RELIEF FOR WORKERS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 380, 25 September 1930, Page 7

RELIEF FOR WORKERS

BILL BEFORE UPPER HOUSE HON- EARNSHAW’S AMENDMENT [ Per Press Association. ] WELLINGTON, Sept. 24. Resuming tho debate on thc Unemployment Bill in the Legislative Council to-day, the Hon. M. Fagan intimated that he would oppose tho Hon. W. Earnshaw’s amendment. It would be a mistake to postpone tho operation of the Bill when there was so much distress in the country. He paid a tribute to tho Government for what it had done to relieve tho position, but stated that at the end of two years they found them selves in a worse position. That was due to the depression through which they were passing, and he was sorry to have to say it was his opinion that they had not yet reached tho climax. Thc sooner they got a systematised method of registration the better, for until that was brought about they would not know what the actual position was. Two things were absolutely vital if they were going to tackle the problem as it should be tackled. Ono was tho encouragement of secondary industries and the other was the placing of more people on the land. Thc Hen. Mr Fagan described the Hon. Mr Earnshaw’s amendment as ccfld blooded and inhuman, and said it was degrading to ask the Council to vote upon it. Possibilities of Mischief

Thc Hon. J. B. Gow expressed the hope that thc Hon. *Mr Fagan would not class him as an inhuman monster if he voted for the amendment. He believed the Bill did not offer the best method of dealing with the present problem There were possibilities of mischief in it that would justify them in refusing to deal with the measure hastily. It had to be remembered that the capital abd labour in New Zealand were, to a large extent, in a straight jacket owing to the restrictions imposed by tho Arbitration Court, which failed to roeognise that wages must ultimately depend on production. The Court falsely based its decisions on the belief that it was necessary to maintain a certain standard of living. The Hon. Mr Gow said it was surely the right and duty of every man to find a job for himself, and it would be fatal for tho State to say that when a man was out of work he was entitled to receive a job at standard wages. The Government had made a serious mistake by paying standard rates on relief works. They were expected to swallow the whole Bill, whether they liked it or not.

The Hon. Mr Gow criticised the per sonnel of the Board, which he said was largely political. Ho objected to the setting up of another Department of State.

The Hon. A. S. Malcolm said it was true that the introduction of machinery had dislocated labour, but surely it could not be suggested that they should do away with it, At 5 o’clock tho Council adjourned until 8 o’clock to-night. If BUI Wer< Rejected.

When the Legislative Council resumed at 8 p.m., tho debate on the Unemployment Bill was continued.

The Hon. A. S. Malcolm said that if the Council threw the Bill out it would be impossible for the Government to introduce another measure this session. He did not agree that tho Bill would create the dole system, as the system was already established per medium of the Charitable Aid Boards. As a fair-minded man he realised ho could not oppose the Bill. He recognised that the dole was likely to prove demoralising in effect, but he did not think there wore many who would prefer it to doing an honest day’s work. If the local bodies now carrying the burden of unemployment were not afforded relief, many of them would bo bankrupt at the end of twelve months. He agreed that the composition of the board might bo improved.

The Hon. G. J. Garland said that one of the most sensible suggestions which had been made, was that people unemployed should receive food and clothing instead of money. He realised it was little use debating the matter at any length, as tho Council had made up its mind that the Bill would go through. If it were possible ho would move to amend tho Bill when in committee. If the Bill went on tho Statute Book it would never come off again. The Bill was not an unemployment bill but a poll tax bill. The Hon. G. Witty said he did not like tho Bill but as it was the best proposition in sight, he would vote against the amendment. It. was the unemployable wh were causing all the trouble in New Zealand. He was strongly opposed to the Arbitration Court, which was go* ing too far altogether. One of the biggest mistakes which had been made was to give 14s a day for relief works. Sir Frederic Lang s«uid he disagreed with so much in tho Bill that he was forced to vote against it. He was op posed to youths Ox 20 being required to pay the levy, as n amounted to taxation without representation. He objected to tho element of political control introduced into the Board and said that the Minister should not be a berThe Council then adjourned. debate nr house. A LABOUR amendment. [ Per Press Association. ] WELLINGTON, Sept. 24. In the House of Representatives this evening, Mr A. M. Samuel asked thc Government to make an immediate effort to grapple more effectively with the unemployment problem. Mr D. G. Sullivan urged that thc Government should treat unemployment as the paramount problem of the day. It should give the special unemployment committee every opportunity to present its recommendations to the House without delay, and it should lose no time in bringing those recommendations into operation. The Hon. S. G. Smith said that during the short period ho had been Minister, he had looked into a large number of cases in which it was claimed there had been breaches of the award. In many instances it had transpired tht there was a difficulty to get evidence to support such complaints. Replying to Mr Samuel, he said that the Labour Department was only thc recording office for the unemployed. It could not create work for the men. With reference to the point raised by Mr Sullivan, he said the matter of the special unemployment committee’s interim reports, etc., was one for the Leader of the House. Mr W. J. Savage moved '* that the sum be reduced by £5 as an indication that definite propos -Is for the employment of all those willing to work

should be brought before tho House before Parliament rises. Ho could see nothing in the amendment that could not bo supported by members. Unemployment demanded the most earnest attention from everyone, and he was prepared to do anything except admit, that tho position was hopeless. Amendment Not Justified.

Mr Smith said tho solution of the unemployment problem was not a matter for tho Labour Department. There was no justification for the amendment before tho House. He mentioned that in his own district (New Plymouth) all tho public bodies were co-operating to deal with the problem and the result was that there were only 41 men out of work. As an indication of the earnestness with which the Government was tackling thc problem, he said that over 4000 mon had been placed on road work on September 20. Labour members: How many were put off? The Minister said that 100 men left of their own aceord last week to go to relief works. Mr IV. D. Lysnar said ho could not congratulate the Labour Party on tho amendment. The unemployment problem should be faced in a different spirit. Mr Savage pointed out that the amendment was not intended as an attack on the Government. It simply sought an expression of opinion from tho House. Mr Savage’s amendment was rejected by 37 votes to 27 and tho vote was passed. The division list on Mr Savage’s amendment was:—• For tho amendment (27) —Messrs Ansell, Armstrong, Barnard, Carr Chapman, Fletcher, Fraser, Hall, H. E. Holland, Jordan, Kyle, Langstono, McCombs, McKeen, Mttrtin, Mason, Munro, W. Nash, O’Brien, Parry, Samuel, Savage, Semple, Sullivan, Waite and Wright.

Against the amendment (37) — Messrs Atmore, Broadfoot, Burnett, Clinkard, Cobbo, De La Perrelle, Donald, Endean, Field, Hamilton Harris, Hawke, Healy, Hogan, H. Holland, Linklater Lye, Lysnar, McDonald, McDougall, MacPherson, Makitanara, Munns, Murdoch, J. A. Nash, Ngata, Polson, Rushworth, Smith, Stallworthy, Stewart, Taverner, Veitch, Wilkinson, Williams and Young.