SOUND FINANCIALLY

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 92, 20 April 1931, Page 9

SOUND FINANCIALLY

CONDITIONS IN AFRICA

UNEMPLOYMENT QUESTION

A view tli;il. South Africa is more sound financially than siny other Dominion was expressed by Mr. E. J. Seholtz, 0.8.X, chief clerk in tho Department of Labour, Pretoria, who; .'irrivcd in Wellington this morning by the Makura from Sydney. Mr. t Seholtz told a "Tost" representative that, compared with Australia, conditions throughout the whole of Africa seemed to'bc satisfactory. "When loans were required no difficulty was experienced in raising them. One of the reasons for this was that the country did not have all its eggs in one. .basket. Besides agriculture aud other industries, Africa, was very rick in mineral deposits, and the discover}' quite recently of a rich diamond field had helped to put the country in a sound position. UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF. Speaking on the unemployment question, Mr. Seholtz said just after the war things were booming in South Africa. In 1920, however, the depression set in, and the peak of uuemploy : j ment was reached. Tho.country had no such thing as "unemployment insurance or the dole, and with a view to granting relief men. were put. on to Government works, irrigation works, ; railway and road construction, ■ and afforestation works.. Tho system of piiy was based on. piecework lines, so that ii man only earned what Uc^ was j capable of earning. A committee of heads of tho Departments of Stato.sal; under the Minister of Labour, and they determined what should be granted in tho'way of relief. The Central Government dealt with this, and the Provincial Governments with pauper relief. . "Agriculturally we are fairly badly hit,"'said Mr. Schoitz. "At the present time the Government is doing all it can to put tho industry on. a sound footing by assisting farmers all over South Africa by means, of loans.' This is done by allowing farmers advances on. the security of their farms, thus giving them,some sort of financial support wlion prices. are low." '. Mr. Seholtz is at present on a world's tour, and intends visiting China, Japan, England, and America before returning to South Africa*