THE UNEMPLOYED

Feilding Star, Volume 10, Issue 3997, 11 April 1933, Page 6

THE UNEMPLOYED

Policy of Labour Party THE LEADER’S SPEECH Rtf-erring u, tiro unemployed'! laxt night in ins political speech in the -Majestic Theatre, Mr H. E. Holland ißaicl:—■ “It is inv honest opinion that it was simply fear’6l' the w inter months " hicli made the Government decide not to meet until August. It adjourned until then without making any. provision for thy additional prole ferns of unemployment. It is mv opinion that the Government was airaid to face tho winter months in Wellington. After all, jt ig not a handful of Communists'with which it has to deal, hut sober working men n'i<d c for the unemployed and their wives aJid children considering that there is no reason why they should go short w hen there is plenty. That is when tile hour of danger arises.” A who Parliament would set out to see that every provision possible was made for tile unemployed and their happiness. No one could measure tUe vc>lum c 0 f hardship occasioned by th e repeated reductions in allocations for tho unemployed. .Mr Jesep, vicechuiimn.n of the Unemployed Board, had predicted, that further reductions would have to he made during the winter months, hut Mr Holland hoped the Unemployment Board would not decrease the allocations further. They should he increased-, no matter how the money was found, Tlie unemployment schemes were on the wrong basis. The real remedy for tho present situation lay in the absorption of men and women into ■industry oh full time and standard Wages. This would mean the restoration of put chasing power through New Zealand. Tlie Prime Minister iind said that further reductions and retrenchments were inevitable. Hours of latout must be reduced to keep the people employed, owing to the advance, of niacmuerv. Further, men now under the category of relief workers must ho employed in work of an economic chaiaiter. The Government’s action in rclusing to find money lor materials and supervision was responsible lor so much work of an uneconomic character that tva.s being carried out. The Labour Party if in office, would immediately .transfer these men to economic undertakings. Tlicy would abolish the relief rates of pay and substitute? standard wiages for them. On top of that, they would abolish the stand down week and increase the amount rtf work available, with the. endeavour to facilitate the id-urn of workers to full-time employment.