The Wanganui Chronicle TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 1928. LABOUR AND THE WORKLESS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 20182, 26 June 1928, Page 6

The Wanganui Chronicle TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 1928. LABOUR AND THE WORKLESS

r pHE LEADER of the Opposition has been very busy of late,

in his northern tour, criticising the Government on the unemployment situation, but those who have looked for any positive contribution to a solution of the problem have been disappointed.

Mr Holland has had much to say about what the Government was or was not doing for the unemployed, but when it comes to the alternative the Labour Party can offer, his pronouncement resolves itself thus: unemployment would be dealt with by the State finding the necessary work at a living wage, at the same time giving the unemployed every assistance to get back to their usual occupations.

The alleged failure of the Government to deal comprehensively with the position has been in the past a favourite ground for attack upon it. After this, what Mr Holland has said comes as a decided anti-climax. It simply means relief work, and waiting for things to right themselves. No other interpretation can be given it. Mr Holland has good reason for his timidity. The National Industrial Conference which met in Wellington recently appointed a joint committee to consider this problem. Some of the leading officials of the Labour movement were represented on it. The report from this body, after suggesting that such sums as were needed to deal with the present position should be provided out of the Consolidated Fund, said specifically, “Exact information is not available to enable us to formulate a permanent scheme to deal with the recurrent problem of seasonal and periodic unemployment.” Its subsequent recommendations were all for investigation of causes as a preliminary to removing the evil.

In face of that, since his own party assented to this pronouncement, Mr Holland was wise to be cautious. But considering the distinct rebuff the finding gives to attacks on the Government over unemployment, he would have been wiser to omit his criticism, and to make no suggestion of remedies at all, rather than produce one that is so vague and so feeble.