POLICY CRITICISED

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 68, 21 March 1931, Page 10

POLICY CRITICISED

DEMORALISING THE

WORKERS

Speaking iv the Address-in-Eeply debate, in tho Legislative Council yesterday, the Hon. W. Earnshaw said that during the last three or four years there had been au organised campaign on tho part of the chambers of.commerce and manufacturers in favour of reduced wages. The position of the country to-day was appalling, and it was going to grow worse. To-day they hud 30,000 unemployed, but before the winter was over they would have 50,----000. If tho Government went on the way it was going it would not only fail to solve the problems with which it was faced, but would demoralise the workers. The Government's programme would 1 i to class differences, for necessity knew no law. Dealing with the proposed cuts, Mr. JEarnshaw said that a better way of dealing with tho position would be to place a tax on wages, as had been suggested by tho Civil servants themselves. A crushing burden was being imposed on the worker, and if the Government landed itself into serious trouble it would have itself to blame. Tho speaker warmly criticised the work of tho Unemployment Board, and said nil it had done was to bring down ;t variety of schemes, probably with the aid of a wet rag about the members' heads. Tho Unemployment Board was not helping the men at all j it was simply demoralising them. Nothing but disaster could come from such a policy.