THE UNEMPLOYED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14004, 9 March 1909, Page 3

THE UNEMPLOYED.

Sir,—Upon the banner preceding a number of men who paraded Queen-street, on -. • Saturday week was the inscription, "We Want Work." This means hunger, misery,. want, and destitution for our fellow-men-. ■ All these are embodied in the phrase, We ' want work." But is it really "work" that is wanted? There is plenty of work of all sorts to be done,' but the remuneration is the chief desire, and thus the out-of-worker wants food, clothing, and shelter. These are really the ultimate wants of the " disemployed," and can be summed up in the term, "wealth;" therefore, it is " wealth" that is really required, not work, and- as all wealth comes from the land, the final analysis brings us back to the land as the real want. Do the workers f and labour unionists recognise that if a man "employs' a carpenter,, a painter, or a bricklayer in Auckland he ..is fined for life by the local body who taxes improvements, while those who buy land can hold it idle and pay practically no taxes? Do tho disemployed recognise that before they can get employment the land must be freer for all purposes, building, mining, farming, and every other employment known to man? Do they recognise that their services are not required because those that are now in work have to pay the greater part of their earnings in rent? Do . they recognise that during the past few years of prosperity the workers have had to give their labour for everything they required, while the land speculator stood idly- by and reaped the result * of their toil by increasing rente and land value? When once the "disemployed" recognise these facte, and that this is tho. cause of their misery, they will be a long way on the road to an alteration. What is, the use of going to Sir Joseph Ward? Tho' bulk of the community believes in land specu-; lation. They, therefore, return the majority of men to Parliament, who believe the same. t Even the labour loaders believe in land ' speculation— least they do not speak against it. Employment is wanted for carpenters. lb is an easy matter to find a man who wants a house, and who is willing to pay for the" timber, and time to put it up, but as soon as he starts to do this one of the captains of the vacant lot industry steps in and demands £3 10s to £5 per foot tribute for the , use of the land. The man who wants a house recognises that if lie buys land at the price named, and builds a house, lie will make a bad investment. He, therefore, withdraws, and keeps his money in his pocket. till the land value drops. Unfortunately the carpenter; cannot wait, and his only . remedy is to to join the unemployed, and ask. tho Government to find him some other land to work upon. All this could be obviated if we put the taxes upon the land value. No ' one would buy land unless they wanted to use it, and as the value of Queen-street land increased, this increase could be taken for public purposes, instead of goinar into the pockets of private individuals. Let us say that the value of a given piece of land increased £1000. If £50 per annum were. taken by the Government for taxes whether this land was used or not, • we would sooni hear the last of the unemployed : question. Every man who owned land would .be anxi-4 ous to use it to its fullest . extent, or 1 let some one else have it who • could use it.During the last few/years land values have, increased enormously. In 1890 the total value - of the alienated land of the Dominion was - 1 000,000. To-day this same land ,is worth ' £100,000,000. Therefore, labour now has to' pay £2,500,000 more tribute to' the landed class than in 1890, - if the interest :is reckon- ? I' v,' ed at 5 per cent. This is the pons asinorem of the labour problem, and once this is intelligently solved the other questions are >. very simple. I have used the word "disemployed " as these men are dispossessed of' their right to the land. . F. M. King, V Sec. Nat. Single Tax League. 1 . ■ •