UNEMPLOYMENT ACT

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 112, 8 November 1930, Page 10

UNEMPLOYMENT ACT

DTJNEDIN CRITICISM MINISTER IN REPLY A statement was made last night by the Minister of Labour (the Hon. S. G. Smith) in reference to criticism which has been levelled at him by the Otago Trades and Labour Council. "Seeing that the Otago Labour Council has published my reply to its letter o£ the 29th October, and in view of the unwarranted and untrue suggestions contained in the further remarks which the secretary has made," said Mr. Smith, "I think it only fair that I should quote some of the portions of the letter to which I took exception,_ and which in my opinion thoroughly justified my refusal to carry on a correspondence initiated in such a manner. In his letter of protest against the method of appointment of workers' representatives on the Unemployment Board Mr. Kobinson said: Evidently, in this case, you do not contemplate giving them a vote, but you intend rather to select from the list of noginees, irrespective of the membership "of the nominating union or unions, as. the ease may be, two men whom you think will best represent the Government party, but who, because they * have been nominated by industrial unions of workers, will be labelled as'"workers' ropresen tatives." The method of their appointment, the manner in which they may be removed if the Government finds them unsuitable, show that the Government intends to bring economic pressure to bear upon those persons to ensure that they, as members of the Unemployment Board, will not do or say anything of which the Government party would not approve. Hence, they will be representing not the workers ' but the Government party. As you have not even allowed sufficient time to enable all the unions to nominate persons for appointment, it is safe to assume that the nominating process is only a matter of form, and that to all intents and purposes the alleged workers' representatives are already appointed. "The letter concludes:— Unless you arc prepared to allow us a vote on the selection we shall be compelled to advise our affiliations not to compromise themselves by recognising the Unemployment Board in any way, not to lend themselves to the staging of a sham, and not to hope for anything from a board that pretended to be something it was not. "I purposely forwarded my reply to the president of the council, because I hesitated to think that either he or the workers generally would approve of such a tone being adopted in connection with the development of a scheme designed to be of incalculable benefit to the working classes, and I question whether, any member of the council other than Mr. Robinson was acquainted with the actual text of the letter to which I took exception. Parliament approved of the method of appointment to the Unemployment Board, and I as Minister must carry out the terms of the statute, and I intend to do so."