THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 1921. PHASES OF UNEMPLOYMENT.

Wairarapa Age, 4 August 1921, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 1921. PHASES OF UNEMPLOYMENT.

Is unemployment created by talking about, it? That is'the proposition that was put before a Christchurch meeting by an official of the Labour Department. ‘ ‘ There is always a danger of striking too pessimistic a note.” no said. “Directly you do that some employers draw in their horns and you do create unemployment, particularly among the farmers.” Statistics showed that in. Christchurch the number of men applying for work has been steadily decreasing, though not fast, and. an improvement is expected as spring approaches. In the Wairarapa, too, that will probably be the ease. A good, deal of unemployment is certainly created by the reluctance, or the fear, of the employers to offer men less than award rates of wages. For this the truculence of the Unions is chiefly responsible. All over the country men have had to be dispensed wit.h because the business would nor

s!und the payment of award wages, and employers have been afraid to otter less. O:i this point the Labour Deportin': t ••ffi-ial says: “ Plenty of people with accounts quite sound who could put men on for a few days run away with the idea that they cannot employ such and such a man be cause they would have to pay award rates. That attitude is most misleading. There is nothing to prevent an ordinary householder getting a man to work in his garden for whatever rate the man will accept. There is plenty of work available and people can pay to have it done, but they a/c afraid of something behind. The position should not be taken advantage of, and a man who has been in the habit of employing a gardener at a certain rate, should ndt pay him now much loss.”