NO TEMPORARY PAHSE

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 75, 29 March 1930, Page 13

NO TEMPORARY PAHSE

UNEMPLOYED PROBLEM

EFFECTING A CURE

The Conviction that 'jinemploynfont was by no means a temporary phase and that improv.cd means' of dealing with tho problerij were necessary was oxpressed by tho'secretary of the New Zealand Employers' Association (Mr. T. O. Bishop) iii ,nn address at the annual meeiing of the Waiiganui Em-yldj-cxs' Association.

Mr. Bishop said that no Government, in the world had yefc shown itself capable of solving tho unemployment problem, and tho matter was certainly one that should not be made thp subject of party politics. That was the h'rst reason behind tho fecommendation of tho Unemployment Committee for the establishment of a board. The sccoitd leason was that in the past there had been no correlation between the various Grganisations Which had been making temporary provision for unemployment relief. Outlining other recommendations' made by the committee, Mr. Bishop said the committee ha 3 decided to endeavour td spread the incidence of the taxation necessary to provide funds' for the Unemployment Board as widely as possible over the whole of tho population so that every one would have to bear som« share of the cost. The committee, in fact, had iii mind not 6nly tfie raising of funds, but also the creation of a public conscience. Thore would bo no increase in taxatibii, as bad been suggested in somo quarters, but .the unemployment I levy would be spread more evenly over | the whole oi Society: Mr. Bishop out--1 lined the main functions of the board, ■*nd went on to say that the success, or 'ithciwise, of the proposals, when they ifCre carried into effect, %vou)Q depdnd very largely on tho members 6f the board and theiT 'executive officers. Mislakes would undoubtedly be made' becauso mistakes wero inseparable; from any human activity, but it wds their firm cdnvitftidh that if tho whole problem of unemployment wero studied Idgically and Constantly by a non-poli tical body of capable men better results would be obtained than ,by a casual, irregular attack upon the1 problem by, successive political parties. Referring | to the alternative1 proposal for uiiem- ] ploymciit insurance" dpp'roved at the recent conference oi' municipal bodies at luvercargili, Mr. BisHojj said the weakness of . hat' jMpdsal U-as thai industry would bear the whole burden. A tax on industry would defeat-Us own cuds Uy preventing the" ilivcstincht of capital Hi industry or by iintlosiJig additional costs that struggling iridus tries ebuld not meet. There were

safcguaids against the abuse of relief funds. Beforo any Unemployed worker could securd any benefit he woHld have to register at a labour «jcehangc or at the nearest Post Office. The applicant would have to aceepi any suitable employment offered by tho labour exchange, and if ho refused he would be entitled to no benefits.

' Mr. Bishop discounted the suggestion that any payment made to an Unemployed worker- woiild amount to a ''dole." If a man insured his house against lire of himself against sickness he did uot call it a "dole" wheii he drew a payment from the insurance company) and it Was not right' to doseribe aa a "dole" a sustenance payment to an unemployed worker DiadC* out of a specially established fund to which the worker himself is aaked to contribute substantially. To him, and to his colleagues' ori tha committee, ifc had been obvious tliat the mere payment of charitable aid and •he mere finding of Work of .a non-pro-ductivo character for the increasing numbers of unemployed Was a pallidtivr> only, containing none of tho elements necessary to effect a cure. Now, ill place of that method, tlie1 c'ohimittee had advanced a scheme whiiill did contain in itself elements of a cure.