UNEMPLOYMENT PROBLEM

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 February 1928, Page 5

UNEMPLOYMENT PROBLEM

MR COOKE’S* REMEDY. (Special to “Star.") CHRISTCHURCH, February 24. “Though not a supporter of the present Government, I am not of the opinion that they are responsible for the unemployment that exists to-day,” said Rev. J. K. Archer- (Mayor of Christchurch) when addressing the men at the Addington Workshops today, on the subject of unemployment. This statement followed on remarks made by Cr F. Cooke, who accompanied the Mayor, and laid the fault at the Government’s door. “What is wanted is money, money and always money. As I said to a Bishop the other day, that is the only solution,” Mr Cooke said. “The banks have great hoards of it, and if they won’t give it, the Government should make them. Why doesn’t the Government take charge of the money? I asked that question of the Primo Min-

ister and a Christchurch paper tooK me up and said that I was an honest man and earnest ’man and a truthful man, and ended up by saying that I was a bit of a fool. To-day, money is dear in New Zealand. I have been over the world and I have been keeping my eyes open. Interest on overdrafts in other countries is 4 per cent, but heer it is 7i and that means that the banks here are making 3S per cent, out of us. The Government won’t regulate the matter, We are in-the hands of the financiers and shipping agents. The' farmers complain but there is nothing’else for them to do. When shipping agents have the handling of their produce and frame the laws of the country. I have a son on an orange farm in Australia, and he said it would be a good thing if he could send his oranges to Christchurch but I found that the Union Company would charge 5s Cd per bushel to take them to Wellington and another 2s 6d from Wellington to Lyttelton. That is more than the cost of growing the oranges. We have in this country stores of money, and work to be done, and on top of that unemployment. It is all due to bad management.”