UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF

Hawera Star, Volume L, 25 September 1930, Page 5

UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF

ATTACK ON BILL

AMENDMENT BY UPPER HOUSE

BROAD PERSONNEL CRITICISED,

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)

WELLINGTON, Sept, 24. Resuming Die tie hate on the Unemployment iiil. in the' Legislative Council to-day, lion. M. Eagan intimated mint lie would oppose Lon. W. Ea.ni.siunv’s amendment that the Bill he read sis months hence. It would be a mistake, he said, to postpone the operation or the Dill wnen there was so

distress in the country, lie paid tribute to the Government tor- what it intid done to relieve the position, hut stated that at the end of two years t.iey iind themselves iii a worse position, mat was tine to the depression through ..inch taey were passing, and he was -.oivy to have to say it was his opinion tnat they had not yet reached the climax. The sooner they had a systematised method or registration tne Bette.', wr until tnat was brought about a..ey would not Know what the actual position was. Two things were aosolutelv vital it they were going to taokie the pioolem as it stiouid be tackled!, uiio was the encouragement of the secondary industries and the other was the ..ac.ug cr more people on the land. -nr. Eagan described Air. Earnshaw’is amendment as cold-blooded and innuman and said it was degrading; to „sk tlie Council to vote upon it.

,ion. J. B. Goiv expressed tlie hope t. iVlr. lagan would not class him as an inhuman monster if he voted for tne amendment. He believed the Bill u. not offer tne best method of dealuun the present problem. There weie possibilities of mischief in it that would justiry them m refusng to deal w-itn the measure hastily. It Had to be remembered - that Capital and Labour in New Zealand were to a, large extent in a straight jacket owing to- the restrictions imposed by tlie Arbitration Court, which failed to' recognise that wagea must ultimately depend on production. The court falsely based its decisions on the belief that it was necessary to maintain a certain standard of living. Mr. Gov said it was surely right and the duty of every man to find a joh for himself, and it would be fatal for tlie state to say when a man was out of work he was entitled to receive a joh at standard wages. The Government ua-d made a serious mistake .by paying standard rates on relief works. They were expected to swallow the whole dill whether they liked it or not. He criticised the personnel of the board which, h© said, was largely political. Hid objected to the setting up of another department of State.

MACHINERY AND LABOUR

Hon. A. S. Malcolm said it was true that the introduction of machinery had dislocated labour, but surely it could uot be suggested they shoutd do. away with machinery! Mr. Malcolm said 1 that if the Council threw the Bill out it would be impossible for the Government to introduce another measure this sesaion. H© did not agree that the Bill would create a uole system as the system was aliready established per medium of oha.ritaoie aid hoards. As a fair-minded man lie realised lie could not oppose the Bill. He recognised' the do»le was likely to prove demoralising in effect, but he did not think there were many who would prefer it to doing an honest day’s work, if the local bodies now carrying the burden of unemployment were not af-, forded relief many of them would he! bankrupt, at. the end] of twelve months. He agreed that the composition of the boar,cl might be improved. Hon. G. J. Gariand said one of the most sensible suggestions that had been made was that people unemployed should receive food and clothing instead of money. He realised it was of little use debating the matter at any length as the Council had made up its mind the Bill would go through. If it were possible lie would move to amend the Bill when in committee. If the Bill was placed on the Statute Book it would never come off again. The I'ill was not an unemployment Bill but a pofi tax Bill. Hon. G. Witty said he did not nne the Bill, but as.it was the best proposition in sight lie would vote against Hie amendment. It was the unemployable who were causing all the trouble n New Zealand). He was strongly opposed to tie Arbitration Court, which was go’rig too far altogether. One of the bigg«.st mistakes that had been made was ;o ive 14s a day for relief works. Sir Frederick Lang said lie disagreed with so much in the Bill that he was forced to vote against it. He was opposed to youths of 20 being required to pay the levy as it amounted to taxation without representation. He objected to tlie element of political control introdueed into the Bill and said the Minister should net be a membei. ‘ The debate was adjourned.