WORK OF UNEMPLOYED

Taranaki Daily News, 25 June 1931, Page 7

WORK OF UNEMPLOYED

• LAND DEVELOPMENT PLANS ACTION OF BOARD APPRECIATED. CHANCE IN SECONDARY INDUSTRY By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. Development of the secondary industries as a means of removing the unemployment evil was urged by Mr. G. W. Leadley at the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association conference to-day. Last year the manufactured goods of New Zealand were valued at £35,000,000, said Mr. Leadley. If that sum could bo increased by £10,000,000 it would give employment to 15,000 more men, Having classified the unemployed and ascertained the number of skilled men the problem of the Unemployment Board was to get skilled workers back to their vocations. They could not all be turned into farmers. The board .had come to the decision that the best method to put these men in industry was by an intensive campaign for New Zealand manufactures. Under the present schemes a great deal had been done to bring land into cultivation. Much useful and reproductive work had been done all over the Dominion. The cost had been £650,000 —more than the whole of the year’s revenue from the unemployment levy. It had been suggested that the board should adopt a comprehensive land settlement scheme and a five-year plan was suggested by Mr. Coates. It was an excellent scheme which would give employment to 4000 men for five years and then leave 4000 extra settlers, but that, scheme would have taken all the funds for 4000 men, and it was not adequate with 44,000 unemployed. The board had done the next best thing in endeavouring to increase production by a system of farming on land already occupied. Mr, Leadley proceeded to give instances of good work done under schemes 4a and 4b. One good thing which would come out of the depression like a flower growing out of an ugly stem was the increasing desire among citizens to serve their fellow men on the unemployment committees, giving to the relief funds and in many other directions such help as could not be measured in £.s.d., but still important in the life of the nation. Special reference was made to the' work of Mr. H. B. Burdekin, vicechairman of the board, whose knowledge of economics and finance had been of treipendous value to the board. A motion was passed expressing appreciation of the work of the Unemployment Board and urging the provision of further finance to enable the board to continue its work and assist in land development on a large scale.