FUSS NOT WARRANTED

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 13 October 1926, Page 7

FUSS NOT WARRANTED

UNEMPLOYMENT A POLITICAL CRY. S' ASSERTION BY MINISTER. 3y Tcleffr/ipb—Press Association. , AUCKLAND, October 12. The Unemployment Committee met this morning to confer with Ministers of Labour and Lands, to discuss the ; situation, but the latter had not arrived j from the south. The proceedings opened with a bit ! of a breeze. | The Hon. G. J. Anderson said to Mr 1 Phelan: “Your letter stated that unemployment was still acute. 'That is open to question. I tell you distinctly as far as unemployment is concerned it is being dealt with admirably right through New Zealand.” The Rev. Jasper Calder: ‘ You are the only one in New Zealand who thinks so.” Mr Anderson: “We have met the position exceedingly well, j know what is going on just now as well as a g£'d many of you do. We all know it, a.'.d wo know the connection. Only ve.ster- ! day 1 had evidence of what is going ; on, but I am quite willing to meet you j and discuss any plans you may have.” Mr Oakley Browne said they were ! present because they had done everything they could do. The department asked them to state whether unemployment was affected by immigration, and certain other matters. That was why they were present, to place their views before Ministers. Mr Anderson: “Well, I am very pleased to see you.” The Rev. j; Calder asked the Minister to be more explicit in the matter of the insinuations he had made. .11 the Minister Was satislied with what the Government had done, lie was the only one that was satislied. They had some suggestions to make, and provided the Government departments could link up something could come of them. Mr "Wallace (chairman of the Hospital Board) said he could assure the Minister the position was still acute in Auckland. The meeting adjourned to await the : arrival of the Minister of Lands. OLD MAIDS AND BABIES.

“You can’t beat old maids lor telling ■ mothers how to bring up their children, I and you can’t heat, city people tor telling the country people how to settle the land,” said the Minister of Lands, when he attended the conference. •There were lands that had cost the Government £2 an acre which they could not get men to go on at 10s an acre, lie admitted the necessity of settling unoccupied lauds. There were perhaps 3,000,000. acres of such land, half in Auckland province, but the best land ha<l long since been “nibbled” by men who knew the best land. , Mr Browne: “Tax them off it.” The Minister: “It has been ‘nibbled’ by farmers in from 50 to 100 acres. Would you tax the farmer off?'” “I sav there is no land remaining of unoccupied land that is going to be developed on a 10 or 44 hour week and minimum wages,” said Mr McLeod. The Minister then undertook to hand over to any body of employers or employees 10,000 to 15,000 acres, and if they could make it pay and develop it decently into small iarms within ten years he wuukl recommend that they be allowed to retain 25 per cent, of the total value. “HELL TO HACKNEY.”

The Minister added that he would he prepared 1n recommend a scheme of land settlement if the cost could be charged to tho consolidated revonue. “But,” he said. “I am not going into a scheme that 1 and my officers know is unsound, arid have my officers kicked from hell to Hackney afterwards for bringing forward propositions that are economically impossible.” _ Tho Minister of LYbour said that since May Ist over 1750 men had been placed in employment. Tho men had been.placed in public- works, and had left their jobs and come back to the cities and re-registered for work. That had to stop. If a man was given employ ment and did not stick it, the Government would not again consider him, unless he had very good, reasons for leaving it. “This unemployment business,” said Mr Anderson, “has been used largely for political purposes. Trouble has been taken to arrange meetings of unemployed for po.’itical purposes, and it has partially failed. It is not altogether to that we can . blame unemployment, but it has been fostered largely by individuals, and by the prominence given to the matter in the press, and when you boil it down ■what does it amount to? There are 1700 unemployed on tho list, a percentage of 0.29 of wageearners. If we were to double the number of unemployed then this would he under 1 per cent, of the bread-winners and wage-earners of the Dominion, so that ad tho fuss made about it is not warranted.” The meeting then concluded.