TWO "SOCIAL CANCERS"

Evening Star, Issue 19407, 16 November 1926, Page 11

TWO "SOCIAL CANCERS"

UNEMPLOYMENT AND SICKNESS ADDRESS BY MR W. PARRY, M.P. A good deal of the address given by air W. Parry, Labor M.P. for Auckland Central, at the Trades Hall last i livening was concerned with the quesi don of what the speaker described as the" greatest cancer of the social and industrial life of the community unemployment, Mr" Farry was emphatic that matters would be worse in the 1k27 winter than ever before, and he beseeched those present to do everything possible in order to persuade the Government to pass the Labor Party’s Unemployment Bill. He also mad© ai appeal for industrial unity amongst the workers of the dominion, pointing out that, although unity of action had been achieved politically, the workers still remained divided on the industrial field. There was a fair attendance, the meeting being presided over by the chair man of the Otago Labor Representation Commtitee (Mr A. J. Morison). Mr Parry said that the past winter had been the worst, as far as unemployment was concerned, iji the history of the country, and even to-day things were still very critical in Auckland, where there were 1,200 men out ot work.' Four or five months ago, when they first approached the Prime Minister, there were about *I,OOO workless, so they could see that the present position was far from satisfactory. He considered that the Government had handled the problem in a most incompetent manner, and yet during the last session of Parliament Sir Joseph Ward and the other Liberals and Independents had voted with the Government when thp Labor Party moved an amendment w'hich expressed dissatisfaction with the way the question had'been dealt with. Sir Joseph Ward himself had pointed Out that unemployment was no new thing, as he had to meet a similar position when he was. in power. Some people, said Mr Parry, thought that everything in the garden would be lovely when Sir Joseph was elected at the last election, hut they had been disillusioned.

' Although Parliament had given the various municipalities power to borrow money for tho purpose of meeting the situation, it really meant that the Government had’ foisted its responsibilities on to the councils, who were made to carry the baby that should have been earned by the Government. What could they hope for in the future? he asked. Ho opined that things would he worse, as most of the councils wore two years ahead with their work. He con sidered that the only hope was for Parliament to pass the Labor Party’s Unemployed Workers Bill, a measure that had been put forward by the party for the past four years. The Bill was by no means perfect, explained the speaker, but he described it as being both democratic and comprehensive in its scope. A feature of the Bill that was emphasised by the speaker *was that under it no employer would be able to dismiss any of his workers owing to slackness of work until the matter had been considered by the special board that would be set up to deal with this and other matters. He said that this was by uo moans a revolutionary measure, as the principle had been adopted in eleven countries. Mr Parry then dealt with the question of immigration, stating that he was not opposed to the English worker coming to the country, though Ue did not agree that he should be allowed to flock here until the workers already in the country were employed ond wore decently housed. Ho believed that the country could carry eight or nine million workers; but.it could only do so with proper industrial organisation. He thought that the Government’s immigration policy was unfair to the people already here, as well ns for those who were being brought from Home. The worker did not want charity—all he wanted was the right to work. In the event of no work being found; those . who were unemployed had a right to payments, so that they could live. He predicted that they were within measurable distance or such a proposition finding its way on to the Statute Book. He had always been a strong advocate for protection against _ unemployment and sickness, and Jw believed that such proposals could be justified no matter how they were viewed. He stressed the fact that every employer made provision to renew any broken down machinery in his factory, but that he set aside nothing in order to help tho worker when industry wore him out. After touching on the subject of the Workers’ Compensation Act, Mr Parry went on to consider the economic future. The markets of the world, he said, were becoming less, judged on 1914 figures, and the only hope for civilised countries was to adopt a now fiscal policy. _ There should be an interimpenal basic wage and an interimperial eight-hour day, which would have to be ratified by the League of Nations and eventually be adopted by all civilised nations, who would refuse to trade with those countries who did, not agree to such The alternative was what he desciibed as a return to the “coolie standard of labor.”

The speaker was asked a number of questions, particularly on the last proposal, and was accorded a hearty vote of thanks.

"Nioa «hap ha is to take a girl for a row I” “ Why? What did he do?,” “ffo* thing— Just rowed I”