WELFARE OF PEOPLE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23663, 22 November 1938, Page 5

WELFARE OF PEOPLE

ADJUSTMENT TO NEW AGE PHYSICAL FITNESS MOVEMENT NEED STRESSED BY MINISTER Economic and commercial conditions of the people to-day compared with conditions 50 years ago, and the effect of the greater use of machinery in most forms of production and transport were dealt with by the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr W. E. Parry) in an -afterluncheon address given in Wellington to some 60 members of the conference of the national and local executives of the New Zealand Institute of Public Administration. The Minister laid stress on the need for the physical welfare movement, now being launched, in present-day conditions of life. “ The organisation we are promoting to-day for the encouragement of rhysical fitness among the people is rendered necessary by two salient features of the present-day trend of modern life,” Mr Parry said. “The first feature is the need to establish a better physical standard, and from it improve the health and well-being of our people. The second feature is the need for an organisation to assist the community in readjusting itself to the changed : conditions of •■■modern times, largely brought about by the scientific development which has given the People greater leisure than in past years. “The economic' and commercial conditions of to-day have materially altered compared with those coneditions Of 50 years ago,” Mr Parry ■ continued. The . engineer and the scientist, had ushered into life the machine age. The demand was not now so much for capital and labour in the same way as that demand existed in the developmental stages of modern industry. In the early days of development the one great task was to supply the market with goods. To-day this position had been completely transformed into One of finding a market in which to place advantageously the abundance of goods. Unemployment Problem “Not only dp the manufacturing •«nd primary industries not require to-day the labour the]?' did at the outset and during their development, but in them tho number of . jobs is diminishing with the pace of the introduction of machinery and the mechanisation of production,” Mr Parry nroceeded. “In the days of old, men who were indolent and refused to work were quickly condemned. There are millions of people in the world to-day who ask to be permitted to help in the world’s work, but it is refused them. This, too, notwithstanding the fact that millions of people are employed in . the building and construction of a war machine that .to-day threatens civilisation. Think what would happen if .we suddenly awakened' to a commonsense realisation of the futility of war—that we agreed, to have no more war. • Millions more men and women would, under present conditions join the already surplus armV that is displaced from industry.” The problem in New Zealand today—and that of the world—was how, they .were to adjust .themselves , tp, v . the new conditions; to give to ' the- human’. family -the ' opportunity of ; enjoying the fruits, that should , be plucked from the. genius of mankind,* Mr Parry said. The pressing question under modern conditions was unemployment, due to the development of the machine age. The market demand was supplied with less and less labour, and, the number

without jobs grew larger and larger veer by year. Mr Parry said that in New'Zealand in 1923 there were 13,553 milking plants; in 1937 the number was 27,331. In 1923 there were 439 tractors on the farms; in 1937 they totalled 6585, These figures meant the release of men and! horses from industry. It was interesting to note that both horses and human beings were much on the decrease in numbers compared With the days of the past'. The horse was not produced tp-day because the machine had taken his place “I should go further,” Mr Parry commented, “and say that the insecurity of income of parents through refusal to adjust our Selves to the new conditions of the machine age, may be playing a major part in the falling birth rate of the world.” World-Wide Changes Changes in one country, Mr Parry said, were almost automatically repeated in other countries. Means of communication were so rapid to-day that what one country adopted with advantage was adopted in’ other countries .almost within a day or two. With the universal operation of the telephone and the wireless, which had completely annihilated distance, they could no longer keep secret for long periods scientific discoveries which enabled a country to produce cheaper commodities than other, countries produced Swiftness of communication had, with other discoveries and inventions, quickened the development of the modem viewpoint as against old ideas. Adjustment from old ideas and conditions to the present day facts and conditions was to be found in a more equitable distribution of the proceeds of science and industry among men, women and children of the world,. thus enabling them to enjoy the benefits of science and discovery which unhappily to-day were being allowed to intensify poverty, worry, despair and ill will. “As time passes,” Mr Parry continued, “with the rapid development of science and industry there will be fewer industrial and primary workers required to produce material goods, and more and more of these workers will be released and available for other services. This modern and natural change should be welcomed' as a great emancipatory change. It is an old saving, but nevertheless a true one, * That we do not live by bread alone.’ Preservation of Resources “It is imperative,” he said, “that more definite action should be taken to sustain and preserve Nature’s resources from which come all our food and wealth The policy of the fire stick and the axe which have

produced scarred hills, eroded and exhausted lands, is surely something that cries aloud for a permanent check. Unquestionably we should all unite to protect our heritage against a continuation of the shortsighted and stupid policy of the past. There are play-grounds, parks and centres for physical training and recreation needed in our country districts and towns; the beautification of our countryside; the straightening and cleaning of our rivers and watercourses; the taking in hand of the laying out of our beaches to make them the real playgrounds and health. resorts they should be; further reclamation of our city waterfronts for parades and better provision than now exists for public performance by our musicians and bandsmen should be attended to. When all is considered the scientist and the engineer have conferred benefits by lifting us from material things. We should be ready to adjust ourselves to the reward his ingenuity has given us." The day of long hours of toil at material jobs was gone and the proper use of leisure was here, thanks to the scientist and the engineer. Mr Parry proceeded. Nobody with the welfare of the people at heart liked to see leisure used by citizens in standing about the streets or in spending earned leisure in ways not conducive to well-being of mind and body. One of the most important functions of the Government to-day in New Zealand and m other countries was the organisation of the people to fit them physically and mentally to take advantage intelligently of the new age. By the people’s utilisation of the time which their material jobs previously took from them, in work for the promotion of every aspect of the country’s welfare would come the physical, mental and moral fitness of the people of our nation.”