PROVIDING WORK

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 81, 6 April 1933, Page 6

PROVIDING WORK

BIG KOADING PLAN

FINANCED BY LOAN

MR. MCGOWAN'S PROPOSAL

Concern is expressed by.Mr. D. J. •McGowan .regarding the."unemployed. In a statement to "The Post,.", Mr. McGowan said that he had given v good deal of thought to the position within New Zealand and was quite convinced that the first and most important thing to do was to get.the 70,000 unemployed men back into useful and constructive work. "Nature has been kinder 10 this country in the last season than formally years. AYe have produced moro wheat, butter, and other products than usual and yet we have 70,000 men and their dependants, who are not in a position to pay rent.and live decently. To do this quickly means the immediate liberation1 of capital, and he suggests that a very comprehensive roading scheme could be carried out and iinanbed with the present unemployment funds in the following manner."

New Zealand workers were now contributing about -£3,600,000 anually, most of which was being "doled out" to men for doing work which is of no practical use to the country*. A loan of, say, £10,000,000 could bo raised (at a very low rate of interest) on the security of the unemployment funds, and a system of permanent concrete- roading bo put into opera-tion at once and the unemployed be given five days' work per -wepk at 12s per day instead of the two and tllreo days as'at pressent. This would mean that.the cement works now elosed<down would all open up and bo busy again, metal from quarries and ■shingle from river beds would be required; the railways, coastal shipping, and other forms of transport, would bo called into service; more clothing, food and all the necessaries of life would bo purchased, and the good effect of this distribution of money would soon bo apparent. 80-payment of this loan could be- dono out of the Unemployment Fund. He ventured to say that tho £10,000,000 could be repaid at a million a year, plus interest. "Good roads are still badly, needed all over New Zealand," continued Mr. McGowan, "and I do not care where tihey are built so long as wo find work for these- men, the'largo majority of Whom are out of work through no fault of their own and arc anxious and willing to bo doing something useful.. It will bo obvious to all what such a plan, when, put into operation, would mean. All forms of .trade and local industries would be able to put back some of the hands they, have had to puf off, more money would bo in circulation, local consumption of butter, cheese, and moat ivould appreciably increase, and conditions generally would improve. '.'I have only spoken of road making; but there is no reason why other constructive schemes should not be introduced. Finally, the great point to my mind is that you ■ find tho money at once and repay it out of the contributions to bo collected for tho fund for the unemployed,.''