A SUGGESTED SCHEME

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 74, 28 March 1930, Page 10

A SUGGESTED SCHEME

(By "Employed."')

Many suggestions have been forthcoming for the cure or amelioration of unemployment, but I have not heard of one that is based on the principle of the Lord helping .him who helps himself. It has been suggested that reduction of wages to the point of lowering the cost of production of New Zealand-made goods sufficiently to make them competitive with the imported articles will absorb more labour and reduce unemployment. This is certainly the case, but any such scheme even in the most modified form is rejected by the "Labour bosses," who will listen to nothing that does not embrace higher wages and easier terms for the workers, and who tie the hands of the local manufacturers with unionist restrictions. If the union leaders could be made to see eye to eye with the employers' representatives in regard to this question of unemployment a great deal could be done towards solving it, and I believe a scheme somewhat on the following lines might materially assist towards this end: — 1. That any man unemployed and unable to obtain woi'k ■ should apply to the office of the union of his particular trade. 2. That each union office should be reorganised sufficiently to enable steps to be taken to assist every applicant in finding work. 3. Should it not be possible to find work for an applicant, that the union office concerned provide this applicant with a certificate to this effect and this to be presented at the Government unemployment office.4. That it be the duty of the Government unemployment office to keep in close touch with all public bodies with a view to advising as to what unemployment relief works could be done with best advantage to the particular district concerned. 5. That the Government unemployment office should arrange to absorb as many as possible in these relief works, payment to be made on a scale to be decided upon, but on a lower basis than obtains under usual union rates. 0. That while the Government unemployment office were unable to arrange work for applicants, it should pay to them "relief payments" weekly on a scale to be decided upon, but on a lower basis than the "relief wages" paid to those on relief works. 7. That the cost of "unemployment funds be borne as follows: —(a) City corporations provide l-32nd of total; Government from Consolidated Fund 16-32 nd of total; labour unions 15-32 nd of total. Assuming the yearly fund required were' £800,000, the cities- would pay £25,000, Government £400,000, and unions £375,000. (b) The cost of the necessary number of Government unemployment offices to be borne by the Government, and the upkeep of the union offices to be borne by the unions. (c) The taxpayers jndirectly provide the quotas to be paid by the cities and the Government, and the workers will provide the unions' quota* by paying a small percentage of their weekly earnings to their respective unions. (d) Thus all classes of the community would help towards the unemployment fund. The wage earner pays his small quota as a form of insurance against unemployment. It would be in its own interests that each union endeavoured to keep its members employed, since it would be called upon to contribute its quota towards all of its members who were unemployed and received the relief payments through the Government unemployment office. Thus if the labour unions had a bond of sympathy with the employers and public generally in so far as using their endeavours to keep down unemployment, beneficial results would follow.