IDLE HANDS

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 57, 5 September 1934, Page 4

IDLE HANDS

MOTOR-CAR THEFTS

EFFECT OF STEADY WORK

The unemployment situation among young people whs the cause assigned l'cir I ho iiicieiise in the I heft.s of motor-i-iir.-i I.v Mr. F. Jones (Labour, Dui'ieiiin .Smith) in the House of Representatives ;;ist night.

Mr. Jones said that the Government had quoted ligures showing that the, i-ust of living had not risen as the result of the raising of the exchange, but had the exchange rate not been raised the cost of Hying would have f.'tllen to 11 greater extent. Tin; ex-

cluuige hud not benefited the farmer who was in debt, as (lie, extra money he collected was taken over by the banks and stock and station agents. It had been stilted that, there, was plenty of labour offering on farms, and that there was an inadequate, response, but ho would like to see what were the conditions nuclei1 which the labour was offering before making any comment. There had been an agitation to in ; crease the pennlty for thefts of motor- , cars, arid he was willing that the punI ishment for nny crime should fit the case, but there was another aspect of | the question. No provision was being , made for the young people who had time on their h.-uids. Some of them got into trouble which they would have avoided had th.sy had steady work. The number of motor-car thefts had increased during'tho last few years, and the cause had Ijeen the enforced idleness of a largo number of young men. The Government had a responsibility in the matter, which could not lie avoided.