CANADA'S PROBLEMS

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 10, 13 January 1933, Page 13

CANADA'S PROBLEMS

STATESMEN TO MEET

COST OF UNEMPLOYMENT

Before the Canadian Parliament''resumes its deliberations theic will be' held in Ottawa a conference of the nine Piovinccs with the Federal Government on a number of matters of mutual con:ern. Taking a foremost place on the agenda is the subject of unemploymeiit insurance. Prime Minister Bennett,, who has been taking a brief v vacation in England, will preside, and it is expected most of the Provincial Premiers will be present. Those not there will be represented by Cabinet Ministers, since tho gathering will hare before it business of the first importance, says the "New York Times." Mr. Bennett has announced very firmly on several occasions that ( he will be a party to no plan of unemployment insurance which would fall entirely upon the Dominion Treasury. JTe takes, the position that the relief o| unemployment under all normal 'circumstances is a matter of provincial .legislation; . that without^ consent,.of the! Provinces the fiomiijioa coulft not im-1 pose upon them any snch social insur-' ance plan. Therefore it may be taken for-granted' that "if a definite scheme conies out'of the conference it will provide for creation of an insurance I plan upon a:sound actuarial basis, with contributions-toward its cost from em-1 ployers and employed, as well as fiom I Provincial and Federal Governments. The problem of relief continues to engage much anxious time of the Federal authorities and a considerable share of its revenue. Mr. Bennett and bis colleagues have had this question on their hands since taking office in the summer, of 1930, arid while: there have been slight signs of improvement of late, the situation of a large number of Canadians suffering from the depresBion continues to give them grave concern. Thus in August 162,135 heads of families and 841,931 persons were reseiving relief, and; in September, the latest month for which complete information is available, the numbers had fallen to 158,171 and 803,592. THE DOLE CHEAPER. In the early days of: the-depression relief was extended' thrbujgh s/tfie-; ci-e----ation of work. : ; This ■ Was 'fbj^a^tb' .'be an expensive proposition, and ■ now direct relief has been substituted as more /economical: in -t,he long rjujw' The Federal' Government. does! not' ' deal Directly with the unemployed, nor tfoes it deal with, municipalities. It works in cooperation ; with' the Provincial Government in the matter, and the in turn co-operate with the .(municipal authorities, the three partids sharing the.cost. In the past.,two years the Dominion Treasury has paid out move than 100,000,000 dollars for relief in Jiie form or another, and this wintor ivill add a largo sum to the total. The promise that no Canadian need suffer hardship is being made good, but the ;ost to the people in heavy. Mr. Bennett will lay before the Provincial Conference tho desirability of creating a uniform Companies Act for the Dominion, for ths protection of >apital and investors. The administration'of insurance, as between Federal nid Provincial jurisdiction, is another question to bo discussed, and a proposal hat Provincial licence fees on commer;ial motor-vehicles should be imposed >n a uniform scale also may come up. There is to be considered also what Mr. Bennett has called "a problem of great seriousness" in the division )f the field of taxation, particularly in;onie tax. ■