UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20925, 15 July 1931, Page 14

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE.

'Sir.,-—Now that the Government has brought forward its unemployment ■■ insurance it would be well for all citizens, employed or otherwise, to give serious consideration to the question and ask himself or herself what is most likely to be the result. If we shirk our duty, unemployment will continue to exist, tho numbers will increase. The one. and only cure for unemployment is work—-work provided and paid for by the individual for the individual under the direct personal supervision of the employer. ' To make this possible, a fund for the payment of such work is absolutely necessary: what is wanted is an employment assurance fund. I agree that a levy of from 3d to 6d per -week on all wages, salaries and incomes is necessary. The only thing we should call upon the Government to do is to pass the necessary legislation for the collection of the money anß provide a subsidy of pound for pound. This would bring into existence the employment assurance fund. The Dominion . should then be divided into city and country districts. Auckland should have tho control of the collection and spending of its own employment assurance fund. A committee should be set up for the purpose of registering, the usual occupation and income of every junior and adult worker in the district. Employers should furnish returns of all employees; employees, individual returns. This would provide us with the necessary information to enable the fund to- be collected and work allocated to the best possible advantage. A committee should be set up to receive application for workers, and allocate workers; receive 'work done' certificates, and forward them td the payment- committee. Not only should it he compulsory for every person to pay 3d to 6d per week per pound, but it should be (and until it is, unemployment will increase) compulsory for the individual to provide work equal to the amount hs has paid into the fund. This is the real solution. Work for the individual, provided and paid for by the individualTo make this clear, I give the following examples:—(l) Income is £2O per week. Taking' his levy at 4d per pound per week he pays into the fund 6s 8d per wfp.k. We will assume that the assured rate of pay is 10s per day. His liability would be 6s 8d per week and to provide two days' work for an assured ■worker every three weeks. I think it will be admitted that this does not pose any hardship on the individual. What class of work would ,he provide 1 The man with an income of £2O per has a home or business in which it would be quite easy to provide two days' extra work every three weeks. lam well aware of the fact that there are many loopholes; remember, however, we have ful information both from employer and employee of the usual occupation. There is no need, however, to meet these difficulties before we come to them. (2) worker earning, say, £4 per week: >° pays in Is per week and has to provii« ono dav's work every ten weeks. will not find it very difficult to provi 0 a day's work for a fellow-worker, n® has already provided the pay. COS of administering the fund should be borne by the assured workers, who should p®. into (to be deducted from their assured pav) a special fund for cost of administration of 3d per pound per week. removing from the Government aim municipal authorities the responsibility providing work and placing it on the ma vidual, the variety of work would greatly increased. There is no clas worker that would not, to a very * siderable extent, be provided forwould also have the very desirable ettecc of putting into consumption large quam ties of goods and material. The roregoin* is a brief outline of the employment assurance method of overcoming u ployment, which I have forwarded to t Prime Minister in much g reat ®f de ' 1 am well aware of the fact -theie many difficult points to be overcome,, W have no hesitation in saying that u we, as individuals, accept our double sponsibility —of providing pay and ."ft —unemployment will increase. " cost us more and more until it win come beyond our capacity to pay we will be numbered among the un* nloyed. The scheme would have tne. of 'discovering the willing J or^ p]o y. disclose the unsatisfactory and unernp jT able ones; provision is made for tne Government productive work and thr its municipal activities.^