UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF SCHEMES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22259, 11 May 1934, Page 6

UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF SCHEMES

to the; editob. Sib, —A very good place of residence for "Observer," whose letter appeared in your issue of May 5, would be South Africa, where he would be able to carry out his ideas and schemes for cheap labour. He would not only be able to get a man and wife to help him with his crops and milk his cows (though, by the way, the one or two cows to be milked have a wonderful power of being increased to six, and then a dozen), but he would be able to get a nice big black man and about six wives and all their children to help him. Then he would be able to go to the races and to the wool sales, and, of course, to any other place he wished, and be able to celebrate the occasion over a glass of ginger beer. He would be rather discontented because the powers would not give the family 30s per week or the single men 10s per week, but he could say to the family, "There are three acres for you to grow corn on, and if I do all right you won't lose anything." Evidently he is one of those, persons who want something for nothing. As a Christian person, he should put himself in the other's position and ask how he would like to work for other people \ for his board—a very good way. to get rich Quick. He should remember that every man is worthy of his hire.. When he gets what he wants—that is, work tor board only—then there is' no reason why shopkeepers, industrial and other concerns should not have the same. • I have been in business, and when trade was bad and the rent was owing the only sympathy I got was that 1 was told to gcTout"of the shop and let somebody else try to make it pay better than 1 'ionce worked for a.farmer. I started work at 5 a.m. and finished at 8 p.m. tor 10r Der week and board, and slept in a Place in the winter in which there was ffi fireplace, so that I had to aeep in my clothes to keep warm, whilst the farm* had a nice up-to-date residence with electric light, radiators, etc.. and he got up at 8 a.m. to observe what 1 was doing.-I am, etc.. woRKiN(j Man _ Central Otago, May 7. V TO THE EDITOB. Sir,—ln your issue of May 5 "Observer," writing on the unemployment schemes, draws the attention of .readers to the Unemployment Board keeping men coing round the hills prospecting for gold and wasting thousands of pounds just killing time Those men get 30s a week from the Unemployment Board, and 1 know some of them that are. making another 30s a week, and there is not a lazy bone in their bodies. If the same men went down on their knees to.the farmers in their district they would not get a job at 30s a week. They can build stacks, mend fences, shear sheep, woik a team of horses, in fact, do .any, kind of farm work, but the farmers price is about 12s 6d per week. But that is not my point. The gold scheme pays toi those men prospecting on the hills; gold is taxed 12s 6d per ounce, and it is the only scheme that pays its own way. If every bale of wool were taxed at tue same rate as the, gold, that is, 10 per cent., it would amount to about 17s per bale Also tax wheat, oats, barley, butter, cheese, and meat on the same standard as the gold and it would swell the coffers of the Unemployment Board to overflowing. Unfortunately, that cannot be done at present, as we have a farmers' Parliament in power. But it we have the ltick to get the New Zealand Legion started, who seem to be a body of business men, the miner may get a little relief. There is no doubt about the farmer having a strangle hold on the country; nearly air the taxes, we have to pay go to help the farmer, and the more land he has, either freehold or leasehold, the more help he gets from the Unemployment Board—l am, etc., Unknown.