The Timaru Herald MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1908. REMEDIES FOR UNEMPLOYMENT.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 13716, 5 October 1908, Page 4

The Timaru Herald MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1908. REMEDIES FOR UNEMPLOYMENT.

The " Nineteenth • Centur-y'' f™' August,! recently to hand, contains an «ce»lent article," culm, and cool, from the pen of a working man on a working roans ques-tion-lack of employment --which i* somewhat of au urgent question in the Old Country at she present moment. The writer.' James C Hutchinson, gives no hint ofhs (.ailing, but indicates that he has had a long experience by alluding to hardships felt lifty years ago. Want of employment, hs says, ha* always bean known, but now, owing u. the "socialist unrest." efforts are being made io find; ernes for that. indv»>tiial malady. A:t .:- .pointing- out-the fallaciousness of relying to any exd-nt npon reglstral-'.cm office* "or labour bureaux—for unemployed worknin are quick to leani.where work is to •\<o : had—Mr Hutchinson proceeds-"to- describe what appear to him to lie possible- and practicable -cures." What is wanted is (a) -' a. fuller and bciivr paid average state of employment," better pay prodtic--iii'i a more, contented workman, rendering more adequate . ervke ; and ib) labour 'making more sensible use- of the money eanted, by sptwting more, on articles, of utility the production of wh'ch makes a demand for labour. he pur.-: no. faith'in special labour legislation. "Many of u* have-been well nigh legislated out of (unemployment by well meant, but mistaken measures pasv.'d- to promote our welfare." The writer 'discusses hiietly the munuipalisaiion (if iiulusti'es. and concludes that id the present Stat? of society such deafiiigs'Miould b.» restricted to stub matirrs as must In- monopolies —waier. gar>, trams and the like. He deals also with the question-of machinery, and concludes thai on the whole machinery has be'ii a boon to the workers, by reducing the cost of nearly everything they must buy. The Workers' Compensation' Act, he. Im-Hcws, has winked injurioiiidy ; n the case of old men, ! who, iha employers fear, are more likely than younger men to suffer from accidents and ailments for which the. em plovers could be held liable: and he admits that "employers must be just to ih>-m'M?lws befor.' generous io their employee-." (As a matter of fad, the only iii(|iiiry that has been made into this matter, thai we arc aware* of. showed that the younger in.-n were, pioporlionately !o their numbers, more' frequently than older men the victim* of iudc I r'al accidents, raid claimants for compensation.) Amoiii; the les=cr causes of unemployment. Mr HtHehiii'.iiii reckoned ihe iinperfecn'oii id die apprenticeship system of the pieseiu day. Yotuiii f.-11.-.wv fail to complete their iipprentheship. wander fiom em plover to employer as - itnproven." never become good journeymen, and are there fore the last to be taken on, the lilit to be turned olf. Another side V-ue earise of unemployment he finds io " ihe super(iciat" education w- hav • ben givm'i t' l our children in the < le>ii<-iUaiy schools during the las', thirty odd year-." 1' has not t.iide.l 10 make u"»d woikmen. and it lias tended to make bad ones, by engendering a fal-e pi .'do that ha- made many of i-,s ~-, ipi. -up. unemployable, Mr J

Hut, bin on i- bv nn mean- of opui on thai < -iltit aii.,ii until-, ji man to be a "Ood .-ti-iNan. Quito- liii' .-unitary: Inn tin!"''itinai.lv in too many . a-.-s the little l.'nrnin-; pi o\-.-s (he .lam,'.-!on* s!iiii-r- up- ;-. !■. (ho youth's .(jtiibliiimn. and he t-'l.t's ~ di-lil..- to uoii.. l"iif..iiiin.-m-ly many

|.:.ien:i who .-an albir.l t... l;«vp -■ lad ~ouh« tint.-- at M-liool. think b thi-.r 'buy ..]... to pl.n-j. h m in 50:,..- . mploym.-n 1 . in wl.i.-li hi- .an 1;-. p his .oaf ..it all day, ami thus ofi.-n male a po..r «|inll dliv.r of a I:.' niw mi.'li! have b.-. om.- a lii■-»■ i-la- .-nto-.m. For ih- irujoriiy He-edn.-aiioii I hey i<-.-.-ive is '«m forgoK'-n. ■ ■s-' p; ihi-ir and wriiinjf. and .•noiijjii aibhme!!.- :•• follow " ih- -tanof (he ..do-." Thi-- irm,.iL lad- t.. <:.<• .•.mill'lit lii.: "it -t w 1- |-.»' ble !.. hnbii.-- ;be majority ~f our worKim-n tiidi ;i nhn>.:.-..! f-.r vt..;i. i h.-y b..v- for .-J..H and plav. sh.y would >"• ir> M'M.h.lid . ;,iry all l-loir -U ■ r.i " Mi ll.lf.hili -oil has' 1.0 hop.' {...-I- 1 .ill! .-hallK"-- ,„,„! .„.,i lliv „„,, ~.., b- :.■,,..1. ~,! i„. •■:„„,... ~."• j.ou t ..*.!.}< raw -r half m.-iniif... un.d tna''ii.l. ■ ..n iin-irr.- fiii plovimm-. Th-n he <-.. m. to "by far ih-' mo--: j-.0i.-o. .-a..—, wh.. b aib-. I th" .otifit.uitv ..ml vohitn .-i onpwUKCii-:

the .wastage of ' health 'and wealth in intemperance of all kinds: arid strikes and lock-outs.'* Calculations are quoted which indicate, that the average expenditure/of working class families on drink is 6s per week. Mr Hutchinson is not on abstainer,' but he limits himself to half a p'nt of beer per day. He would he more liberal to others, and allow (for argument's sake) an average of four pints a day. purchasable for 2s 4d-per week, saving 3s'B4 per week. The total saving'for the 6.500,000 working class families would be nearly 62 millions a year -enongh to give 7jos a. week io 794.C00 workmen all the year round, and that is a larger number linn the toial average unemployed in all trades. And ih?ir expenditure would of course imply fuller employment for everybody. Mr Hutchinson has some, pla'n and wise words regarding strikes and lock-outs. In some cases a strike is "a pitiful illustration of a tail wagging the dog." ihe

political zeal of a. few leading the many along lines athwart the natural lawiv of supply and demand. It was unnecessary to- insist upon the injurious effect of a s.'r'ke iipnu those concNsrned in it: but the writer dwells a little upon the injury done to subsidiary trades, and to all trade.-, by the s reduction of production and consumption. Hence "-before long there are cries of distress and' poverty arising, from a condition of unemployment brought about, too 'often, by the unwarranted action of a comparatively few irresponsible men. who in the majority of cases cover the whole of their family, or their family, cares, under their own hats." He'asks thai the workmen should share the employer's prosperity in good timets; butjust ice should prevail, and the" workman should in had times be ready to share depreciation of income with the employer. In conclusion, Mr 'Hutchinson says that" the bedrock pr'neiple of reform is the ■prevention or large reduction of the waste through intemperance, strikes and lockouts. The latter may bi looked for ■'when workmen recognise they owe 'a u'ety to iheir employers, and ' equally, employ en; to their men; and when both acknowledge .they . have duties whieb. in common justice they should render to tha whole community," Iktnpily." t-lie 'reforms sketched out; Mr RMchiraon sav*.

" itre such as t lie working classes can accomplish for thorn wives, and once achieved t liey would prove a remedy for unemployment and render unnecessary any alteration in our focal' pol : ey." Tiie article Ave have thus, condensed was written by nn (JUd Country worker for Old CVnntiy conditions, hut though New-'Zea-land is geographically at, the opposite side of die world, nearly every word he. ha* wriiion is as applicable bore as in England. ,