EXTRA EARNINGS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 109, 11 May 1933, Page 8

EXTRA EARNINGS.

RELIEF WORKERS. NEW SCALE ANNOUNCED, IMXNTSTER STATES POLICY. A considered statement of policy prescribing the limits ,of supplementary earnings by relief workers was made to the "Star" this morning by the Hon. Adam Hamilton, Minister of Employment, in amplification of the reply he gave Tuesday's deputation from the Auckland Unemployed Association. "Expressed in general terms," said the Minister, "the policy of the Unemployment Board is to offer every encouragement to relief workers to seek private employment, audit does.not desire that needed relief should be reduced in cases where such workers have succeeded in obtaining work (within certain limits) from private sources.

"In those cases in which the worker obtains an odd casual, job not recurring weekly, the earnings will be ignored in determining his measure of relief. In other words, no deduction on that account •will be made. Guide to Certifying Officers. "In those cases, however, where the private employment obtained is of a more regularly recurring nature, or where the wife and/or other members of the worker's family are in receipt of regular wages or other income, the scale set out below, while not to be taken as an inflexible rule, "will be used as a guide by all certifying officers in determining the measure of relief to be granted: — "1. Where a worker or his wife earns a regular wage apart from his relief not exceeding 10/, or one day's pay, whichever is the greatest, per week, no deduction will be made from his relief on that account. "2.1 A deduction of one half-day, or 5/, may be made from his relief when the wage from rrivate employment ranges from 15/ to 20/ per week. "3. A reduction of one day's pay, or 10/, may be made when the earnings from private employment range from 21/ to 30/ per week. "4. If the wage derived from private employment exceeds 31/ per week, the measure of relief granted will he determined by the certifying officer after consideration of all the relevant factors. "The deputation requested that some such scale as that just set out, but related to the family income other than that of the worker and or his wife, should also be stated. I wish to point out that such a scale involves too many difficulties, and the question of determining the measure of relief in cases in which the members of the family other than the father or mother contribute to the income of the home, must be left to the discretion of the certifying officer, who is supplied with: all the relevant factors in each case, except that where the contribution to the family income from.this source does not exceed 30/ per week-710 deduction on that account need be made.

_• • \ ' Absence from Relief Job. "Some difficulties have arisen in connection with instructions contained in a recent circular sent ouit by the board, in which'it was stated that a. worker not reporting. for duty on the day work is allocated to him must not be given the opportunity of making up the time lost, excepting where his absence was due to sickness. That portion of the circular has now been cancelled, • and the position is that it will be taken as a rule of the board that if a worker is absent from relief work on account of having obtained private employment on the day that he should have reported, and he notifies the employing authorities that-he has obtained such private employment, he may, if the circumstances permit, be given an opportunity of making up the time later during the same week. • Similarly, if a worker knows he can obtain a day's work at the end of the week on days for which relief work ha« been apportioned to him, he may, if arrangements can be made with employing authorities, have his days of relief set earlier in the week. Certifying officers are being asked to use every endeavour to make this possible, as failure would mean discouragement to the worker who Sad obtained private employment but lost corresponding time on relief work.

"Broadly, the policy of the board has always been to encourage men to obtain private employment. In fact, it has been a ruling of the board that if men can obtain private employment and do not avail themselves of such, tliey may be struck off relief altogether. Obviously it is the duty of each man to do his utmost to support himself before asking his fellow citizens through the Unemployment Fund to help him."