LABOUR’S REMEDY.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 735, 12 April 1933, Page 5

LABOUR’S REMEDY.

Schemes for Coping With Unemployment. LEADER GIVES ADDRESS. Per Press Association. OHAKUNE, April 11. Speaking at a crowded meeting here to-night Mr H. E. Holland, Leader of the Opposition, devoted a large part ! of his speech to the unemployment ! problem in New Zealand. He claimed | that, including women and girls and boys under 20, there were 120,000 unemployed in this country. This number, he predicted, would be increased to 150,000 before the winter was over. The Labour Party’s proposals to cope with the problem, said Mr Holland, included a comprehensive public works scheme and primary and secondary industrial development, with guaranteed prices for the primary producers and standard wages for the workers. He also advocated shorter working hours to meet the unemployment caused by inventions and the continued introduction and improvement of labour-displacing machinery. He dealt exhaustively with the questions of currency and credit, declaring that if necessary the Labour Party in office would provide for an additional issue of legal tender currency. Whatever new money was issued would be regulated strictly in line with the increased production of goods and services, and care would be taken that it should go into immediate expenditure, and not into the vaults of the banks or the pockets of the bondholders and money speculators.