UNEMPLOYMENT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 148, 25 June 1931, Page 5

UNEMPLOYMENT

I DEALING WTfH THE PROBLEM FARMERS’ SUGGESTION (Own Correspondent). MARTON, June 24. Several suggestions were furthcoming at yesterday’s meeting of tho Wellington Central provincial executive of the Farmers’ Union, heltj at Marton when dealing with the problem of unemployment. The president (Mr K. W. Dal* rynip.c) felt that the union should stress the great need for the employment of men under relief schemes on productive work. Scratching the roadsides did not appeal to him as putting the unemployed to useful work. From information supplied by the Unemployment Board it appeared that the board’s commitments to June 6 in connection with contracts for farm work amounted to £6425, “and the expenditure of this sum is estimated too result eventually in the following additional stock being carried on the various holdings affected: 2950 cattle and 14,606 sheep, and 200 extra tons of flax are also anticipated to bbe produced.” Just over 5000 men were engaged on this work.

Mr L. Hammond: If the estimatea ratio of earning power of these 5000 men is equal to the remaining 40,000 unemployed, we would have nothing to growl about.

The scheme of Mr J. R. Flanklin, of Wanganui, for tho establishment of farm camps near to main centres suggested possibilities to Mr Hammond but it would require to be a compulsory scheme.

The president felt the aim should be to endeavour to offer suggestions towards making the work more reproductive than it was at present. Mr A. Marshall suggested that if the No. 5 scheme was to be continued, much valuable work could be done by putting men on the back roads. This was not possible under the existing terms of engagement, as a single man was only entitled to two days a week. He felt that more good would accrue if it were possible to introduce a scheme for continuous service, giving a single man, entitled to two days’ work a week, say, a straight-out fortnight, then six weeks’ spell. Mr Dalrymple remarked that the hoard did not desire that unemployed should have continuous work and receive a lump sum in wages. Mr Marshall considered that this could he. got over by the local authority paying out the wages on the basis of two days a week, so that the man working a stretch of a fortnight would receive two days’ pay a week for six weeks. Mr Hammond: I think the public are disappointed at seeing the men scratching about. The president: That’s all right; but we have to suggest a better method of employment. Mr J. G. Eliott thought Mr Franklin’s scheme could bo applied to second and third-class farm lands, and unemployed farmers and farm labourers assisted with the idea of their ultimately acquiring the holdings. It would be much better to do this than to concentrate on high-class land near centres of population.

Tho discussion next turned on a letter received from the Auckland provincial secretary regarding the action of the Unemployment Board in granting some of its funds to advertise protected secondary industries. As illustrating how the primary producer was forced to carry tne cost of protection, the president quoted from figures supplied by the National Dairy Association regarding comparative costs of cream cans. These were supplied from Copenhagen, but there was a New Zealand industry in the market. The cost in Copenhagen of the eight-gallon can was 12s Id, and with commission and freight the cost at New Zealand was 18s Id, but to this had to be added 50 per «cent. duty, the surtax, wharfage, etc., bringing the landed cost to £1 9s 2d, or 141 per cent, greater than the original cost. These can were sold to dairy factories at £1 10s Bd, while the New Zealand article cost £1 13s lOd. This was but one instance of the effect of protective tariffs. It did not seem fair that the Unemployed Board’s funds should be used to boost up secondary industries. Air A. Howard referred to the case of drilling implements, which were very costly when the duty and protective tariffs were added. After further discussion it was agreed to embody the several suggestions in the form of a recommendation to the Dominion (conference, and to enter a protest against the use of unemployment funds for boosting secondary industries.