WELLINGTON NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 11 August 1930, Page 2

WELLINGTON NEWS

UNEMPLOYMENT EVERYWHERE

(Special Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, August 8. There is'unemployment on a grand scale in practically every country, except perhaps in* France. Unemployment is thick in the United States lor there are said to be five'millions workless in that country of dollar millionaires., In Britain the Labour Government that was wafted on to the Treasury Benches on promises of remedying unemployment promptly, the unemployed have increased in number. In all countries palliatives are being tried, but with very little satisfactory results. , In the meantime, the unemployed are becoming demoralised! The effect of unemployment, and the present method of dealing with it; were recently described by the Bishop, of Durham thus: “We ai*e transforming a. multitude oi potentially admirable citizens into a mass of ; . chronically idle, economically valueless and socially mischievious persons.” He referred the workers ns the British “Lazzaroni,” a word explained ..in the Oxford Dictionary as meaning- “one of the lowest class of Naples, who lounge about the streets, living by odd jobs or by begging,” It is something more than tragic that nearly twelve years after the Armistice there is no occupation for so many millions' of workers in so many countries. It seems that old condition of productive industry had largely passed away, and that in the future industry .would have to proceed under new and far more strenuous conditions.

“The main requisite,” said the Bisi l»p, “is not the tiding over of a difficult interval, but the . creation of wholly new kinds of employment,” That, of course, is a problem for the highly 'industrial countries, but has very little concern for countries like Australia and New Zealand producing, primary products and raw material We have become familiar with series of words, one of which is an epitaph and a slogan-mass production, mechanisation, and above all rationalisation. Rationalisationdsinothing more than the teolji\iq ! i|e of reducing costs, and by j|g.rgest litem in the-costs of production is the ivages of the worker. There, jvould-be:a permanent superfluity, the ideal of the had been a'-: compligbedU and " .rationalisation ■ ha<! done perfect work. •' Texnfcqrai’y expedients seem iiiadeq-: uate and' indefensible. Bait why has rationalisation ibeen 'forced upon inof La|puy sunionisrii have beeii exploited by people Who. lia-ve been seeking personal";’: advancement. The /Unicti the shdo" ; st(rivitrd ; ‘> tfftd T -4he walking dplriisate arc like parasites, and to;, attain that -posi tion they mu«t be etehrially striving to have wages in* changed,; demarca-! v tion of work and so forth, so that not only have costs of production increaed but the industrialist has been subjected to numerous and continunous pin-pricks.

Tlie employer is dragged into conn for altilbfit’’trivial breaches of award. Can it he wondered the industrialists have looked around for ways and means of doimr with as -little human labour as possible. Take the case of music players in connection with pictures and other theatres. They were organised, and, rightly enough, asked and obtained better conditions. If it had stopped at that perhaps all would have been well, hut the pin-pricks were unbearable. Now we have mechanised music and the musicians have got to find something else to do.

This merely illustrates what is going on in other directions. If o-ne studies the matter closely lie cannot help arriving at the conclusion that organ ised/jfabonrand “AVe” of Awards, have confrihuted largely to unemployment. The’ workers -have been educated by their very cunning leaders to regard the capitalist and the industrialist as hia. , implacable enemy, and while . the •’ capitalist • does ’ not view the worker ip : trig’‘same silly 'way, he is forced fewer workers, and.he is accomplishing 'this! purpose by rationalisation and mechanisation.

Necessity is the mother of invention, and it has been the necessity for seeking relief from the pin-pricks of Union secretaries, inspectors of awards, shop stewards walking delegates, &c. that has brought rationalisation to the front.