The Wanganui Chronicle TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1929. ABOLISHING UNEMPLOYMENT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 72, Issue 233, 1 October 1929, Page 6

The Wanganui Chronicle TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1929. ABOLISHING UNEMPLOYMENT

“|N five weeks there will be in New Zealand, no unemployed men capable of going to work.” What does this announcement of Sir Joseph Ward’s mean? Is the Prime Minister making another gambler’s throw of the dice as he did when he promised to borrow his mythical millions at 4| per cent and lend out at 4f per cent? Is he manoeuvring for time, to hold the Labour Party off playing their trump card. The Labour Party dearly love the unemployed men, not because they have any intrinsic affection for him personally, but because he is such a good political asset. If a Socialist Party eannot make headway when unemployment is a problem, then it need entertain no hope of success at any other time. To give up this trump card now in his political hand is too much to expect of Mr Holland and his party. When Mr Fletcher threatened to vote against the Government unless something were dione to deal with the problem of unemployment he looked like stepping ahead of the Labour Party and becoming the ehampion of the unemployed. What is the use of the Labour Party’s heart bleeding all these years for the unemployed if a breakaway from the National Party were to gather all the kudos? Obviously Labourhad to make an issue of the unemployment problem or the party would lose its mana. Such a strain was doubtless too much for the nexus between the Nationalists and the Socialists. Labour had to demonstrate. The law of self preservation demanded such a course of action.

This naturally created a very awkward situation for Sir Joseph Ward. The tail was beginning to wag the dog and it was inconvenient for the head. Something had to be done quickly to allay the agitation in the political caudal appendage and to Sir Joseph Ward’s credit he acted promptly. The conditions under which Sir Joseph Ward made his announcement, however, were so compelling that it is but natural to suspect him of having clutched at the last plank in the shipwreck.

When Mr D. Lloyd George proclaimed that he had a complete cure for unemployment we said frankly that we didn’t believe him. Sir Joseph Ward’s pronouncement, however, puts Mr Lloyd George’s boast into the shade. New Zealand’s Prime Minister is going to cure in five weeks a problem which is puzzling the whole of the civilized world to-day. Obviously enough* scepticism is pardonable under the circumstances. Scepticism is even re-inforced in this matter when it is realised that the present session of Parliament is expected to end within six weeks from now. The fulfilment of the promise to cure unemployment is evidently to be timed to just precede the dropping of the curtain for the session. It certainly has a nice melodramatic effect. The dramatic principle of tjie suspense is ably adhered.to. Mr Fletcher, is so thankful for his leader’s promise that he proclaims in his ecstacy: “This is the biggest thing that has been done in the history of the Dominion. I thank him for his promise.’’ It only remains to remark that the thing has not yet been done.. As a promise it will certainly stand as one of the biggest ever given and the Prime Minister without doubt has a reputation in this direction. It will be interesting to see what we shall see, as the French say.