UNEMPLOYMENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21019, 7 May 1930, Page 9

UNEMPLOYMENT.

TO THE EDITOR. ; Sib, —-Your columns for a long time past have contained-much correspondence on the subject of unemployment, but be* yond the rather hare-brained scheme of Mr P. Neilson (the despoiling of the landowner) no remedy within the bounds of practical politics ■ has been propounded. _ Mr. Sivertsen has supplied your readers with much thoughtful matter upon the causes of this world-wide difficulty, hut he has stopped. short of suggesting a remedy. Without professing to be any wiser than my fellows, but bearing in mind that even out of the mouth of a fool a suggestion Worth considering may proceed, I throw out two 1 ideas which occur to me as a possible help to our pressing problem. It is.beyond dispute that relief works are no solution; in fact, they may in the long run actually increase the difficulty, so why not turn to something likely to beTnore permanent? Two things present themselves to me. The Government has in operation a system of advances to settlers. Could this not be extended to some method of- establishing cottage .fcardens? Is it, not practicable to lay out village settlements with small areas suitable for growing flowers, vegetables, or fruit—even dairying on a small Male might be 'included.'' 'The difficulty m of course to ensure a market, but I think this might be surmounted if the sympathy of townspeople could be obtained. Surely something of this kind , is better than the system of public works in which so small a return is obtained from the money expended. Anything so Bpent without adequate return is an economic loss to the community, and but tends to add to its burdens. My second, and perhaps more important idea is so to protect and foster local industries as to create a market {I use the word ' without disrespect) for the present surplus supply of labour; ; Is not this the policy which has proved so successful in the United States? It is being adopted, or perhaps I should say tried, in tralia, and we might with advantage watch developments there. One might go further and point out that a great deal of the unemployment, in this country .at all events, is directly caused by the operations of the arbitration system. The system haß long ceased to deserve this name, and- is now" nothing'but a' Wagefori?!? institution. By fixing wages on. the basis of age only, as is often done, men , are 1 actually being put out, of-their jobs because the wage fined is beyond their capacity to earn. There are other' objections to the system aB now in operation, but I do not propose to touch upon them in this letter. But J would like to have the views of such thinkers as Mr Sivertsen and Mr Neilson on the two ' suggestions I have made, even if, they can only tear them to pieces.—I am, etc., Veri tas.