CHILD ENDOWMENT

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXII, Issue 2516, 20 December 1927, Page 7

CHILD ENDOWMENT

“IT IS TOO COSTLY.” Iff his evidence in Sydney before the Royal Commission on Child Endowment. Sir Mark Sheldon express.' ed the opinion that Australia could not afford a general system of endowment of children up to 14 years of age. State Arbitration Courts were only a waste of time, Sir Mark declared. There was the ludicrous position of the States making awards based on th© return from the particular industry without any responsibility to the tariff. Immediately the tariff had to be raised to meet the conditions brought about by the States. It was like one man earning the money and another spending) it. In consequence, the States wer© constantly borrowing to maintain employment. Australian manufacturers were among the best, but under present conditions they could not compete with, the world, yet the primary producers, besieged by over-increasing difficulties, had to compete in the world’s markets. If there was to be any system of child endowment, it should be a Federal matter, and it would be advisable to amend the Constitution, so as to bring the fixing of wages and conditions in industry under Federal aegis. While it was desirable to give some assistance to mothers or parents in the rearing of children, a general system of child endowment benefiting all children up to 14 years of age would be too costly and would be unnecessary. The country could not afford it. Further than that it would lead to the loss of incentive for parents to work. “Endowment,” Sir Mark continued, should be made only in necessitous cases, and not in the form of money, but in kind, or by insurance. To bring up the children to be healthy in body and mind, and to be useful citizens, five factors Avero necessary—food, housing, clothing, medical attention, oml education. Education could be ruled out of the present discussion, as it was provided by the States, but assistance could perhaps be given to parents in other directions. The question of child endoAvment had lately bocomo a. political question, instead of a social one. A general system of child endowment would increase the cost ol living.