UNEMPLOYMENT FUNDS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 137, 11 June 1932, Page 10

UNEMPLOYMENT FUNDS.

HOSPITAL BOARDS' POSITION. MINISTER CORRECTS MR. WALLACE. CARE OF UNFIT MEN. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Friday. "There is no intention on tlic part of the Government , to reimburse hospital boards for expenditure by them on unemployment relief, as may be inferred from the statement by Mr. Wallace at the Hospital Boards' Association conference, the position being thai the boards will not be called upon to give relief to those unemployed who can do any work under the new echeme." This explanation was made by the Minister of Employment, the Rt. Hon. J. «J. C'oatc-s, when commenting on the remarks of Mr. Wallace, to the effect that the Minister of Employment had agreed to accept class 13 'men, so that the only class the hospital boards would be responsible for would be class C men— men who, under normal conditions, could not earn their own living, or, in other words, ordinary charitable aid cases.

The Minister said it was possible 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 men who are classed A," said the Minister, "are those who are fit for work in the country and who can go to camps. B class men are those who are unable to go to the 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. This form of classification has been used more particularly in Auckland.

"Mr. Wallace epoke of a situation that has arisen in Auckland during recent days as a result of a circular that was sent from Wellington. This circular was interpreted to mean that all men not certified as fit for country work would become the responsibility of the Auckland Hospital Board. This applied to Auckland. When in Auckland on Wednesday I made myself acquainted with the position through the Labour Bureau, and on returning to Wellington I called a meeting of the Unemployment Board and straightened the matter out"Mr. Wallace was informed to-day that the Unemployment Board took over responsibility for all men qualified for work, whether in the country or the city, this referring to married men in classes A and B. The position is that class C men, certified as unfit for work, with their dependents, look to the hispita 1 pital Board for relief. The Unemployment Board can provide for only those men fit for work."

Referring to the New Zealand situation generally, the Minister said the hospital boards were working to strict estimates as far as unemployment relief and other expenditure was concerned. "The position is that they must carry on in dealing with distress," he said, "and if it is found that their finances available for charitable relief are exhausted, it will then be time for them to come to the Government for assistance.

"The Unemployment Board accepts responsibility for men fit for work, and it will be only in respect of normal charitable aid relief that hospital boards will be called upon to assist. It is thus seen there is no question of the Government reimbursing boards for unemployment relief, because the Government itself will be carrying out this relief. Any future consideration of hospital boards' relief funds will apply only to charitable relief expenditure."