A PRESSING PROBLEM

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 2, 2 July 1929, Page 8

A PRESSING PROBLEM

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—With reference to the pressing problem —the- solution of unemployment—no doubt our legislators are very earnest in their endeavours to solve the problem, and are doing their best by way of public works, etc.; but to my way of thinking all this is only a palliative—very necessary for urgent needs no doubt, but where does it lead us all? The railways, roads bridges, etc., will be Hnished some day, and still we will have our unemployed; there is no permanency about it. Take pouncil employment, for instance: the property owners are rated in order to get the money to carry on, and we find the landlords getting it back again by rents, so'that it is a matter of giving with one hand and taking it back with the other. Ihen we find the Government subsidising the council grant to the amount of thousands, and we go on, but when the funds are cut out what happens? We go over the same process again and.again without any material benefit to the workers, for they only exist whilst this is going on, and m a state of discontent all the time. Now, Sir, to get down to bedrock. Would it not'be'better to make an effort to settle the people on the land, where they would at least have enough to eat and to spare if we had proper land legislation? We blame immigration for the unemployment, fto doubt it is a contributing factor, but if the people who came here had been told the truth many of chem would never have come. I am afraid they are disillusioned now; a good many, of them anyway; they were told that there were tarms all ready waiting for them, when m reality the people of the country cannot get land, not because there is no land, but because it is held by a number who cannot or will not make the best use of To my way of thinking we want a Government which will get busy and break up big holdings and open up Crown lands, tor alter all is said and done, the land is the basis of our civilisation; furthermore, it is every man's and woman's birthright. Everyone who wants land should be able to get it, but not by paying exorbitant prices, but by perpetual leasehold, the State being the landlord at reasonable rentals, so that people could live and pay their way. In order to do this, we want money. Very true. What is wrong with a State bank? I venture to say if war broke out to-morrow there would be millions raised in a few hours to fight it; plenty of money available to till people, but nothing to save and promote happiness for the living. Let v* hope the present Government will do something practical in the way of land settlement and not talk about doing it—l am, etc. HOPEFUL.