of the national resources will be an extensive system of labour exchanges. This need was memorably revealed during the depression a few years ago, and the Labour Minister of that time promised an improvement. Five or six years have gone by, another crisis — the most serious of all — has come in the affairs of New Zealand and the Empire, and the same old situation is visible. A year of the war has gone, and New Zealand has still a, peculiar medley of State and private labour exchanges. The glaring defects of the present scheme, notorious for its haphazardness, has caused much waste of good man-power, to the detriment of sturdy workers and the general public. Here is scope for statesmanship ; how many more reminders will have to be given? Reverting to the deputation, the Minister is supported by the fact that the prices of certain necessaries are* falling. The spending power of tho general public seems to be as strong as ever. The totalisator figures are still above the peace records, and the various places of amusement are said to be doing good business.