GOVERNMENT PLAN

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 76, 27 September 1945, Page 9

GOVERNMENT PLAN

POST-WAR EMPLOYMENT

DEBATE ON MAJOR BILL

"This.measure, together with other measures to come befpre the House, will ring- the death-knell of unemployment in this country," said the Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser), when opening the second reading* debate on the Employment Bill in the House of Representatives last evening. The Prime Minister made it clear that for a man who refused to accept a reasonable offer of work there would be nothing-, although, of course, his wife and children would be looked after. . '

The measure was described by Mr. Fraser as one of the" Government's major Bills; it was in fact one-half of the Government's post-war provision to deal with' unemployment The other part of the plan had been indicated in the Budget, which mentioned the proposal to increase the unemployment benefits payable under •the Social Security scheme, and he hoped that those provisions would be introduced during the next day or two. "I cannot say that even this will be the complete policy," continued the Prime Minister, "because there, •must, and will, be a programme to promote industry and public works; which will have to go hand in hand i with these provisions." j Continuing. Mr. Fraser said the right to work, or full employment, was a foundation pile of the Labour Movement The pioneers of trade unionism and the Labour Party realised be-! cause of their own experience that j there was no greater tragedy than unemployment of men and women who were able arid willing to work to contribute their honest share to the production of goods and services for the advancement of the country. . i A Bill he had introduced years ago i was very much on the same lines as that now before the House. The amount that he had considered at that time should be provided for ah unemployed man and his wife was just i the amount that had been adopted in j the sociaL security legislation. EMPHASIS ON EMPLOYMENT. The Bill and the Social Security Amendment Bill to provide for unemployment would dovetail into one another. lire more the employment measure was operated the less call there would be for unemployment payWients and that was highly desirable. It was better that men should work for what they received than receive payments as recognition of their wiilsngness to work, : New Zealand's economy must proVide for full employment and that pledge had been made by 50 nations •at the United Nations Conference at San" Francisco, including the great nations of the earth. Full employment would be provided. for by the Bill If workers: were unemployed for some j period they would get' a minimum family adequate income during that period, put the fewer the payments were the more successful would be the .Government's scheme for employment. Mr. W. S. Goosman (National, Waxkato): Is it proposed to have a standdown period? Mr. Fraser replied that the period J as at present provided for in the Social Security Act of seven days would continue. . There were various matters that might have to be thrashed out when the Bill reached the Committee stage, such as that raised by the member for Stratford in regard to seasonal workers. . ■■< Under the Bill the National Service Department would be transformed into a.; new ■ national: labour service..' The .experience, organisation, and goodwill at had established with employers and workers would be taken full advantage of, and would be directed towards th? task of seeing that men thrown out of work either through their seasonal occupations ending or through other causes were again given the opportunity of using their brains or muscle in ■producing- wealth or giving services. Referring to the question of financial provision for the scheme, Mr. Fraser said that on the Supplementary Estimates there would be a small amount lor this year, because it was estimated that not much would be required. As a. matter of fact, the National Service organisation would still carry on doling its particular war work. ;■■■■■■; ■ FUTURE OF ONI). ' 'y ] Tteplying to a question from Mr. F ■ Langstone (Government, Waimarino) \ regarding the relationship between the i a-iew organisation and the Organisa- i turn tor National Development, Mr Fraser said that the O.N.D. by its . yery_nature was doing a job that was1 terminable. Various organisations had been set up in-connection with it and ..the Question was, when its plans were; ready, would it go on as a separate < organisation, or, would part of it go to the Works Department. It appeared that part of it would fit in with the employment organisation, particularly the statistical section and that regional planning and other work of that kind • being undertaken -• by O.N.D. would naturally fit into, the Works Department :. ■ ... •-• Mr- J. Acland (National, Temuka): O-N.D. will disappear? Mr. Fraser replied that, as he saw it, the Organisation for National Development, as a separate organisation, would have served its purpose. The

experience of the organisation, however, would not disappear, but'would be used.

It was recognised that the duty of seeing there was work either in private or public employment was the job of the Government of the country, and if the country failed, then the worker and his wife and children must not be punished but get the minimum family income.

The Bill and other measures to come would remove forever from the hearts of working people the dread of unemployment and would prevent a rcri curreuce of that terrible period the! people of New Zealand went through' during the last depression. They would remove particulars from the hearts! of the mothers of working-class families the fear that unemployment] would come and their homes, furniture, and savings would disappear and they would be left plunged in poverty an<l| even struggling for enough to eat. j "That phase has gone and will.never come back here again—the Bill is making that certain," concluded Mr. FA "DEFEATIST ATTITUDE." The Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Holland) said he agreed with the Prime Minister thai the Bill was a major measure. Mr. Fraser had said the Bill represented half the Government's plan for postwar employment and then had gone on to deal with the whole proposal in a defeatist attitude, saying that unemployment was inevitable. . At this stage the Prime Minister endeavoured -to explain what lie had said, but there we're many interjections and Mr. Fvaser was unable to I make himself heard. - ! Mr. Holland persisted in his statei ment that the Prime Minister had said that unemployment was inevitable I "That is not the way to approach the problem of employment,' said Mr Holland. If he did not want unemployment, why did he noi alter the system ito give full employment, even if it I had to be done half by Socialism and [the other half by private .employment? ilt should not be don- by a policy of employment'for some and the rest be placed on unemployment relief. Mr Holland said he had never de-j fended the slump period, and he be- | lieved mistakes had been made in the past. When the Prime Minister made a statement the peopl? did not want half the facts but the whole truth. The Bill was of very great importance, continued Mr. Holland, and he proposed to discuss it trom the viewpoint of employment rathej than unemployment. One of the great problems of the world was to find work at rates of pay that would enable men to bring up families in comfort and security. Every democracy throughout the world had pledged itself to what someone had loosely called full employment. In his definition, full, employment meant everyone who was capable of work being actually, in work. . . ! In the old days the problem of employment was mainly the responsibility of private enterprise. Later, when the tragedy of mass unemployment hung over the world, most of the countries, irrespective of the politics of the Government, handled it in much the same svay. Relief camps were set up at what he regretted to say were starvation wages. In addition, the dole, the most soul-destroying procedure ever adopted in New Zealand or any other country, was introduced. New Zealanders were just as independently minded as the people of | any land, and no worthwhile New Zealander would take the dole if there were anything" else tp keep body, and j soul together. . j A NEW CONCEPTION, Since then there had been a new conception of. the responsibilities of Governments and Parliaments, and everyone now accepted the fact that it was the responsibility of the Government to find worthwhile employment. If the Government had promised to do that—as it had done and as the Opposition had done—it. was the merest common sense to set up the best machinery to give effect to that grand idea. He was not going to be foolish enough to say that there would ever be completely full employment. The Bill was timely and gave legal status to a new Department of State. I and he did not object to it because it seemed to him to be the logical sequence of events. If the State were going to tackle the problem of 'finding employment for people who could not be absorbed in private industry then there trust be a State Department. :Mr. Holland had not concluded his speech when the House adjourned at 10.30 p.m. until this afternoon.