UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURES.

Wairarapa Age, 5 July 1932, Page 4

UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURES.

SPEECH BY MR. HOLLAND AT CHRISTCHURCH. DENUNCIATION OF COALITION GOVERNMENT. CHRISTCHURCH, July 4. Speaking in the Civic Theatre tonight, Mr. H. E. Holland, Leader of the Opposition, said that in a period of less than 18 months, New Zealand, under the Coalition Government, had established a world’s record in the matter of the percentage increase of unemployed. The official figures put out by the Unemployment Board, he said, were gravely misleading. These showed the number of registered unemployed as 54,342, but this was apart from 13,074 men employed on relief works other than the No. 5 Scheme. They had it from Mr. Coates that nearly 70,000 adult males were either wholly or partly dependent on the unemployment funds and they had to remember that this statement did not include cither youths under 20 years of age or unemployed women. If these were taken into consideration, it would be found that New Zealand had quite 100,000 unemployed. Even on the figures published by the Unemployment Board, the increase in the numbers of adult males unemployed was 715 per cent, for the period between Jv unary, 1931, and July, 1932, but on Mr. Coates’s figures the increase was 887 per cent, for the same period. France was the only other country that came anywhere near New Zealand in percentage increase in the number of unemployed during the last year and a half. He (Mr. Holland) had urged that steps be taken to furnish statistics as to the number of women and youths out of employment. He also advocated the abolition of the present Unemployment Board and the placing of direct responsibility on the Minister-in-Charge of Unemployment. He attributed the many millions of unemployed throughout the world to postwar conditions, reparations and war debts and the rapidly increasing efficiency of labour-displacing machinery. The whole situation, he said, reflected a comprehensive breakdown of nineteenth century capitalism, which had outlived its period. So far as New Zealand was concerned, the Goverment had utterly failed to face up to the problem. Referring to the present crisis in the coal industry, Mr. Holland said it was due entirely to the aggressive tactics of the coal owners, who appeared to be seeking to dictate impossible terms to the miners. He sincerely hoped that the Government would assume responsibility to both coal producers and consumers and that the industry would not be permitted to be brought to a standstill by any attempt on the part of the owners to enforce drastic alterations in the conditions under which the mines were now being worked. Mr. Holland told his audience that last week he had telegraphed the Postmaster-General asking that he, as Leader of the Opposition, be accorded the same facilities as were given to Mr Coates to broadcast a statement in relation to the Ottawa Conference. The Hon. A. Hamilton had replied on Thursday that the matter was outside his jurisdiction and that Mr. Holland’s telegram had been sent on to the Radio Broadcasting Board for decision. Having received no communication from the board, he wired both Mr. Hamilton and the board on 'Saturday, but had not been vouchsafed a reply by either. He insisted that Y stations could not be permitted to be used by one party. Either the Opposition must have the same right as the Government to broadcast its statements on a question of front rank importance or no political statements must go over the air. A resolution was passed expressing confidence in Mr. Holland as Leader of the Labour Party, affirming that the Government’s reactionary policy was the cause of the present unemployment and distress, and pledging those present to support Labour’s petition calling upon the Government either to reverse its policy or resign.—(P.A.)