THE MARRIED WORKER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2811, 26 August 1908, Page 3

THE MARRIED WORKER.

FAMILIES AND THE COST Otf living, j ; ';"% "' ({From Otm Own Cohsespondent:: WELLINGTON, August 21.. The Hon. , J. Anstey spoke in jljis Legislative Council to-day on the- Hon. J. Barr's motion calling on the j€spVernment to take further measures to imJTro,y« the lot of the married worker and -there.-^ by encourage parentage. t \:_* Ma* Anstey said the Labour leaders! j generally concentrated attention on raie-; ! ing wages and ignored the very, important* ifieues raised by this motion. Increases of wages had made the cost of" living--' higher, and this wae most severely fe.li* 1 Iby men with families. Time the worker ' | with many dependants got no benefit from; the rise in wages. It would be impossible to induce private employers to give preference of employment to married* men,' because the stress of competition ' would" not allow them to do Other than engage the men from, whom they would get thabest value for their money. The -Stats?, however, might extend the, system- of prefereitce to mfli'ried men in" the civil seif-i ' vie© and also in land-for-settlement ballots. The new preference " clauses in cor;< nection with these ballots had, however;. ' been very unsatisfactorily administered^ so far, and liad not benefited married* men, appreciably. He hoped the opportunity,! would be better employed, in the future..' He could not understand Mr M'Cardle'a suggestion that long families should be encouraged by means of bank notes.-jij | (Laughter.) He did not 6ee how the cujSlj rency affected the question. The adminiS, tration of the Workers 1 Dwellings ActT had been too ambitious, and lose preterfj tious dwellings should have been erected, j but he thought much better results couidP be secured through the advances toj" 1 workers system. He advocated a national*) scheme of accid-ent insurance under wliic// workers would be insured for the whol» 24 hours instead of only the working dayi- J He agreed with Mr Barr's pica for*.'' "mother nurses," who in maternity cases, would care for the household ac well &4 for their patient. The 'State might well/ . pay for medical aid and nursing at times of childbirth. The principle involved was already accepted in connection with free education. It would doubtless lead to a reduction of the present high infantile, death rate. He approved of free school book*!, and incidentally expressed a fearthat primary education in 'the rural districts was suffering through funds being diverted to technical education in the cities. The Government should do all that was possible to help the married worker to help himself. — (Applause.)