FINAL DECISION.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 138, 13 June 1932, Page 3

FINAL DECISION.

HOSPITAL BOARDS.

RELIEF OF UNEMPLOYED.

GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBLE.

ACTION AT EXD OF MONTH,

On and after June 30 the Government must take responsibility for every eniplovable worklcss man, and relief afforded by hospital boards will be confined to ordinary charitable cases and men who are physically unfit for Avork of any kind.

This definite statement was made this morning by Mr. W. Wallace, president of the Hospital Boards' Association of Xew Zealand, on his return to Auckland from the conference of the association held in Wellington last week.

Mr. Wallace said that the feeling of the conference delegates was emphatically behind the stand lie had indicated. Aβ had been etated by him on numerous occasions, no -person would be allowed to want for food sufficient to keep the wolf from the door, but after the end of the present month it would be for the Government to take over the responsibility which rightly belonged to it. Ho proposed to take' early action in the direction of asking boards to give effect to the clearly-expressed intentions of the conference. The proposal meant that while no one would be allowed to want, any expenditure on unemployment relief by boards after June 30 would have to be refunded by the Government. Health Minister's Statement. "In thLs connection," added Mr. Wallace, "I might well refer to the statements made by the Minister of Health when opening the conference. He said that boards could not continue to carry the load in connection with unemployment relief that had been forced upon them, and while expressing the opinion that boards desired to assist and cooperate with the Government in dealing with the problem, he said that any money expended by boards in the relief of Unemployment must be refunded by either the Unemployment Board or from the Consolidated Fund. We intend to keep the Government to this undertaking" said Mr. Wallace with emphasis.

Mr. Coates' Position. Mr Wallace reviewed his interview with the Kt. Hon. J. G. Coates, Minister of Employment. A telegram had arrived from Auckland stating that the relief committee of the Hospital Board was receiving a large number of applications from men discharged by the Transport Board, where they had been employed for varying periods up to two years. Many of the men had been classed as unfit to go into camp and had been advised by the Labour Department that they were a charge on the Hospital Board's funds. In company with Mr. W. K. Howitt, chairman, and the Rev. W. C. Wood, a member of the relief committee, and Mr. 11. A. Sommerville, secretary of the Auckland Board, Mr. Wallace waited on the Minister on Friday morning and impressed on him ihe seriousness of the position. Mr. Coates replied that a mistake had been made in the circular issued which stated that "on production of a medical certificate by a worker signifying his unfitness for country work when offered, the Unemployment Board is not responsible for providing work for him, and lie automatically becomes a candidate for relief from the hospital board's fiinde." The ruling, which had been misinterpreted in Auckland, was intended to apply to single men only. The Minister expressed regret that the circular had been waned, and indicated that -when he noticed the position he had taken immediate steps to rectify it at a special meeting of the Unemployment Board.

"I say definitely and emphatically," Mr. Wallace continued, "that in this interview we had with Mr. Coates he undertook to assume the responsibility for every w ; orklese man who is employable, including the B class men—those who are classified as jmfit to go to camp but are fit for work about the town. The class C men are unfit for work of any kind, and this class, in conjunction with ordinary charitable cases, we realise, is the responsibility of hospital boards, and we have never asked the Unemployment Board to undertake the responsibility for such." "End of Their Tether." Conference, added Mr. Wallace, had discussed the problem at considerable length and had appointed a committee to wait on the Unemployment Board. Throughout the proceedings regret was expressed at the lack of frankness and candour on the part of the Government when dealing with boards. The boards, who were alwaye willing to assist, had been asked to budget for three months for unemployment this financial year. Taking Auckland as a typical example, it was a fact that £15,000 had been placed on the estimates for the first three months of 19.32. Actually £16,000 had been expended in two months. It was quite evident that boards could not proceed at that rate. A large number of delegates at the conference represented counties, and it was quite evident from their utterances that they realised the responsibility cast on them of protecting the interests of their ratepayers.

"One result of the conference," said the president, "is that boards feel they have come to the end of their tether in dealing with unemployment. There is no use splitting hairs over fie position. Boards are now determined that the Government must provide the funds ior unemployment relief, whilst the boards will carry the burden of charitable aid, including* the men who are physically unfit to work, earlier in the ys'ir, boards were asked by the Government to bridge the <iap for six weeks. That six weeks has run into the same number of months, yet we are still hanging on, with no hope of something definite being done. The strain has reached breakingpoint as far as boards arc concerned, and the problem must be taken in hand by the Minister of Employment." Services of Expert Officers. Referring to the deputation from the conference which waited on the Unemployment Board, 31 r. Wallace eaid that on offer had been made of the service? of the expert officers who for many years had been attached to the relief departments of hospital boards. It was felt that the hospital board would ha in a better position to handle cases of relief (prorided the money was found by the Unemployment Board) than the Unemployment Board, whose statf largely comprised officers of the Labour Department, without experience in that type of work. The delegation was ihanked for its offer, which the board undertook to consider.