TASK OF RELIEF.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 17, 21 January 1933, Page 12

TASK OF RELIEF.

[ MEN OUT OF WORK. CAMPS AS A SOLUTION. HOSPITAL BOARD WORK. The question of relieving the distress among families of unemployed men was discussed yesterday afternoon at a conference between social workers in Auckland and Mr. W. Slaughter, officer in charge of unemployment. The Rev. G, E. Morton, who presided, said there was much distress and many children were suffering through lack of proper food.

The Rev. Jasper Calder said it was very difficult to get the Hospital Board to grant any relief to men who were waiting the statutory two weeks before being put on relief work. The result was that such cases were depleting the funds of the social relief organisations.

The Rev. T. Halliday said a man registered as unemployed for whom no work could be found got 15/9 sustenance from the Unemployment Board for himself, wife and two children. It was clearly not enough, and such cases were not a charge on the Hospital Board. The social organisations eoukl not make up the deficiency.

Mr. Slaughter's Opinion.

Mr. Slaughter explained that at present 300 men in town and suburbs were getting sustenance because 110 suitable relief work could be found for them. There was 110 need for such a state of things, which he believed had been largely brought about by the social organisations' misguided action in condemning the country camp scheme when launched, and so encouraging many relief workers to refuse to go into camp. There were vacancies in the ca.mps for 280 men. If able-bodied men now 011 city relief work would fill those vacancies in the camps they would get more money, and their placcs fn the city relief works could be taken by men who were not classed able-bodied. More volunteers were coming forward for the camps and if the Department could get the social workers' support there would be no more people 011 sustenance.

Several of the social workers present admitted that the original objections to the camps had proved groundless, and when they discovered that fact they had done all they could to induce men to go into the camps. The mee+ing thanked Mr. Slaughter and promised to co-operate with him. It was aliio decided to try and get the Hospital Board t«j provide for families during the first fortnight after the breadwinner was registered as being unemployed. Mr. Slaughter explained that the 14 days' waiting period was required by statute, but instructions had r.cw been issued to the effect that in special cases where a man re-registered after a period of employment he might be g!v._n relief wu'k at the end (if seven days. Hospital Board's Position. Exception to tie triticism of the Hospital Boar.! wa« taken this moiiiing uy Mr, W. K.. Howitt, chairman of the relief committee of the board. He saL 1 it was not quite fair fo' the heads of social organisations to e.jinplain that the board was failing in its duty in relieving distress. The board's estimates for ordinary reiief for the nn.i:ic?al year o-ovided the sum of £35,000. In nine months the estimate had be'ii exceeded by £.1000, and at the end of the year it would most likely be exceeded by from £8000 to £9000. At the meeting of the relief committee during the present week, said Mr. Howitt, 382 cases for relief were dealt with, the causes of the applications being: Desertion 75, sickness 153, insufficient means 00, old age 28, death of breadwinner 32, mental 2, lack of work 13, miscellaneous 11.

"The work the board does," said Mr. Howitt, "is the basis of all relief work in Auckland. Our activities must relieve the tasks of the social organisations to a tremendous extent, and I don't know where they would be if the board ceased its operations."