THE CHILDREN'S CHANCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17483, 29 May 1920, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE CHILDREN'S CHANCE.

POLITICAL PROMISES. BY FRANK MORTON'. Here in Australia bitter talk about the cost of living does not cease, but rather becomes intensified from day to day, That is because the Labour Government that promised so much is doing little or nothing now power is in its hands. It promised to stamp out profiteering, and .now, with all the force* of the law, the Board of Trade, and the Necessary Commodities Commission at its disposal, it is quite unable to find the profiteer. Instead, it unearths such amazing facts as that tho leading retailers are making less profit than they made in 1914. Labour retires on its second line of defences, muttering that the profiteers are "somewhere." Next come the problems of unemployment. Labour promised that tho moment it got hold of the reins of Government there should be abundant work for everybody. Actually, unemployment has rather increased under Labour, and all that Labour has so far done to relieve distress is to provide food for unemployed men at the State farm. This pauperising process goes on. The men go to the farm and come to town as it suits them— to "find work.", They do no work at the farm. They simply sleep, or lie under the trees talking politics. They feel that they are masters of time. High Wages and Poverty. And meanwhile, despite the high rates of wages now obtaining everywhere, the problems of genuine poverty become more pressing. The minimum wage for men is £5 178 a week, and men of all the unions actually get more than that; but at ruling prices no man can support a wife and small family decently on £3 17s a week in New South Wales. Mr. Holman tried to introduce a system of special allowances for children, the colt of it equitably spread over the whole field of industry, but he failed to get it through Parliament. Now the Labour Government is going to do something— knows precisely what. But Mr. McGirr, the Minister immediately concerned, has pledged the Government to "look after" the children of all married workers earning less than £6 a week. It will bo very interesting to watch the Labour Government as it begins to tackle this tough problem. It cannot find a way out by increasing direct taxation, for that would only increase the trouble: what with taxes State and taxes Federal,, the people of New South Wales are carrying all the burden they possibly can carry. Nor can wages be arbitrarily sent up much higher. It is proved that recent increases of wages have not relieved the situation at all, since their effect has been a disproportionate increase in the cost of commodities. The gas workers are at this time demanding increases on the grand scale— a week for men' working in a high temperature, down to £8 5s a week for unskilled olerks and collectors. And so it is everywhere. As a sign of grace, everywhere now intelligent workers aro beginning to doubt whether this is the way out of troubles, beginning to wonder whether more shillings earned mate any difference when with every extra shilling all the shillings go down in purchasing value.

How to find the Honey. How, then, is Mr. McGirr going to \ find the money to subsidize all workers with children? He talks about taxing wealth. That talk is fudge. There is little taxable wealth in the State, beyond what is already taxed to the last limit of tolerance. The great pastoral concerns have just suffered terrible losses through a long period of drought. Any new lax against capital would merely have the effect of making capitalists withdraw altogether from Australian enterprise. Labour's crusade against capital is the most , idiotic thing possible, things being as we > see them. Ordinary labour conditions are such that no man can safely and profitably invest money in any industrial enterprise. Just when our need of product ; on is greatest, our ability to produce is most prejudiced. Conditions are such now that Australian manufactures could compete against the world—if they could have any reasonable security of getting labour continuously and on fair terms. They can't have that, and so the manufacturing industries that should thrive languish. Meantime there arc still these children of the worker. Mr. MeGirr hints at a tax on unmarried adults, and there is some thing to be said for that. It being a duty of the citizen to beget or bear children for the security and advancement of the State, any citizen failing in that duty should pay. But even the heaviest possible tax on bachelors and spinsters would not supply the amount of money that will be needed by Mr. McGirr's scheme. Employer and Employed. If we could get any honest agreement between employers and employed, if it were possible to make any bargain to which the workers on their side would st : ck and loyally carry out, the whole position would bo easier. But nothing is less possible than that. Labour unions in Australia show an increasing tendency to a callous disregard and repudiation of solemn agreements. 'Hie whole big labour section represented by the Trades and Labour Council is Bolshevik—the workers concerned say, "We will have nothing to do with arbitration or agreements or co operation or profit sharing ; we want the .Socialist Commonwealth." They said that as a body, officially, a few days ago ' From them no help can come. And it has 0 be admitted in honesty that as a further complication, there are j a certain number of irremediably stupid | employers, men who, disregarding all the I Signs of the times, feel that the worker j is an upstart who should he kept in his place I still meet employers of this I idiotic arrogant class. They are beyond ; argument. They cannot bo brought to see j and to understand that the worker is | democracy, for whatever democracy may be worth-that the. worker will now never again lose control, but will surely increase his grip. Hopeless to try and overthrow a majority, when the majority once realizes its powers and opportunities. Democracy, founded on the hateful theory or superstition, that any hundred men mav justlv coerce any ninety nine, has I now settled to it? system. I find that. ' majorizes no longer pretend concern for I the rights of minority. The battle ;s I m the Strode, and it : s a eve of devil-take-the hindermost right along the line. . 'Thee labour unions who clamour for the I rights of working men 'are less than I nothing for the rights of working men not banned together in unions. The gas worker who wants £14 a week is per- ■ fertly indifferent to the rents of the • skilled professional worker who mav earn less than half that, Nothing »1 f truistie about the labour unions, nothing i| of reil alremhrarng comradeship'h» i i brotherhood of. man seems farther off 'I than ever. . And so it seems to me that the <-hi' . dren's chance of be ; property cared i for bv the State is by no means rosy. ' If there were nutriment in promises, the Labour Government would keep us all 1 fat; but, when the demand of nature is for solid meal—where are we? TinmrrtiattfrmmnMiiii