QUEST FOR WORK

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 18992, 17 April 1936, Page 13

QUEST FOR WORK

it» DEBATE UPON BILL "LITTLE WAY ON ROAD" PRIME MINISTER'S VIEW ANSWER TO OPPOSITION (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. The House of Representatives met at 10.3v' a.m. The War Regulations Repeal Bill was introduced and read a first time. The Attorney-General, the Hon. 11. 0. ft. Mason, said it was proposed to repeal all the existing regulations. If there were any members who thought special consideration was required, the matter could be raised later. Resuming the debate on the Employment Promotion Rill, the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. R. Seiuple, referred to the demoralising effect of several forms of relief work and said that the Government had to set out to teach the young men of the country to render real service, lie said that engineers on Public Works Department jobs said-that in cutting men back, they were acting under instructions and he had stopped it on all jobs, as it, gave the men no incentive to work.

As a result- some men on the Milsom aerodromo were earning 23s 2d a day. It would take Home time to recover from die damage that had been done to the young men, and he was not. blaming the torinir Prime Minis!er for everything. Several city councils were largely to blame. The system that was established was wrong and the Government had to set it right. He was certain it could be done.

WHOLEHEARTED CO-OPERATION The Leader of the. Opposition, the RL Hon. G. W. Forbes, said that the Government could rely on the wholehearted co-operation of the Opposition in endeavouring to solve the unemployment problem. Ik- referred to the difficulties thai arose when seasonal work ended, and when other work had to be found. Tncre was a weakness in putting men on to such works, as when lliey ended, the services of the men had to be dispensed with. No country had been able permanently to solve' this most- distressing problem that could face any country, and if New Zealand could do so. nobody would be more pleased than he. Mr. Forbes defended the placing of men on chipping grass off roads, as preferable to paying sustenance. air. Forbes said that the general conditions to-day had so improved that the Government should be aide to do more than the previous Governnent had doae. The country could look back with satisfaction on the .'act that business had weathered the storm because of steps taken to enable -.1 to do so. That had meant unpopularity for the Government of the day, but the record in regard to New Zealand and its businesses 1 was one in ivhich the people should have some confidence. "NATION OF NAVVIES" lie said that the schemes of the Minister of Public Works should be closely examined from the financial point of view. Under the old regime, iiio average cost of a man on public vorks in the country was £(i n week, ind under the new regime it would be much greater. '1 he last Government had been charged with making New Zealand a nation of navvies, but the present- Government was making a greater number of navvies than, the past Government, that was no solution-of the problem, as those men would still lie wanting work .vheti the resources ran out. The Government was only extending the system adopted in the past. The Prime Minister, the lion. M. .1. Savage, said that the cause, of unemployment was that, the people are living at a machine age. and the world was not keeping pace with production. If they could agree on, the cause, they would probably get somewhere. The Government had inherited a rickety old machine. It never praised it. but had to take the rickety old thing as it was and try to make the best of it till they got their feet on the ground. NOT WHOLE SOLUTION The Government hud not yet had the Opportunity to put its policy into opera-1 tion, and tho bill was not Labour's sola- | don of the difficulty, but was Labour's j way of moving a little way along the road until it could shape its own course- j What was wanted was that the people should get the benefit of tho machine and not put the machine out of operation. Many men were seeking work, and it was the Government's job to ;ec that thev got it. Mr. Savage said the trouble in fact •was I hat production was increasing, while the money available was decreasing,' and the result, was, unemployment. The Government wanted to make means available for the people to enjoy tingood things of life, and hours of work would be considerably reduced, but that r.ould not he done in'a day. The foundation had to be laid in New Zealand. and no matter where the service came from, the money had to lie found in New Zealand. PRODUCTION AND COSTS The Leader of the Opposition had asked the cost of Labour's policy, continued Mr. Savage, who said that when Labour's policy was in full blast, u the country produced £ICO,OCO,OCO worth of goods, it would be costing £ICO,OCO,Cm to do it. Mr. Forbes: That is Douglas credit. Mr. Savage : 1. don't care what kind of credit, it is. 11 is common sense. Mr. Savage said that Mr. Semple was not trying to make New Zealand a nation of navvies. He was a man (.1 modern outlook and vision. Mr. W. J. Broadfoot (Nat., Waitomo) asked the Government to give the House definite information as to how public credit was going to bo used. He wanted something concrete to bite at. He said the people were led to believe- that there would be a decrease in taxation, bid the Minister of Labour had said Ihe tax would he left as it was. Nevertheless, he thought they would have an increase- in taxation for unemployment purposes, notwithstanding ;II that was said to the contrary. Mr. A. S. Richards (Lab., Roskill) : Wait and see. Mv. Broadfoot said fhat the Unemployment Board had a sticky job, and was deserving, of commendation. The House adjourned for luncheon.