COST OF LIVING

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 38, 15 February 1933, Page 11

COST OF LIVING

THE WORKER'S BURDEN

ANOTHER PROTEST MEETING

NEW LEGISLATION

ATTACKED

Tho concert chamber of the King • George Theatre, Lower Hutt, was much too small to accommodate those who ( attended a protest meeting organised by the relief workers and held' last ■ evening. The gathering was by no means confined to relief workers, but . was attended by citizens from all. walks • in life. ■ : The chairman, Mr. H. Fairclough, ex- [ pressed his satisfaction with the representative attendance, and said he would . be still more pleased if it was the fore- ] runner of'many similar meetings in New ] Zealand, which would .show that, the '■ people generally were;prepared, to take ; a more, active part in the removal of ; the/burdens placed on the "backs of the . people by the Coalition. Government. '■ Mr. Fairclough referred to tho protest from .the Gracefield and Wainui hill ] workers against the latest reduction of two.hours in relief pay. - Mr. A.: M, Laird moved the follow- ' ing resolution: — "That this"meeting of Lower Hutt j citizens emphatically protests against the imposition or a sale, tax, and''in- , creased exchange rate, which increases the cost of living, and further re- ; duces the real wages' of the workers ! to such an extent that the future of ' the people of New Zealand must be one of .increasing despair and destitu- ; tion. It further strongly protests against the hollow hypocrisy of the . Goyernnient which legislates in the . special interests of the wealthy farm- ■ ers, but which refuses to recognise the ' destitute relief workers' special claim for exemption from the payment of the [ unemployment levy.. . ' "This meeting wishes to place on . record its determined opposition to the '. shallow manner in which the Government carries on public administration in the interests of- on. class as follows:—(1) In the name of good business to: conserve the' unemployment funds, it cuts the relief workers' starvation wages, and yet at the same time to provide , a special bounty to the ■ large farmers and financial interests connected therewith, the Government is prepared to create a deficit of £5,000,000 in its Budget. (2)' It spends money to increase its markets abroad, and yet, by reducing wages, destroys the home market, and creates general economic insecurity. (3) It spends money to ob- . tain the Ottawa Agreement, and yet, at the dictates' of the wealthy farming interests, breaks that agreement. ' "This meeting unhesitatingly protests against such class legislation, and . calls "upon the Government to repeal the foregoing legislation, also the Unemployment Act, and to organise the resources 'of New Zealand to provide work or maintenance for all, at full trade union rates of pay." INCREASED EXPENSES Looking at the matter from tho viewpoint of organised working .lasses, said Mr. Laird, the latest taxation—the higher rate of exchange and the sales tax—could have no other effect than to raise the cost of living for the working man. Only men in receipt of relief pay could fully appreciate the hopeless position of, those who had to pay these1 taxes out of pay which was being steadily reduced. The slogan of Messrs^Forbes and Coates was "no levy, no work." How could men pay the levy undCr- the circumstances? . Busi- : ness men faced with a reduced turn- ' over J were beingworried from morning ; to night, and the hard-working farriier, ; and the professional man were also ; feeling the strain. The difference' was '■ only one of degree, and the great major- : ity of the people in New Zealand were facing penury and want. The effect of conditions was being reflected on the rising generation in malnutrition. -To find a remedy men and women would have to get away from the old individualistic position: and face the problem in a collective manner. The cause of the trouble lay in profit-making capitalism and only by introducing the social system could a remedy be found. ME. NASH'S ENDORSEMENT, Mr. W. Nash, M.P., seconded the resolution and said he could heartily endorse every word of the previous speaker, and would like the people to find the shortest road to the goal Mr. Laird had shown, them. Mr. Nash outlined the attitude taken by the Labour Party to the "raising of the exchange rate, and said, it was all humbug to say that the raising of the rate would not raise the cost of living. It was clear and definite that all imported and locally-manufactured articles would ; have an added cost of 15 per cent. The exchange was. paid in New Zealand by New Zealanders, and was paid fcy'the : rest of the community to the farmers ■ through the banks. The working farmer . would, not benefit, as the benefit would be taken by the holder of the mortgage. The people who would benefit were the wealthy farmers. Mr. Nash quoted figures to show how sheep- ' farmers m receipt of many thousands1 a year would have their incomes increased by 15 per cent. Was it right that the relief worker, out of his miserable pittance should, through the extra , cost of his butter and his clothes ,in- . crease the income of men already , wealthy? . ' The banks would benefit, said Mr Nash. On January 19 the New Zea- , land banks had £10,000,000 in London; : ZlSr*?™ immediately increased to , £12,500,000 by the raising of the ex- , change rate. Further, the banks were . ? O,T Proposing to send Home £4,000,000 ; m gold, and the result of going off the gold standard and the raising of the , exchange made this in New Zealand cur- '■ M n7 78„ I** mor6 valuable, so . that each £100 sent to London would .be worth in New Zealand £178 , The whole action of the Government i was a plain, unadulterated political . move, said Mr. Nash, and if ever a ; Government was discredited it was the , present ■ Government. (Prolonged ap- . planse.) It was a move to set town - against-country. The difficulty would >be to persuade tho farmer that the move , would, in the long run, be against his . best .interests, and it would be very . difficult to persuade a farmer to vote , for a man who proposed to take off the £25 extra the farmer was getting from , the rest of the community, . The sales tax was another load on , the great mass of the people, and was I a distinct breach, of the Ottawa Agr'eot ment. Mr. Nash pointed out that the . whole of the unemployment funds came , from the workers, there being now no subsidy from the Consolidated Fund. THE MAYOR IN SUPPORT. Mr. W. T. Strand, Mayor of Lower Hutt, said the chairman had been some- " what unfair in saying that his (Mr. ' Strand's) views were diametrically opposed to those of the other speakers. r Had they been so he would not have > been speakinjg from the platform. It 1 was because he considered that an in-, ' justico had been done that ho was there to join in the protest. Daily he had to witness harrowing scenes similar, to 1 those outlined by Mr. Nash, and for " that reason he was present to protest 3 against cuts in the pay of relief workj cis. On the previous day he had been r informed that no further cuts would ' be made at least until March 31, and j now a further -cut of two hours had s been made. He had spent tho whole day trying to get the cut abolished^

but, he regretted, without success. He wished; to say without fear of contradiction that a Government which:could give tho banks an indemnity could find the wherewithal for men and women to live reasonably. -He was satisfied that what was being received was not sufficient to keep body and soul together. Everyone had the right to sufficient food, clothing, and slielter. (Applause.) There were thirty empty Government houses on which the rent was 22s 6d por week, and he had tried, unsuccessfully, to-get these at a rental of lis 6d per week. "I.am," he said, "prepared to go to any reasonable length to; see that everyone gets sufficient to live'upon,- and you can count on my help and support at all times." Mr. A. E.- Sergent said tho cause of the trouble was not inflated land values, but the private ownership of land, and quoted Honry George. Matters would not-Jie remedied until tho people were prepared to adopt the ■communal system in -its "entirety. Charity was no remedy-for a soeia.l-:eyil. It was merely a bribe. ■ - Mr. J. Young, a business man, made it clear that he did not look on the question from the^angle of the ordinary business man, but as one Who found the remedy,in Socialism." The Labour Party was not going far enough. What was needed was not a national,: but an international outlook. ■ . - Mr. G.: Watt commended the attitude of the last, speaker. Quoting from, an "Evening-Post ""report, Mr.' Watt.contended, that it -showed that a majority of the Lower Hutt Councillors were in favour of trade union rates of pay; the giving, of sustenance, and the refusal to allow tradesmen to work ' at their trades_ at relief rates of pay. Reforms, he said, were no - good. What was needed was. the destruction of the present system, for which workers must organise. After some further discussion; the resolution was put, and was carried without dissent. The speakers and the chairman were deputed by the meeting to bring the resolution personally before the Prime Minister. ' Subsequently it was decided, on the suggestion of Mr. Nash, ,to -protest against the law which tnakes it impossible for a relief worker to become a, member, of the, local body iri whoso distridt he is working. -