The Daily News. THURSDAY, JULY 4, 1912. A "PAYNE-FUL" PROPOSAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 316, 4 July 1912, Page 4

The Daily News. THURSDAY, JULY 4, 1912. A "PAYNE-FUL" PROPOSAL.

Like Bradley's historical gander, Mr. Geo. Payne, the member for Grey Lynn, lias great notions. He has already left [ his mark upon the history of the present Parliament, and conscious of the fact that his political life is not likely to last longer than the duration of the eighteenth Parliament of New Zealand, he is eager to add to his already doubtful laurels. His latest scheme for the building up of a thrifty and self-relying nation is too delightful to be allowed to pass without commentary. This he has embodifd in a measure to be entitled the Workers' Eights and Workers' Wages Bill. Briefly, this remarkable measure which he proposes to circulate, provides that any person of either sex who has been not less than five years in New Zealand, and who is temporarily out of employment, shall be entitled to a weekly wage equal to that person's .average weekly earnings when employed. Any such person receiving such payment of wages shall perform in return therefor such work or service or duties as the officer administering the Act may be able to allot to the payee. As far as possible the administering officer snail provide for each applicant for a weekly wage work that he or she has been accustomed to. Where there is any difficulty as to this the officer shall as soon as possible transfer those receiving the benefits under the Act into suitable channels of employment. In connection with this portion of the Act free railway passes are to be supplied to persons sent to work in the country. If allotted work, the applicant must faithfully perform it for a period of three months (unless other avenues of employment open to him), and at the end of three months shall have the right to transfer to more suitable occupation. Tn addition to this, Mr. Payne calmly provides that nobody shall be paid less than £3 a w-.ek, whatever work he may be engaged in and whatever his ability or inability to perform it. This is Utopia with a vengeance for the working-man, but the philanthropic and generous ilr. Payne has quite forgotten to let the public know where the unfortunate employer conies in. This person is apparently to supply all the home comforts and act as a sort of financial wet-nurse to every scallywag that likes to represent himself as a tradesman, quite regardless of the fact that his business will not stand the strain or that ho cannot properly perform the work allotted to him. Under these circumstances the incisure hardly seems to go far enough. Why should the drapers not be compelled to clothe (lie honest son of (oil and his family free of charge, and the grocers supply them

gratuitously with the necessaries of life? It is the obvious duty of the hotelkeeper, too, to keep him in free beer and the banks to supply him with ample pocket money without any consequent consideration. Also, the State ought really to arrange for marble baths for him and a valet to clean his brogues and brush his dungarees, and the chemists should see that he lias plenty of rose-scented pomade for his well-oiled locks, while the tobacconists, of course, must keep him in the choicest Havanas. A free postal and telegraph department should also be placed at his disposal, and with his hours reduced to a maximum of four a week he would have leisure to supervise the State gardeners, who would naturally look after his free ten-acre estate, and amuse himself by strumming a little on his free Bechstein grand. In the intervals he could also probably find time to attend the funerals of a few of the employers and spare a copper or two for wreaths for their coffins. Mr. Payne is obviously a hopeless, impossible politician, and appears to be one of those political freaks, who occasionally scramble into Parliament at the whim of a constituency suffering from a temporary political aberration. lie fails, apparently, to recogniso that the adoption of his supremely ridiculous measure would be to make laborers of all the employers in a few months' time, and employers of all the laborers. Having reached this stage of matters, the process would require to be reversed, and this reversal would go on indefinitely. But as the House is not likely to take either Mr. Payne or his little Bill seriously, the employers of the country need not commit hari-kari or lose any sleep over it at present.