CHRISTMAS PAY FOR RELIEF WORKERS

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21334, 29 November 1934, Page 7

CHRISTMAS PAY FOR RELIEF WORKERS

TO 111K KI'ITOK or 1 HI i'RE-IS Sir,—f noticed in your paper this morning thai tin 1 relief workers are to receive holiday and bonus at Christmas. II reminded mo of a similar nnt ice of a as rise the single men in relict camps and farm jobs were to receive as from October 1. The majority of the working people of Christehurch are under the impression that wc are receiving the .subsidy, and that the conditions, oI the urieni-.

ployed are picking up. First of all, I wish to say that myself and many other single men on relief have not received as yet the 5s a week extra as arranged. Second, I wish to say that the holiday and bonus for Christmas also does not come our way. The reason is that you have to go back to the same job after the New Year, and it seems to me and many others that the Labour Bureau makes sure that as many jobs as possible close down before Christmas. I myself, for one, have not been able to receive the holiday money for the last two years because of that same fact.

Now. is that lair? We have to pay our levies the same as anyone else. Here we are in camp, trying to save a few shillings to get a few decent clothes for Christmas, let aione any pocket money. If it was worth while, I could tell a lot of the misery that is being dished out to us by 'he farmers we are compelled to work lor. and how, by living on their wits and the relief workers, their life is almost a bowl of cherries; and yet, even beside that, we are practically ignored as citizens of New Zealand, just treated as so much cheap latiour. But what is the use of complaining? Nobody takes any notice, and as the old saying goes. "Beggars can't be choosers." — Yours, etc.. K.J.D. November 22, 1934. I.The Christehurch certifying officer to the Unemployment Board, Mr M. Ross, said that it was not clear from the letter on what type of job the correspondent was employed. From the loiter il appeared ihat he might be employed on a farm camp scheme. II that was so the increase in relief pay did not apply, although the Unemployment Board had no objection to the men being paid an additional sum by the farmers employing them. On a farm camp scheme the men were given the Christmas holiday, but not the extra Christmas payment. If on a 4A job. working for a single farmer. the man got neither the increase in pay nor the Christinas payment.! !