TUESDAY,'AUGUST 20, 1929. FOOD AND UNEMPLOYMENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20800, 20 August 1929, Page 8

TUESDAY,'AUGUST 20, 1929. FOOD AND UNEMPLOYMENT.

Men live in town or country either from choice or from necessity. One man chooses to move into the town because he desires the educational facilities there provided for his children. Another man would prefer to go to the country but, as he cannot get land, stays unwillingly in town. On the whole, rural districts have always produced more children than can be absorbed into rural occupations. Thus the surplus moves in from many points to the central point—the town. The general impression is that the birthrate of the rural districts is higher than that of the towns, but statistics at' first sight do not confirm this impression. The birth-rate seems higher in towns than in the general average of the whole; but people in country districts avail themselves of nursing and hospital facilities in towns, and this affects the statistics. In New Zealand births are allocated according to the domicile of the parents, with the effect that each of the four main centres has a, birth rate below the average for New Zealand as a whole. Thus in 1927 the rate per 1000 in Dunedin was 16.13, as against 20.29 for all New Zealand. Again, those who succeed in rural industries commonly send their children to town schools, thus swelling the urban population and at the same time giving the children a taste for town life. A taste for town life is acquired by living in town, for country life by living in the country. An agricultural bias given to education will not of itself create a desire for rural life. Of course* it is as plain as

the proverbial pike-staff that New Zealand lives mainly on what it grows,— if the rural industries prosper, everything else prospers; if they languish, everything else languishes. But people cannot be led to -the country by abstract arguments. ‘lf they can’t go, or won’t go, ftiey cannot be forced. On the whole, however, more people will go to the country to work and live if it pays them to do so. But that must be a slow aYid natural movement, except in the case where 'large tracts of profitable land are available for immediate working on a living basis. It is clear that, if New Zealand had double the number of people on the land that she has at present, the output of primary products wouldbe greatly increased, and so through export the wealth of New Zealand would be considerably augmented, and the natural result would be that more employment would be available. But there are peculiar difficulties common all over the world. One is that more food can be grown than can ( be consumed. Further, it is known '‘by statisticians pretty closely what the world-increase in population will be for the next ten years. It might be thought that this increase would necessitate the placing of more acres under cultivation to produce the requisite yearly increase of food. On the contrary, some competent authorities declare that, without adding another acre to those already under cultivation, the necessary increase of food can be got by the use of chemical manures. Apparently there is hope for a limitless supply of nitrogenous manure. Another difficulty is that though food has grown more abundant, unemployment does not disappear. This means that the food is available,''but if a section of the community is out of work, then such section can get access to food only by dole or by violence, or by the expedient of temporary relief employment. But the efficiency of a whole community must be encouraged even when a temporary unemployment of a section may occur. In New Zealand, as elsewhere, the population can eat only a certain amount of food, hnd all surplus is available for export. So far there has been no difficulty in disposing of the surplus abroad. If we had a larger population the surplus of food for export- Avould be greatly lessened, provided the increased population did not engage in rural industries but could find profitable employment in the towns, —which is at present very doubtful indeed. Those who maintain that unemployment is the result of over-population have to face the fact that there is more food than is wanted.' The remedy would appear to be increase of population. But increased population will swell existing unemployment.- If those at present unemployed are absorbed into rural industries, non-rui’al industries will soon again begin to exhibit unemployment. For example, if a gang of men is employed in the old way with shovels, along comes a patent mixer and an engine and three-fourths of the men are out of a job right away. A “ talkie ” machine comes along and displaces an orchestra, or an automatic telephone ousts the old attendants, or an improved method of packing chocolates renders fewer employees necessary. Still, the -whole community gains, though it should provide for those temporarily unemployed. This is a serious problem for Governments everywhere. Sectional unemployment may even be a sign of progress, just as depression in agriculture often shows that the world has more food than it needs. Agriculture revived in England as a result of war conditions, but has strangely declined since. New Zealand, of' course, benefits thereby. In the United States tlic farm population fell from v 32,000,000 to 29,000,000 between 1910 and 1925. But England and America have different conditions from those in New Zealand. There seems no reason why for, and appreciation of, this country’s products in Britain should not* increase. Further, it. is known with certainty that our output can be increased. This is shown inecntestably by the development in the production of fat* lambs in the Ida Valley. Indeed, the increased production generally observed in Central Otago is symptomatic of what may be accomplished throughout the whole of New Zealand. This country must not be depressed by unemployment. Periods of change always' experience it. No other country ever equalled the present prosperity of the United States; yet there is plenty of unemployment there. It is not likely that New Zealand will solve this world problem, ‘ though it may contribute its quota to the solution of it. But while attention is given, and rightly, to unemployment, there must be unremitting attention given by legislators, educators, and publicists, as well as by all practical men, to the advancement of what New Zealand lives on—the primary industries.