'DOLE SYSTEM’ OPPOSED

Manawatu Times, Volume LIII, Issue 6665, 19 July 1928, Page 7

'DOLE SYSTEM’ OPPOSED

Labour’s Unemployed Insurance Bill Gives House Chance to Debate Subject

The Parliamentary session is now in its third week and the wheels of the legislative machine have started to revolve. The Legislative Council met yesterday for the first time for some days, but it soon' adjourned. There will be little work for it to do until the House of Representatives gets its first batch, of Bills through. Purther Bills were read a first or second time in the House of Representatives. Members proceeded in the afternoon to discuss printed answers given by Ministers to questions. In the evening Mr. P. Praser moved the second reading of his Unemployed Insurance Bill, providing for an Insurance fund for the relief of the .unemployed, .to which employers, employees, and the State .should contribute in equal parts; A debate on unemployment followed, and occupied the House for the rest of the evening. The Bill was read a second .time, and the House rose at 1.10 a.m. this morning till 2.30 p.m. to-day.

As it. is generally anticipated, the session will be a short one, not longer perhaps than the end of September or the first week in October, the Financial Statement may bo expected to appear within the next three weeks. It always takes several weeks to get the Estimates agreed to, and if the session is really to be a short one, then the presentation of tho Budget cannot be too long delayed. However, it is a risky matter attempting to prophesise with anything like accuracy the duration of the Financial Debate. There was one session when it collapsed on the second day!

Written Answers Given By Ministers to Questions Per Press Association, WELLINGTON, Last Night. The Legislative Council met at 2.30 to-day, The loader of the . Council, Bir Francis Bell gave notice of intention to introduce the British Nationality and Status of Aliens Bill. . Sir John Sinclair gave notice that he intends to move that the question of the erection of the suitable memorial to tho memory of Edward Gibbon Wakefield and William Hayward Wakefield, bo taken into consideration by the Government. The Methodist Theological College Edson Trust Extension Bill was read a second time. Various select committees for the session were set up and the Council adjourned at 2.47 until next Wednesday. In The Lower House. I . ‘ , The House of Representatives met at 2.30. The Christ College (Canterbury) Bill to give the College tho right to acquire title to certain lands was, on the motion of Mr. E. J. Howard (Christchurch South) read a second time; and being a private Bill was referred to tho committee of selection,, _ Mr. J. McCombs (Lyttelton) gave notice of intention to introduce the Preferential Voting Bill. 1 Motions to set up sessional committees were agreed to. The Christchurch Tramways District Amendment Bill was on tho motion of Mr. Howard introduced and read a first time. . - Members then proceeded to discuss printed answers to questions. Among others Ministers gave the following answers:- ■ That married men employed on relief works on day wages are receiving I2s per. day of eight hours and single men 9s. Tho Government cannot agree, however, to married and single men on co-operative contracts receiving a minimum of I2s and 9s per day respectively, whether they earn those amounts dr not. No Loan Por Advances. That it is not proposcd)to raise any special loan for the State Advances Department. ( i That tho question of an unemployment insurance scheme was dealt •with by tho Industrial Conference which had no recommendation to make. ’• That it was not intended to introduce . legislation this session to provide pensions for those suffering from cancer, consumption and other incurable or prolonged ailments. That it is hoped agreement will shortly be made which will remove risk to those engaged in handling basic slag.- ■ • - - - I' 1 That the Government did not propose this session to increase the amount of widows’ pensions, old age pensions, or family allowances. In connection with the question of. reciprocity with Australia in regard to old age pensions consideration is being given to representations submitted by the Hon. Minister of Lauds during his visit to x Australia. The matter of reciprocity with Great Britain is in abeyance pending the conclusion of negotiations with Australia, It was not proposed to increase the amount of income a widow might earn without deduction being made from her pension. Fixed Day For Easter. That progress of the Bill introduced into the Imperial Parliament providing for a fixed day for Easter is being officially noted. The question of introducing legislation will be considered if the Bill at present before the Imperial Parliament becomes law. That tho question of reducing tho number of members of the Dairy Produce Export Control Board has not been considered because it has not been asked for by responsible organisations of industry. these boards can bo relied on to soo That tho administration of the Rural Intermediate Credit Act of 1927 has been entrusted to a contra! board- and sixteen district boards, on all of which the farming industry is fully and capably represented and that every possible assistance is given? to applicants consistent with the maintenance of the scheme in a satisfactory position. That if the customs tariff is amended this session the question of impos-

. ing duty on cocksfoot seed will receive .careful consideration. I That the reduction : in jailway freight on mo carrago of fertilizers ; during last year cost £106,538. Mho concession is expected to cost tho Government £150,000 during this i year. This must bo acknowledged to bo a big concession in tho gross price of manures to farmers, nearly hll of whom use tho railways for the 'car- ; riage of their supplies of fertilizers. That it is not proposed to nation* j... aliso hospitals, nor is it proposed to pro vide, hospital finance entirely from ' the Consolidated Funds. ■ That the Motor Vehicles - Kcgula- ’ : tions do not specifically prohibit onearmed' persons from driving motor vehicles nor are any of the various requirements *of tho Eegulatiohs (made with a view to the safety of .the public and the driver himself) impossible of performance by a oho armed driver provided he is fitted ■ with a suitable artificial: arm. That it is proposed this session to relievo the farmer <vhd is not a contractor fro mthe payment of taxation on his tractor if ho employs it to assist his neighbours. State Advances Loans. Speaking on tho subject of loans under the citato Advances Act, in reply to criticism, jthe Hon. W. Downie Stewart said that when Treasury could got clear of ? the demand ihade upon ; It by the Public Wprks Department for extension of railway workshops and similar works they would be able to supplement tho resources of tho Advances Department to a much greater' extent than they were doing at present. In any case it was intended !©, supplement the funds of tho Department by more than half a million this year. Discussion proceeded until 5.30 when the House adjourned until 7.30. ■ Unemployment Workers’-Bill.

Tho House resumed at 7.30 pan. The first business on' the Order Paper was tho Unemployed Workers’ Bill, in-' troduced by Mr. P. Fraser in connection with which a question was raised that it was an Appropriation Bill. i - The Prime Minister said that there was no doubt the Bill was an Appro*, priation measure, 'but the principle enunciated therein was an * important one. The subject had been discussed by tho Industrial Conference whoso ro* port on it would bo received later. Ho, however, would like to have the views of members on tho subject, and for that, reason he would raise no objection to tho Bill proceeding to the second reading. • ' SI ‘ Tho Speaker said that tho Bill contained appropriation provisions. For that reason ho would not have boon able to put a question from tho Chair, but for the statement made by the Prime Minister. If tho House was agreeable to tho Bill proceeding it might go to its second reading. There being no objection, Mr. Fraser proceeded-to move tho second, reading. Ho explained that the principle of the Bill was ardently desired by tho Labour Party throughout tho Dominion. The Government had promised to look into tho proposal to establish an unemployment insurance fund, but so far ho had not heard they had como to any definite decision. There,' at least, was no mention of it in tho Governor’s Speech, which ho regretted.. The proposal was to establish a fund to which workers would contribute onir third, employers one-third, and tho State one-third. This fund would be used to protect workers against inevitable unemployment. , Perfectly Prank About It. He wished to be perfectly frank and he admitted that if even a Labour Government were now in power they would not be "able entirely to escape the problem of unemployment. This was no new thing in New Zealand, but ho thought it had never been so pronounced as last year and this year. Ho quoted district statistics to show that in June' last there wore 3414 more registered unemployed in the Dominion last year. In addition to these, some 3922 had been provided with relief work. That served to show the seriousness of tho position, because it did not include juvenile unemployment. An attempt had been made to secure returns through labour unions and those returns showed that 11.5 per cent, of organised labour in tho Dominion was unemployed, unemployment varying of course with tho particular Industry. Figures showed that the problem was chronic and ho saw no hope of ridding the country of it, not merely in winter, but also in summer. That being so, they were entitled to have some pronouncement from tho Government to show that they had given it some con-

sidoration. It could not bo dealt with except'by an organised scheme. The Labour-Party- had asked for an organised scheme, but so far had asked in vain. The Industrial Conference recommended the appointment of a committee of three to prepare a scheme ■which he hoped would be done. Ho deprecated the importation or hundreds of British boys to do farm work when we had unemployed hundreds of bur own boys who could bo trained as farmers. Proposal Not Perfect. Ho did not claim his proposal was perfect, but it was based on tne experience of the world. The main feature of the Bill was not payment of contribution to the fund, but the sotting up of a board' to provide useful worn so that the supply : of' work would be comonsuratc. with the supply of labour available., r " The scheme was worth trying and * short of a trial he despaired of any-' ' thing being accomplished. To benefit by the scheme a worker must have been in the -country for six ‘ months and unemployed for seven days. ' That would prevent an influx of unem- ' ployed from other countries. Amounts of payments, to bo made ■' were not stated in the Bill because they had little experience to guide them, and they believed • they could produce a better scheme than Queensland! where an unemployment insurance funll had been operating for a number of years. Ho did not expect his Bill to pass, ■ but he did hope that as a-result of the ■ discussion, the* Government would bo so impressed that they would this session bring down a Bill which would deal efficiently with tho problem..

Some Say—Serna Don’t. r i The Prime Minister said the question »f unemployment was a worthy study, by every member of tho House. It was the most difficult of all public questions, and that difficulty was intensified by the fact that some people will let it bo known they are out of work ana others will not. He said ho did not wish to criticise tho Bill, the principle of which was good. But in detail it was a curious specimen of Labour drafting. Tho Labour Party was always declaiming against “Orders-in-Council,” but the Bill simple bristled with things which had been done by ‘ ‘ Orders-in-Council. ’J. So far as tho State was concerned, . ,he admitted that Departments which could absorb unemployed should do so, and they w # ero doing it. About 4200 . men had been already employed. Some ■ of these were on . public works which were being carried on at full speed because it was wise to do so while theirs • was development work to ao.' Nc Use Getting Chicken-hearted.

' It was no uso getting chicken-hearted now. Althougu tney might be criticised for borrowing tivy knew perfectly well wncre they were going in that respect. He was entirely sympathetic toward the unemployed, but• he did hot think.the Bill would give the desirod result, as it'; did hot meet the economic requirements of tho casc. - ~ x i New Zealand was bettor off in the matter- of unemployed than most other -Countries, That was no reason why they should dismiss the subject. It was their duty to endeavour-to discover the cause. Many causes were suggested, but in his opinion, unemployment hero was duo to the failing price of our primary products, and wo were a primary producing country, without any great secondary industry to fill the gap. While our primary ’products were down in tne markets of the outside world the first to:feel the pinch was the farmer, and .that pinch was reflected in towns Where there whs a great deal of unorganised labour.

The Bill before the House only,pro- ' vided for workers under awards of Court. No provision was made for the wan outside the awards. , k Prepared to Widen Scope.

Mr. Fraser remarked ho was prepared (o widen the scope, or tho Bid, or ho hoped the Government would. Continuing, Mr. Coates said that if men paid into an insurance fund they logically were entitled to, standard rates of pay if unemployed, and-that tondcc to complicate the probjem. Jfclo saw ciihculty in entrusting tho board with power to say to the Government or local body, “Bo this work,’/ or “don’t tlo that work:” Moreover, it was going to become increasingly difficult' to provide useful work in the Dominion, and it was dangerous to create an impression among men that they need not bustle rouna for work, because they would be provided for. f . , ' He hoped the idea of “dole" would pot be encouraged. The whole subject was one for investigation. They knew . something of the causes of . unemployment. They would have to find out how. - to classify unemployed and for provision of a scheme. He favoured setting up a committee which would formulate it better, go slowly and surely, so that when they came to a decision it would be,one which has in the interests of the Country as a.whole. Mr. G. W. Foibes, Header of the National Party, said that in his opihion 2io did not think secondary industries would cure unemployment. Relief could only come from expansion of primary industries. We must increase production. But for this purpose there should bo trained men. Tod many people were being put into offices and traces. Faria work was neglected. Pami iaboup wag ITcil paid for when a farmer got tho right man he did everything reason-' able to keep him. When the country tra’ndd to farm work' the prosperity of liio country would enormously \ Bill Read Second Time. The debate was carried' on by Messrs W. D. Lysnar (Gisborne), ;M. J. Savage (Auckland West), A. Harris (Waitemata), Hon. D. Buddo (Kiaipoi), Hon. 0. J. Hawken (Egmont), W. E. Parry (Auckland Central), H.: T. Armstrong (Christchurch East) and H. E. Holland (Bulled). • After Mr. Fraser had replied the Bill was read a second time and the House arose at 1.10 a.m. till 2.30 ji.m. to-day '(Thursday), ■ r •