RELIEF PAY RATES

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 124, 28 May 1928, Page 10

RELIEF PAY RATES

LABOUR MEETING'S PROTEST [ "ECONOMIC'ABSURDITY" A meeting of citizens called by Labour leaders as a protest against the inadequacy of the arrangements made by the Government to deal with the unemployment question, and against the relief rates of. pay. „was held in the Queen's Theatre last night, Mr. A. Cook (secretary of the New Zealand Workers' Union) presiding. The position, said the chairman, • was worse than last winter, and the Prime Minister's statement that the country had rounded the corner was not borne out by the thousands out of work. Those who had been placed were working at rates of pay insufficient to provide necessaries.' The policy of the Government was evidently to have as many men unemployed as possible, in order to be able to engage them at starvation rates ojff pay! Unemployment, said Mr. J. Roberts (secretary of the New Zealand Alliance of. Labour) was an economic and political absurd?' in a country like New Zealand, . .\: there should be work for all.' ...i: trouble was that the, Government had never attempted to organise . employment for working It was untrue* to say that the Labour Party was against immigration, but firsf the country should absorb "those out of work. Criticising -the rates of 9s and 12s a'day, Mr. Roberts said that the great majority of the unemployed were capable of doing a good day's work, and earning union rates. The Government's action was simply a lever to reduce all wages. A general awakening of the public conscience in regard to unemployment, especially of young men, was urged by Mr. W. Bromley (secretary of the Wellington District Council of the Alliance of Labour), who moved: "That this meeting of Wellington citizens deploies the, inaction of the Government and the City-Council in regard to the unemployment problem. The meeting considers that the Government and the City Council should have made Detter arrangements to meet the situation, as it was patent to all that tho winter would again iind.a large number-of men and women out of employment. We' call upon, the Government and the City Council to immediately put in hand works sufficient to absorb the men now out of work. This meeting protests against tho action of the Government / in paying dole rates of wages, of (Js 'and 12s a day. This policy is contrary to British customs and British justice. Every labourer is worthy of his hire. 'We demand trade, union . rates of wages." Mr. R. Semple sai^l that tho Government had aggravated the position by flooding the country with pcoplo without putting the position right here first. Mr. P. Fraser, M.P., protested against the apathy of the Government and the City Council. Tho resolution was carried.