“PROMISE FULFILLED”

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 838, 5 December 1929, Page 10

“PROMISE FULFILLED”

UNEMPLOYMENT RETURNS NOT NECESSARY

GETTING ON WITH JOB From Our Resident Reporter WELLINGTON, Today. “We stopped publication of the figures, not because we wished to hide something—there was nothing to hide—but because things were moving so rapidly during the progress of the work that we felt publication of the figures would be misleading.” This explanation of the cessation in the publication of unemployed returns was given by the Hon. W. A. Veitch, Minister of Labour, today, when he said that the daily variation in the registrations made the issuing of an accurate summary difficult. “We undertook to do a certain job within a certain time, and some G,OOO men have been provided for,” continued Mr. Veitch. “We were more concerned about that than about reporting to the public. lam quite sure the people generally are satisfied that the fulfilment of the promise was no mean achievement—indeed, a greater achievement toward the relief of unemployment than has so far been recorded in any other country. We think our opponents might give us credit for having achieved the main purpose, rather than worry over a petty detail as to whether the figures should have been published or not, especially in view of the fact that the numbers were changing from day to day and at 110 stage could be regarded as up to date.” The Minister added that the decision to prohibit the publication of the figures was made by the Cabinet Committee appointed to carry out the promise of the Prime Minister. The committee consists of the Minister of Lands, Hon. G. W. Forbes, the Minister of Labour, Hon. W. A. Veitch, the Minister of Public Works, Hon. E. A. Ransom, and the Minister of Railways, Hon. W. B. Taverner.