UNEMPLOYED RELIEF

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 52, Issue 205, 11 June 1932, Page 3

UNEMPLOYED RELIEF

) CREDIT NOTE SYSTEM. SUCCESS IN THE NORTH. (Special to the "Guardian ") AUCKLAND, June 9. The credit note scheme in the One Tree Hill borough, which was commenced on May 14, is considered to be working most satisfactorily and about 80 unemployed members of the New Zealand Workers' Social Credit Association are taking advantage of work resulting from it. Under the scheme any householder who hands over money or goods to the association receives in return credit notes of equivalent value, which may be used to pay members of the association for work done. With the notes members so employed may make purchases frcm the association's store, which is stocked with commodities received from householders and with others purchased at wholesale prices. A butcher, a barber, a bootmaker, and a \lood and coal merchant in the neighbourhood have agreed to accept the credit notes in payment for goods and services and the notes are redeemed from them weekly by the association.

The system was evolved by the One Tree Hill Workers' Association which, upon putting it into effect changed its name to "The New Zealand Workers' Social Credit Association." This • was in order to allow other local bodies' districts to be embraced in the scheme without issuing a new type of note. The association has opened .a shop in an old fire brigade station which has been lent for the purpose by the borough council. Here foodstuffs and clothing may be purchased by members only, either with credit notes or for cash. Twelve men idaily, on an average have used the shop since it was opened and new members are enrolling every day. The prices are very little above the wholesale level. EXPLANATION BY MINISTER. BOARDS NOT TO BE REIMBURSED (Per Press Association). WELLINGTON, June 10. "There is no intention on the pa/t of the Government to reimburse hospital boards for expenditure by. them on unemployment relief, as may be inferred from a statement by Mr Wallace at the Hospital Boards' Association Conference, the position being that boards will not be called upon to give relief to those unemployed who can do any work under the new scheme." This explanation was made by the Minister of Employment when Mr Wallace's remarks were referred to. him. He said it was possible that the country generally might be misled, because, firstly, the position as outlined by Mr Wallace applied more particularly to Auckland; and, secondly, the classification of A, B and C classes of unemployed was not used generally throughout New Zealand. Unemployed who are classed A are those who are fit for work in the country and can go to camps. B class men are those who are "unable to go into country for hard work, but who are able to work in the cities. The C class men are those who are unfit to- work at all, and for whom the Unemployment Board has been on that account unable to make any provision. The form of classification has been used more particularly m Auckland.