UNEMPLOYMENT

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 237, 19 September 1934, Page 4

UNEMPLOYMENT

Board's Annual Report NEED FOR NEW EFFORTS Own Parliamentary Representative. WELLINGTON, Sept. 18. “Although unemployment has been substantially reduced since the building subsidy scheme was introduced, the Unemployment Board does not expect that re-absorption into industry will continue at the rate experienced during the last nine months unless other aid is given,” states the annual report of the board presented to Parliament to-day. It the rate of absorption experiences continues, it is estimated that 11)40 would be reached before the number of the unemployed are reduced to the 1928 level. “During the period under review the board has vigorously pursued a policy of encouraging the employing authorities in industry and local governing bodies to provide additional full-time employment at standard rates of wages, fhe most successful of the experiments tried with a view to this end was the No. 10 Building Subsidy Scheme. Prom a position ot almost complete inactivity in April of last year the building industry experienced a mild boom during the latter part of 1933, and the improvement m employment as a result ol Hus scheme was not confined merely to the tradesmen and labourers actually employed on the subsidies building jobs. The renewed activity in building opened up avenues ot employment covering a vei v wide field. “Shortly after the commencement ol the Scheme No. 10 there began a steady decline in the numbers on the unemployment register who were receiving intermittent relief, tho figures under this heading during the first half of 193-1 falling lower than at, any

period in the preceding two years. It is not suggested by the board that the experience of the past nine months is an indication that the progress of reabsorption into industry will continue at the same rate without new efforts and new experiments until the problem of unemployment in New Zealand is solved. Even if this rate of progress was maintained it would not be until 1940 that the registration figures of the unemployed would return to the level of the 1928 yua.. when the special committee was set • to investigate and report on th-. i n — aloyment posi- ( tion. “It is on this account that the board , has set aside £250,000 from its funds ■ to be used as an aid to the develop- . nient of new industries The board in I taking this action is seeking the coi operation and assistance of industrialI ists. It considers that the best results i will be obtained if the initiative in the • matter of expanding the secondary ini dustries is taken by those who are I specially trained in industry. If, b«wI ever .there is a failure on the part of this section of the community to meet the present difficult position, new experiments will have to be tried. , “in the meantime th. board is exploring every possible avenue lor stimulating the re-absorption of the unemI ployed into existing industries. Much has been done during the past year further to stimulate employment in development work on farms Additional assistance has been granted also to the flax and kauri gum industries. The board's work in encouraging gold1 mining and prospecting ha« l‘>e*n vigorously prosecuted during the year. ' and steps are being tnacn to widen | the scope of activity in th s industry. “Good wine needs no bush” and thj merits of the Tro.-adero Tearooms in Bryant’s Building, Hastings street Napier, need no boosting. The “Troca dero” makes a specialty of cateririr for visitors, and one has only to step inside to sense that “something 1 ' which makes it different from all other tearooms.*