UNEMPLOYMENT EVIL

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 51, 1 March 1930, Page 8

UNEMPLOYMENT EVIL

"REDUCE THE HOURS OF WORK"

(By Telegraph.)

(Special to "The Evening Post")

CimiSTCHUKCII, This Day.

That thero was absolutely no need for unemployment in New Zealand, and that the problem was one that could easily be solved by the Government if it wished to do so, were points stressed by Messrs. E. J. Howard, M.P., and H. T. Armstrong, M.P., who addressed a meeting of unemployed in the Trades Hall yesterday. The meeting, which was attended by about one hundred men, was presided over by Mr. J. S. Barnott.

It was stated by one of the men that there were at least COO men out of work in Christchurch.

"There's only one organisation that san tackle the problem, and that is the Government," said Mr. Howard' "You arc told that this problem exists in all countries, but the conditions in those countries are not the same. Sir Joseph" Ward'said in the House that he could clear the country of unemployment in five weeks. I sincerely think he meant it; he had a scheme. However, he became ill; we did not see any more of him in the House, and lie was unable to put his scheme into operation." Mr. Howard assorted that the scheme, was not stopped by Sir Joseph Ward himself, but by someone else. ,

Mr. Armstrong said that his party had dono everything possible to force the hands of the Government to do what it had promised to do, but it had done no more than "the other crowd." | Money had been spent on useless work that was not justified. A Government that did that should not be allowed to stay in power for five minutes.

"The remedy for unemployment is to reduce the hours of work," said Mr: Armstrong. "The increase in the army of parasites is mainly the cause of so much poverty 'in this country. What we have got to fight for is a better distribution of the goods produced, but when you sound that noto you are a dangerous agitator. We, are spending £1,000,000 every year on a comic opera Territorial system, and this sum would put all the unemployed in jobs. The Government could put on11000 men to-morrow if it wanted to."

At the conclusion of the meeting the speakers were thanked for their addresses.