LABOUR PARTY ATTACK REFORM GOVERNMENT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17880, 23 June 1926, Page 14

LABOUR PARTY ATTACK REFORM GOVERNMENT.

NO-CONFIDENCE AMENDMENT DEBATED IN PARLIAMENT. IMMIGRATION POLICY SAID TO BE FORERUNNER OF WAGE REDUCING CAMPAIGN. That the immigration policy of the Government was only a forerunner of a wage-reducing campaign was the opinion expressed by Mr H. E. Holland, the leader of the Labour Opposition, in launching a hot attack on the Government in the House yesterday.

Whwi th« Imprest Supply Bill No. 1 ■wits introduced, Mr Holland said that although unemployment and immigration were not specificallv dealt with in the Bill, the present was an opportune time to discuss these problems, and he therefore moved: That this House expresses its dissatisfaction with the inadequate financial provision made by the Government in meeting the unemployed problem, particularly in view of the fact that the problem has been greatly intensified by the expenditure of public money in carrying out an indiscriminate immigration policy, which has resulted in bringing thousands of immigrants to the Dominion without reasonable guarantee of employment or adequate provision for housing accommodation. After a very lengthy debate the amendment was defeated by 53 votes to 13. A RIGHT TO WORK. Mr Holland maintained that every man in New Zealand had a right to work and from every point of view there should lie no unemployed in this country, yet the fact remained that there was a large number of registered unemployed in the Dominion, and for every registered man there was probably' at least one unregistered man. Application to hospital boards for relief was not a remedy. The remedy was to find work, and that work should be economically valuable to the community. That there was plenty of such work was evident, but this work was being held up. work which could well absorb practically all the men at present out of

work. He protested against the declaration of - the Prime Minster that these man should not be paid at award rates. That was a fundamental principle of the Labour Party ever since such a party came into existence here and in every other country. Why were these men disemployed? They were told there was no money, but if money could be found for destructive purposes why not for purposes? Unquestionably one of the primary causes of unemployment was the immigration policy of the Government. That policy aimed at the introduction of ten thousand immigrants yearly. That meant that if these immigrants were employed someone else had to be displaced. He was confident that many of the immigrants who went to the High Commissioner’s office in London were misled. They were led to believe that they could get houses and work. The Labour Party was not against immigration in itself—he thought the country could carry ten millions of people—but they insisted that there should be houses and work for the people before they were brought out. No such provision was assured, for while miners came out thinking they were being guaranteed work for twelve months the fact was that they were being bound down to work if theii services were required by the employer, which was quite a different thing. He again stressed the point that he was not against immigration per se, but it was absurd to pour people into the country when work was not being found for them. If the Government could not find work for the people they brought out, then they must provide them with sustenance. That was no remedy, but it was the logical outcome of the position. In his opinion the immigration policy of the Government was only a forerunner of a wage-re-ducing campaign, otherwise why not pay the men who were put on Government work award rates? Although a single man had not family responsibilities at present, he looked forward to the day when he would have those responsibilities, and should receive standard rates of pay. That was why he moved the amendment which was now before the House in his name. The amendment was seconded by Mr Savage, who dealt with the unemployment problem as it affected Auckland. Dealing with the broad aspect of the question, he said one of the remedies lor unemployment was settlement of the lands of the country, but rvervone was finding what the English Commission found, that the Government had no policy in this connection. If the Government, had moved at all they had been extremely slow in their movement. The fact was that there were more unemployed in Auckland to-day than when the Government first pretended to deal with the problem. He wanted the Government to tell the House why this was so. WHAT THE GOVERNMENT IS DOING. The Hon G. J. Anderson said it was perhaps natural that the Labour Party should expect the Government to find work for everyone in the country. That wras a plank of their Socialistic platform, but that was going too far. As it was the Public Works Department now employed ten thousand people, and altogether about fifty thousand people were employed by the State. That, he considered, was sufficient to be safe, for he did not believe in the policy of the State employing everyone in the country. Unemployment was caused by commercial depression. There was an economic cause for that depression, with which the Government had nothing to do. but the Government was nevertheless doing a great deal to tide over the trouble. Official figures of the number of unemployed did not bear out the Labour Party's figures. Work was being found for many in the back districts, but they found that numbers would not go into the back districts. There names were then struck

off the register, and were put on again next week, and so the number looked larger than they actually were. He did not wish to force anyone into the country, but if they would not go into the country then they should not be on the register of unemployed. The Government was not wholly responsible for finding work. Local bodies and private individuals should do their share, and what was wanted was a combined effort by all. If men on relief works were paid full rates, there would be no incentive to look for other employment, and in no country was this done, not even in Queensland. Men employed in seasonable occupations should not be ranked with unemployed. and had it not been for a political agitation they would not have been so enrolled. When these were eliminated he found the numbers of genuine unemployed would be greatly reduced, and the percentage of unemployed here was less than in almost any other country in the world. A REAL PROBLEM.

Air Veitc-h said it was an easy matter for the Minister to discuss unemployment, but was not so easy for a man with a family, no job and a landlord sitting on the doorstep. He denied that the unemployed agitation was a political agitation; it was a real agitation, and a real problem. In his district alone the number of unemployed was over two hundred, and as fine a stamp of man as ever stood in New Zealand. He agreed that local bodies should take theft share of responsibility in .finding work,, but local bodies had been hampered by legislation, and for one he would welcome the Government’s proposal to relieve local bodies from the present disability. He agreed with the Leader of the Opposition that there was room for ten million people in the Dominion if the necessary secondary industries were established to give them employment. He appealed to the Government to give every encouragemnt to secondary industries, as there was definite need for the Government doing something to meet the unemployment problem. GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBLE. Mr Sullivan (Avon) said the Ministerial explanation of the cause of unemployment was puerile. During the election the Reform Party had claimed that their legislation had mitigated unemployment. Now that it was rampant, the Government must take full responsibility. He did not favour putting too much responsibility on local bodies, because that meant that a limited number of ratepayers had to bear the burden. The duty of finding work belonged to Government, and because they had failed to recognise that responsibility men, women and children in> Christchurch were that night in need of food. Mr Horn (Wakatipu) urged as a remedy for unemployment the development of secondary industries. What was necessary was more complete and modern machinery to enable factories to turn out more, and a greater variety, of work. He urged the Government to adopt a policy which would encourage manufacturing in New Zealand. Mr H. T. Armstrong (Christchurch East) said that unemployment in the cities ar.d towns of the Dominion was due to slackness of work in the country. This was a country of seasonal employment and provision would have to be made every year. This year it was more serious than in former years and if the present Government was allowed to continue its policy for a little while longer unemployment would become as serious as in some of the older countries. The unemployment problem would never be solved until we solved the land problem. New Zealand could never carry the population it would carry while it remained a big sheep

LAND SETTLEMENT NOT A SOLUTION. The Hon A. D. M’Leod said that a country dependent to a great extent upon primary products must suffer from market fluctuations. In view of this it was imperative that our people, not one section only, but all our people, should exercise some degree of thrift. This spirit and practice of saving had unfortunately almost disappeared, and much of our unemployment problems was due to the fact that many of our single men who followed seasonal employment did not put away any of their wages for a bad winter, and were consequently up against it. He still said the unemployment agitation was of a political character. He couid produce advertisements calling on men to meet and demand their rights, no suggestion that a solution of the problem should be found but that the road of the Government should be made more difficult. The money spent on this class of propaganda would have gone distances in providing relief for some of the unemployed. It had been said that land settlement would solve the unemployment problem. He did not think so, because unless men undeistood the business of forming waste lands they were taking a terrible risk. It would be criminal to put inexperienced men on such land, and he would not countenance such a policy. We would have to write off ten per cent of the money spent on soldier settlements, but if we were going to put men on pumice and other lands a much larger percentage of loss would have to be borne by the general taxpayer. There was still room for subdivision in New Zealand. At the proper moment the Government would not hesitate to put the compulsory clauses of the Act into operation and take land necessary for settlement. He warned people against the delusion that a fortune was to be made off the land. With the present fluctuations in markets it was much easier ot make a living in the towns, and men preferred to stay there and he did not blame them. PARTY SPIRIT DEPRECATED. Mr Forbes said that sympathy with the unemployed was not the monopoly ! of any party. All w'ere sympathetic, but the causes were to some extent beyond the control of every party. Prices of primary products had fallen seriously, and that must be reflected in the towns. What was wanted to help the unemployed over the crisis was to find work on a systematic scale, and the whole scheme of employment should be carried out in a whole-heart-ed way. With regard to immigration he believed we had a duty to the Empire to help to solve its problem of distribution of population. At the same time excessive introduction of

new people .mist in rimes' of depression a fleet our own labour market, therefore he advised caution in this direction. .Vs to the amendment moved by the leader of the Opposition, he did not think it would help unemployment. He did not think any good purpose would be served by approaching the problem in a hostile party spirit. What they should do" was to let the Government know what the mind of the House was and let the Government know that the House was behind them in taking all necessary steps to cope with the difficulty. That, he thought, would serve a better purpose than a hostile amendment. He understood it was intended to give the Highways Board power to spend a larger sum, and this should be given, for there was much necessary work to be done in making main roads shorter and safer, and on which the unemployed could be set to work with advantage. IMMIGRATION POLICY. The lion W. Nosworthy defended the administration of the Immigration Department. There was neither deception nor mismanagement. There had been a few failures among the many people brought out and it would be strange if it were not so, but these people had always been looked after by the Government and helped to get on their feet. Most cases of failure quoted to him were found on investigation not to he Government immigrants at all. They had proof that the migrants coming to New Zealand were amongst the finest going to any British'possession, and we should be glad to receive them. The Government had nothing to regret as to either the numbers or quality of the migrants introduced, and so far as he was concerned he was going on steadily with the work. Last year they brought out 10.964 migrants and all of them had been placed in the way. of becoming useful and valuable citizens. Mr Mason (Eden) condemned -the Government immigration policy (1) because the Minister of Lands said newcomers should not be put upon the land, (2) because the Minister in charge of Industries and Commerce was not enthusiastic about establishing and encouraging secondary in dustries in which migrants could be employed. If migrants could not go into the country and could not be employed in the towns, what was the use of bringing them into the Dominion at all? The Labour amendment was not so much a matter of party politics as it was a case of urgent necessity. The indifference of the Government had forced the matter into a party issue. Let the Government show an intelligent and a sympathetic interest in unemployment, and the party element would disappear. Mr Atmore favoured immigration, provided wise discrimination was shown in the selection of immigrants. SIR JOSEPH WARD SPEAKS.

Sir Joseph Ward said there had been unemployed in New Zealand every year since he entered Parliament, and it was impossible to avoid that problem, because men could not be employed so profitably in the winter months as in the summer months. Personally, he favoured work being given to every man legitimately out of work, but if unemployment was going to be made a question of no confidence in the Government, that would have to lie done every year for many years to come. In view of the odium which the Reform Party had in the past heaped on the Liberals because of their advanced land policy, he was glad to be there to hear the Minister of Lands say he would enforce the compulsory clauses of the Land Act to acquire land for settlement. He regretted the introduction of party politics into the matter of unemployment, because the Labour Party extended far beyond the gentlemen who sat as Labour members in Parliament, and there was evident sympathy with the unemployed. He had the greatest admiration for the Minister of Lands, and he urged him to take the bull by the horns and reduce the value of high-priced lands which no one could profitably occupy. We must also readjust t our Customs tariff and encourage our secondary industries as the people of Australia were doing. If reproductive works were found, he would assist the Government to do anything necessary to provide for the unemployed. THE IMMIGRANTS.

The Prime Minister said he desired to thank members of local bodies and private employers for the assistance given in providing for the unemployed. He regretted the introduction of the political element into the debate, because all the Government was concern-

ed about was whether the men required work, and to find it for them. It was agreed some time ago that all men were to be registered by the Labour Department. Official figures showed that there were 837 men employed in the Dominion, and many of the stories of extreme distress were often found to be without foundation. The shipping strike seriously interferedjuwith the Government’s immigration ■•olicy. liecause people who should have arrived here months ago were only arriving now, but the Government had made contracts with them, and those contracts would be carried out. AU it meant was that they would have to set out a programme several months ahead and he was confident, they would pull through. Some might not be pleased with what was being done, but the Departments had their instructions what to do, and he believed they were doing it. He denied that the Government was responsible for misleading statements in England to migrants. On that point Sir James Allen was most careful, and proof of the excellence of the migrants coming out was the fact that less than 5 per cent had failed to redeem their obligations to the Government. LABOUR MEMBERS. Mr Fraser (Wellington Central) asked if the Government was agreed that unemployment was a recurring incident, wh" was no permanent provision made to meet it.?. Why did they have a rush programme put forward? Mr Jordan (Manukau) paid the Labour Party had deliberately moved a motion of no confidence in the Government because they believed the Government was not doing its duty towards the unemployed. Mr Howard denied that men employ, ed in seasonal occupations received higher wages than those engaged in permanent employment. The Book of Awards proved the contrary. At 12.15 a.m. the debate terminated, when a division on. Mr Hollands

amendment was taken, the voting being: -For the amendment, 13; against, the amendment, 53. Replying to Mr Fraser the Prime Minister, said some of the railway workshops were being reduced and amalgamated, and where men have to be transferred from one town to another ample notice will be given, and where single men can be transferred married men will not be shifted. The Bill was then passed through its remaining stages. RELIEF OF UNEMPLOYMENT BILL. By Governor-General’s message the Local Authorities Empowering (Relief of Unemployment) Bill was introduced. The Prime Minister asked the House to pass the Bill at that sitting as a matter of urgency. The Minister of Finance explained that the Bill authorised local bodies to raise loans for the relief of unemployment without taking a poll of ratepa vers. The Bill passed its remaining stages unamended. The House rose at 1.35 a.m.