“COUNTRY BISAPPOINTED”

Taranaki Daily News, 24 March 1932, Page 5

“COUNTRY BISAPPOINTED”

LABOUR PARTY CRITICAL “FLAT RATE WHOLLY UNFAIR” WOMEN WITHOUT CLAIMS MINISTER STRESSES LAND By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. .The Unemployment Amendment Bill was introduced by Governor-General’s message in the House of Representatives to-day. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr. H. E. Holland) said he believed the whole country would be disappointed with the scheme outlined by the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates. There was nothing new in it with the exception of the increase in the unemployment tax. Mr. Holland was under the impression that a rural allotments scheme had been proposed long ago. Mr. Coates had not shown "how he was going to relieve the hospital boards of the burden they were carrying. Mr. Holland insisted that the imposition of the unemployment tax on a flatrate basis was wholly unfair. He did not think anyone would object to Is in the £1 as a basis provided it was steeply graduated, but a flat rate would operate unfairly against the man on a small income.

. Mr. J. McCombs (Lab., Lyttelton) said that under the new scheme a married mau would receive 7s 6d per day less the cost of food, and would have to work five days for 37s 6d a week, which sum he previously received for three days’ work. In addition he would be separated from his family. Mr. McCombs described the proposal as a starvation scheme in which the Government was entitled to take no pride.

It was proposed women should pay the tax of Is'in the £1 but were still to have no direct claim on the funds, said Mr. D. G. Sullivan (Lab., Avon). He was disheartened that there was no indication that women were either to be exempted from payment of the tax or to be entitled to employment under the board’s schemes. This was one of the worst aspects. EFFECTS OF FARM SCHEME.

Mr. Coates reviewed the development of the problem of unemployment and expressed the conviction that the time had come when it was absolutely essential to fall back on means whereby men could be employed productively, and that meant they would have to be employed in primary industries. Mr. Coates referred at length to the rural allotment scheme and said if the men could be sent out to the country and were employed on the land, even temporarily, the time was bound to come, on an improvement of conditions, when tradesmen especially would be absorbed in their own occupations. There was plenty of rcope for them in the country and once their'services became available to farmers ho felt confident they would be extensively employed. In the meantime progress would be made with the general policy of. transferring the population from urban areas to the country. . The Bill was read a first time and the House rose at 11.10 p.m. till 2.30 p.m. to-morrow. The Prime Minister stated the only business would be to receive the Mortgagors’ and Tenants’ Relief Bill back from the Legislative Council.