UNEMPLOYED WOMEN

Stratford Evening Post, Volume II, Issue 343, 29 August 1933, Page 5

UNEMPLOYED WOMEN

MRS. McCOMBS OUTSPOKEN Callous Treatment 1 . “When I think of the Govern--y-ment and unemployment, I remember that.there are ten Ministers of the Crown and every one of them has twelve thousand million brain cells—all unemploy- :

ed,” stated Mrs E. R. McCombs, amid laughter, at the openinci of her political campaign at Lyttelton, states the Christchurch Star. “The downright injustice of the Government's attitude in taxing the *■' women and girls of the Dominion ro the extent of £750,000, .and at, the same time taking up an attitude 7 of indifference towards unemployed women and girls, is nothing short of a scandal. “The fact that the Government has been so callous in its treatment of unemployed women has aroused the Indignation of all thinking women, including members of its own party. With regard to the problem as it af feels the whole community, we have been watching over again the application of the old remedy of placing an ambulance down in the valley, instead of fencing the top of the pre-

cipice, and a very inadequate arnbu lance it has been.

Depression Aggravated “The fact that the depression as it developed in New Zealand was aggravated unnecessarily by the mistaken methods adopted to deal with certain phases of it. is one on which some cf us hold strong views. Take for instance, the wage reduction policy which brought about further huge reductions in purchasing power. In p, country already suffering from insufficient purchasing power, this was disastrous. It is estimated that the total loss in buying capacity occasioned by the wage reductions was not less than £12,000,000. The cessation of many necessary public works drove numbers of men out of employment. To take men off necessary and reproductive public works and put them on to unnecessary and unproductive works seems little short of madness.

“The ill-advised attempts of the Government to assist certain wealthy classes of the community have also increased our difficulties. The main fact that confronts us now, however, is that this country is passing through the worst period of its history, and it is imperative that some action must be taken in the immediate future to get New Zealand out of her difficulties.” “Official Figures Doubled” It had been estimated, stated Mrs. McCombs, that the actual number of persons, including women anti youths, unemployed in tho Dominion, was nearly double the figures of 80,000. Added to those there was n very large number of men and women who were working part timo ami half time. They were earning in any cases no mere than relief .rates of pay, and probably exceeded the number, of the totally unemployed. Was it any wonder that tho business of (he country suffered when nearly a quarter of the adult population, will 0,11 'their dependents, were deprivedl of the means of purchasing sufficient for oven the bare necessities of life.

II ml or the Labour Party’s plan real work for real wages would take the place of charity. It was true that the unemployed were getting plenty of kindness, hut what they wanted was real h'nrk to vary (he monotony. “I cannot, believe that the people of New Zealand are willing to tolerate these conditions,” stated the candidate. “Wo have traditions of independence, initiative and resourcefulness. and. we can niter these conditios without, waiting for the world to recover. It has been amply demonstrated that measures such ' as wags reductions, high exchange, and sales tax, have only served to increase (ho difficulties for most sections 'of the people.”