IMPREST SUPPLY BILL

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 173, 23 June 1926, Page 2

IMPREST SUPPLY BILL

UNEMPLOYMENT QUESTION DEBATED. I LABOUR AMENDMENT. DEFEATED BY LARGE MAJORITY. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, June 22. After the House of Representatives had disposed of the formal business this afternoon the Imprest Supply Bill, No. 1, was introduced by GovernorGeneral’s message, and the Prime Minister claiming that it was a 'matter of urgency, the standing orders were suspfended. Mr E. P. Lee was appointed chairman of committee for the day. The Minister of Finance stated that the bill appropriated £2,701,900 for ordinary governmental s purposes. In reply to Sir. Joseph Ward, the Minister of Finance said that there were no unusual items in the schedule of the bill, but the amount • appropriated for the main highways fund was somewhat larger than in previous years. Replying to Mr Holland (Buber) the Minister said there was no special item for immigration, and so far as unemployment was concerned it had been decided by the Government not to make provision for this purpose in this Imprest Bill, but to put it into a separate bill, which would be brought down shortly. Mr Holland: “When do you propose to introduce that bill ?” The Minister of Finance : “As soon as we get rid of this bill. This afternoon or this evening if possible. The lion, gentleman will then have his opportunity of discussing unemployment.’ Mr Sidey said it was not usual for members to debate the first Imprest Supply Bill at lertgth because there was a debate following which gave them ample opportunity to discuss matters at large, but there were some matters connected with the raising, of loans to which the House was entitled, to some information. • MR HOLLAND’S AMENDMENT. Mr Holland (Buller) said that although unemployment and immigration were not specifically dealt with in the bill, the present was an opportune time to discuss these problems and he therefore moved: “That this House expresses its dissatisfaction with the inadequate financial provision made by the Government for meeting the unemployed problem, particularly in view of the fact that the problem has been greatly intensified by the expenditure of public money in carrying out an indiscriminate immigration policy which has resulted in bringing thousands of immigrants to the Dominion without a reasonable guarantee of J employment 'or adequate provision for housing accommodation.” He maintained that every man in New Zealand had the right to work, and that from every point of view there should be no unemployed in this country, yet the fact remained that there was a large number of registered unemployed in the Dominion, and for every registered man there was probably at least one unregistered man. Application to hospital boards for relief was not the remedy; the remedy was to find work and that work should be economically valuable to the community. ; The amendment was seconded by Mr Savage, who dealt with the unemployment problem as it affected Auckland'. NUMBER OF STATE EMPLOYEES. ; Hon. G. J. Anderson said it was perhaps natural that the Labour Party should expect the Government to find w«rli, for everyone in the country. That was a plank of their Socialistic platform, but that was going too far. As it was the Public Works Department now employed 10,(XX) people and altogether about 50,000 people were employed by the State. That be considered sufficient to be safe, for be did not believe in the policy of the State employing everyone in the country. Unemployment was caused by commercial depression ; there was an economic cause for that depression and with which tho Government bad nothing to do, but the Government was nevertheless doing a great deal to tide over the trouble. ■ Work- was being found for many in the back districts, but they found that numbers would not go into the back districts. Their names were then struck off the register and were put on again next week and so the numbers looked greater than they actually were. He did not wish to force anyone into the country, but if they would not go into the country then they should not be on the register of the unemployed. The Government was not wholly responsible for findingwork ; local bodies and private individuals should do their share and what was wanted was a combined effort by all. If the men on relief works were paid full rates there would be no incentive to look for other employment, and in no country was this done, not even in Queensland. The debate was continued during the afternoon by Messrs' Veitch, Sullivan, Horn and in the evening the first speaker was Mr Armstrong. NECESSITY FOR THRIFT. Hon. A. McLeod said that a country that depended to a. great extent upon the primary products must suffer from market fluctuations. In view of this it was imperative that our people, and not one section only, but all our people, should exercise some degree of thrift. This spirit and the practice of saving had unfortunately almost disappeared and much of our unemployment problem was duo to the fact that many single men who followed seasonal employments did not put away any of their wages /or a bad winter and were consequently up against it. He still said the unemployed agitation was of a political character. He could produce advertisements calling on men to meet and demand their rights; there was no suggestion that a solution of the problem should he found, but_ that the road of the Government should be made more difficult. Tho debate was on J>v Mr Forbes, Mr Atmore, Hon. \Y. Nosworthy and Mr Mason. SIR JOSEPH WARD’S SPEECH. Sir Joseph Ward said there has been unemployed in New Zealand every year since he entered Parliament, and it was impossible to avoid that problem becauso the men could not he employed so profitably in tho winter months as in the summer months. Personally, ho favoured work being given to every man legitimately out of work, but if unemployment was going to he made a question of no confidence in the Government then it would have to be done every year for many years to come. He regretted the introduction of party politics into the matter of unemployment because the Labour Party extended far beyond the gentlemen who sat as Labour members in Parliament and there was evi-

dent sympathy with the unemployed. Ho had the greatest admiration for the Minister of Lands and he urged him to take the bull by the horns and reduce the value of the high priced lands which no one could profitably occupy. PRIME MINISTER REPLIES. The Prime Minister said he desired to thank members of local bodies and private employers for the assistance given in providing for the unemployed. Ho regretted the introduction of the’ political element into the debate because all the Government was concerned about was whether the men required work and to find it for them. It was agreed some time ago that all tho men were to be registered by tho Labour Department and these official figures showed’ that there were 837 men unemployed in the Dominion and many of the stories of extreme distress woro often found to be without foundation. The shipping strike seriously interfered with the Government’s emigration policy because people who should have arrived here months ago were only arriving now, but the Government had made contracts with them and those contracts would bo carried out. All it meant was that wo would have to set our programme for several months ahead and he was confident we could pull through. Some might not he jileased with what was being done, but tho departments hnd their instructions what to do, and he believed they were doing it. Ho denied that the Government was responsible for misleading statements in England to migrants. On that point Sir James Allen was most careful, and tho proof of the excellence of the migrants coming out was the fact that less than five per cent, had failed to redeem their obligations to the Government. After tho Prime Minister had spoken Messrs Fraser, Jordan and Howard addressed the House. At 12.15 the debate terminated when a division on Mr Holland’s amendment was taken, tho voting being: For tho amendment, 13; against the amendment, 53. • The bill was then passed through all the remaining stages.