PROMOTING WORK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22400, 22 April 1936, Page 15

PROMOTING WORK

LONG DEBATE ON BILL MANY LABOUR SPEAKERS " ESTABLISHING NEW ORDER " ATTACK MADE ON BOARD [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON, Tuesday Government members held the floor of the House of Representatives for the greater part of to-day when the second rending debate on the Employment Promotion Bill was continued. An attack on the Unemployment Board on the grounds that it had not been free from political influence was made by Mr. W. M. C. Denham (Government —lnvercargili). The board, he said, had carried out its policy and administered its affairs at the dictation of the previous Government, and had acted only as a buffer between the Government and the unemployed. Mr. K. J. Holyoake (Opposition— Motueka) expressed the hope that the services of board members would be retained by the Government. He himself had crossed swords with them in the past, but the fact remained that they possessed valuable knowledge and experience.

Developing Secondary Industries " We aim at establishing a new social order, when labour and labour alone will be the sole title to wealth," said Mr. C. M. Williams (Government — Kaiapoi). "The Labour Party wants to give abundant leisure to the people of New Zealand, but leisure is not to be confused with idleness. Only those who render useful social service should receive their share of the goods of the community. There is no solution to the unemployment problem within the existing capitalist system, which is based solely on production for profit." The maiden speech of Mr. S. G. Holland (Opposition—Christchurch North) was devoted principally to a strong appeal for the development of secondary industries in the Dominion by the granting of greater protection against overseas competition. "The extension of a public works programme will only perpetuate the biggest problem which this country has to face," Mr. Holland said. "That is the problem of a craftsman at the end of a long-handled shovel. Trained craftsmen can only be put back into proper work by carefully conceived but courageous industrial expansion. "I believe that the primary industries of the country do not offer a very attractive avenue for the absorption of the unemployed. The time has come when we must turn to manufactures if we want to see a big return of the unemployed to industry." Plea for Maori people Only a brief contribution to the debate was made by Mr. A. F. Moncu.r (Government —Rotorua) in his maiden speech. He asked for a fair deal for the Maori people, who, he said, had for too long been "a chopping block for European impostors and speculators."

Mr. A. G. Hultquist (GovernmentBay of Plenty) said the policy of the .previous Government had been to give the unemployed as little as possible. Now they were to receive as much as possible, consistent with the ability of the Dominion to produce the goods and services required by its people. Mr. W. T. Anderton (Government — Eden) characterised the bill as a reorganisation and re-orientation of the ill-conceived ideas contained in some eight Acts passed by the last Government. The bill had been brought in with the object- of clearing up the chaotic condition that had existed with regard to the unemployed. NEED OF CONFIDENCE LEGISLATION CRITICISED "WILL NOT SOLVE PROBLEM" [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON, Tuesday "Despite the pre-election promises of the Prime Minister and his Cabinet this bill is purely orthodox," said Mr. J. Hargest (Opposition—Awarua), during the second reading on the Lmployment Promotion Bill in the House of Representatives to-day. Mr. Hargest claimed that the bill would not have the effect of reducing the number of unemployed, and that no cure for that problem would be found until confidence was restored in the Dominion. Members of the Government had attacked the Unemployment Board during the debate, continued Mr. Hargest, but that board, assisted by the late Government, had done a great deal for the unemployed in spite of continued criticism from the Labour Party. "Power is given under this bill," Mr. Hargest continued, "to raise the unemployment tax from 8d in the pound to Is in the pound, and this - may be done by Order-in-Council without referring the matter to Parliament. That is opposed to everything that has been said by the Labour Party in the past four years and it is evident that under the Minister's proposals the tax must bo raised to Is in the pound if the fund is to remain solvent. "Members of the Government have blamed the advent of the machine for unemployment, but they have forgotten about the economic nationalism of the rest of the world. The greatest reason for unemployment, however, has been a lack of confidence, and tho steps the Government has taken since its accession to office are not going to restore confidence. The 40-hour week, for instance, will not restore confidence and it will not reduce unemployment. "Unless manufacturers, farmers and others are given confidence unemployment will' never be reduced!" Mr. Hargest concluded, "and no legislation will promote tho feeling of confidence that would be engendered by a promise of non-interference."