RELIEF PROBLEM.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 114, 17 May 1933, Page 10

RELIEF PROBLEM.

HOSPITAL BOARD DISCUSSION NEED OF UNIFIED CONTROL. A statement tliat there wae a considerable amount of overlapping in connection with unemployment relief was made at a meeting of the Auckland Hospital Board yesterday. A letter was received from the Unemployed Workers' Association asking if arrangements could be made to obtain clothing, fiuing , , and, if possible, a subsidy. Mr. M. J. Savage, M.P., said that the Government should be approached, as it had the control of the funds for relief. Overlapping should be avoided, but more money was necessary. Mr. W. K. Howitt" isaid that more money was needed to cope with C class .men, and it could only come from the Government. Mr. K. H. Potter said that the relief committee's allocation was about £45,000, and he considered they should ask the Government to make the matter locally the responsibility of cither the Unemployment Board or the Hospital Board. Dr. E. B. Gunson said that he was disturbed to find that the board was so completely divorced from the activities of the Mayor and Unemployment Committee. The chairman, Mr. W. Wallace, said that tl?ey had offered the services of the board's officers to administer all relief, but the offer had been rejected. They could deal with the question of sustenance better than the Unemployment Board.

It was decided to approach the Government with a request for unified-control of the expenditure of all unemployment funds, and also to ask for considerable addition to the funds at present available.