THE WORKER'S POSITION

Evening Star, Issue 17369, 3 June 1920, Page 6

THE WORKER'S POSITION

HOW CAN IT BE IMPROVED? Our last article went to show that increased wages are followed by increased prices, and that these bj themselves fail to increase the supply of commodities—tho real wealth—which the workers (mental and manual) are seeking All are asking "Ig there a remedy?" We submit, that common sense should dictate that the remedy and improvement required must come b» way of increasing the volume of useful pro. ducts, rhe providing of a greater measure ot supply to meet the wants of consumers—namely, the whole pubic—it seems to us, can only be secured by concentrated atten. tion on—(1) An Increase in production. (2) Drastic prevention of the hoarding of supplies. (3) Improvement in the methods of distribution. | INCREASE OF PRODUCTION. | _ Tnere can be no doubt that during recent times there has been a -considerable shortage of supplies in various directions. The supplies of coal, of houses, and of many articles of use which we can as a people rjroduce have been and still are very far short oi requirements. This is beyond all question, I and no abstract talk about economics oan j alter the position. This can be remedied I only by finding- the means of increasing the I production. .The ordinary methods of trades i unionism—at least, the kind of unionism we have experienced in New Zealand of late—does not tend towards helping production. If the employers and workers' unions would co-operate in the direction of studying how to improve the industries by adoption of better systems and machinery, then we would secure a remedy in the larger output that would resuty;. OF SUPPLrSS. It is beyond question that, whilst there exists a shortage of supplies in some directions, there is abundance in supply of certain lines of gocds produced in the Dominion. The Government should take drastic action to ensure that these goods shall be liberated for the people's use at fair and reasonable prices Every pressure should T>a put upon the Government in the direction of requiring that our Dominion produce shall first of all serve the living needs of th< people within the Dominion. The. State bi i setting up the Bo.ird of Trade, has alread; affirmed the duty they hold to their memben to regulate prices for the maintenance of t , decent standard of living. With the withdrawal of the Imperial commandeer of our i staple products we shall fesl the want of a ' method of regulation which will stabibse j prices for such of the supply as is reouirod I for local consumption. It is in this direction, we submit, the remedy is to be found for the shortage of supplies which our people will increasingly suffer under if pure, free trading is to obtain and prices are tb.ed on the basis of starvation markets abroad. I IMPROVEMENTS IN DISTRIBUTION. j In New Zealand we have gone but a little way in organising our methods of distribution. To a great extent the people themselves are to blame for the evils they suffer owing to the faulty system in existence. Instead of interesting themselves by co-opera-tive action to thoroughly systematise and : limit the extent of handling products from, the time they leave the producer until they ! are consumed, the average person has relied! | en having everything brought to their own , doors by the method of individual trading. The Board of Trade, in their report on the coal industry state " that 6,000 people in an Auckland suburban area were offered an opportunity of obtaining their coal at from 4s 3d to cs per ton cheaper than they could I obtain it elsewhere conditionally upon either j cash with order cr collection on delivery, ' and taking no fewer than thiee bags at a I time. Within.four months fewer than 150 ! took advantage of the possibility of making ; this saving. This sort of thing shews how : little interest the people have taken in their • own affairs. There is a wide and fresh field : for distributive co-operation in New Zealand, ! and we submit to the great body of manual I and mental workers that some of the evils ■ they are now suffering from can be re- ; meuifid by fuller a: tention in this direction, j —[Contributed by the Welfare League.]