Manawatu Evening Standard. SATURDAY, SEPT. 14, 1928. THE “RIGHT TO WORK” BILL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 245, 14 September 1929, Page 8

Manawatu Evening Standard. SATURDAY, SEPT. 14, 1928. THE “RIGHT TO WORK” BILL.

There is disappointment in the Labour camp at the Government’s failure to deal effectively w-itli the unemployment trouble. Pre-election promises have failed to produce specific results. The fact is, as the British Labourites are finding out now that their party is in office, that there is no permanent cure for unemployment. Mr J. 11. Thomas, Lord Privy Seal and Minister in charge of Unemployment, has found that out to his sorrow', and has had to admit that only through the existing avenues of trade and industry and by . their further development is it possible to satisfactorily deal with the mass of unemployed Avorkers in the Motherland, still well in excess of the million mark. Under the unemployment insurance scheme, British workers avlio are contributors to the fund are assured of Aveekly payments such as will suffice to keep the wolf from the door while they are out of employment. The number of persons insured, according to a return furnished in October of last year, in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Avas 11,881,500, and the percentage of the unemployed included in that total was 11.8. These insured workers received unemployment benefit, to Avliick they Avere of course entitled, to the extent of £82,000,000 during- the three quarters ended on September 80, 1928, but large numbers of unemployed workers, outside of the scheme, Avere in receipt of assistance from the Boards of Guardians constituting the relieAungauthorities, and corresponding J in a certain degree to our charitable aid boards. We believe w-e are right in saying that the Coates Government had under consideration a scheme for insuring the workers of New Zealand against sickness and unemployment, including invalidity, but the investigations made on the subject suggested that its cost would be prohibitive. The member for Wellington Central has, howet'er, introduced a measure for the relief of unemployment, which passed its second reading in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, and Avas, in spite of the ruling of the Speaker that it would require to drop off the order paper, as it in\ r olved an appropriation, referred to the Labour Bills Committee on the motion of the Minister of Justice, Hon. T. M. Wilford, “to see if the House will agree to it.”