SUSTENANCE GRANTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 14, 17 January 1931, Page 12

SUSTENANCE GRANTS.

DUTIES OF APPLICANTS,

UNEMPLOYMENT BOARD

SCHEME.

CASUAL WORKERS TO BENEFIT.

(By Telegraph.—Special to " Star.")

WELLINGTON, this day,

The Hon. S. G. Smith, Minister of Labour, and chairman of the Unemployment Board, in announcing the rules which have been adopted governing the payment of sustenance allowances, stated that the board, while it had drawn up these rules as a matter of necessity in order to be prepared for eventualities, again desired to emphasise that the policy of the board is still to find work if it is at all possible, and not to pay sustenance if that can be avoided.

Under the provisions of the Unemployment Act, sustenance allowance is payable only to persons who are contributors to the unemployment fund, and only in respect of the period of unemployment. The board has decided to impose an additional requirement that the applicant must be registered as being unemployed. It is not the intention to relieve by the system of sustenance allowances, persons whose unemployment is due to sickness or similar disability, or to strikes, lock-outs, or other industrial disputes. Nor will payment be made to a person whose income has exceeded £65 during the previous three months. A reduction will be made if a member of an applicant's family ordinarily contributes to his maintenance. Applications are to be made to sustenance officers. Generally speaking, they will be officers of the Labour Department, and, in other cases, the local postmaster, acting in consultation with the local unemployment committee. An applicant must have paid the unemployment levy, and he has to furnish, in writing, a number of particulars, which will be the subject of inquiry. Following the granting of the application, payment will be made through the post office.

The Qualifying Period. | The Act stipulates that, except in particular circumstances, no person shall receive sustenance until he has been unemployed for at least 14 days. The qualifying period adopted by the board is to be either 14 consecutive days, or 21 days in all during the four weeks immediately preceding the date from which the sustenance is to commence. It will not, however, be necessary for an applicant to defer his application until the expiry of his qualifying period. In all cases an inquiry period of two weeks will elapse between the date of the application, and the payment of sustenance. A week after the sustenance period commences, a payment-will be made, and subsequent payments will be made fortnightly. Intermittent work is encouraged, so that applicants will not be deterred from obtaining intermittent employment while drawing sustenance. The rules provide that employment for less than six consecutive working days shall not terminate the arrangement for sustenance, which, however, cannot be paid for actual days on which an applicant was employed. If an applicant is able to work for, say, three days in a week, he will draw three days' sustenance. If work is obtained for more than six consecutive days, the sustenance lapses, and, if need arises, a fresh application must be made. Sustenance is not to be paid for more than five weeks on one application. There must be an interval of three weeks before sustenance can be renewed. An additional limitation is that sustenance shall not be paid for more than 15 weeks in any one period of 52 weeks. Recipients will be required to report officially at intervals, and give details of any employment they may have received.

Intermittent Workers' Allowances. One of the rules specifies that the maximum amount of sustenance payable to an intermittent worker shall not exceed an amount which, with his intermittent earnings, equals the current basic wage for unskilled workers engaged under Court awards. The computation is to be made on a monthly basis. Waterside workers, coal miners and emergency casuals in railway goods sheds, are the subject of special provision?. "Their sustenance payments will be based on the number of days of unemployment during the previous month, the application being made during the first seven days of the succeeding month. Applicants who fail to offer for employment when work is available, are to be penalised by being constructively credited with a wage of 20/ for every day of their default; this, of course, operating to reduce their net sustenance allowances. The making of a false_ statement will cause the complete disqualification or postponement of the sustenance payment, and there is a similar penalty through the applicant refusing to, accept work, or losing work through his own fault.

Rate of Payments. The maximum sustenance allowance is 21/ per week, with a further allowance of 17/6 for wife or housekeeper, and 4/ in respect* to any child under the age of 16,: or at such lower rate as may be decided upon by the board. The children will include step-children, or adopt»<l children, and the board may extend the age of benefit beyond 16 years if a child is mentally or physically defective. Children benefiting must not be in receipt of any income, and must be entirely dependent 'on the .applicant. One of the rules governing applications for sustenance is as follows: "If a sustenance officer has reason to believe tha., an applicant is in any respect not acting in good faith, he shall report the circumstances to the officer in charge of it police station, who shall, forthwith, institute inquiries into the truth of tne statements made by an applicant, and shall cause a written report thereon to lie made to the sustenance officer for transmission to the board." W here the board finds that false, or misleading, statements have been made, it way, apart from any legal action w-hicn might be taken, bar the applicant from receiving sustenance for any period not exceeding 12 months.