UNEMPLOYMENT

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21422, 14 March 1935, Page 10

UNEMPLOYMENT

LARGE DEPUTATION TO MINISTER INCREASE OF 10/- A WEEK DEMANDED POLICE PERSUADE MEN TO LEAVE ROOM [From Our Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, March 13. Demanding an increase of 10s a week in relief allocations, a large deputation of relief workers waited to-day on the Minister for Employment (the Hon. Sir Alexander Young), and the Unemployment Board. The deputation adopted an unequivocal attitude, and after speaking to the Minister for two hours or more refused to leave the room in Parliament House until police assistance was called in. The Minister explained that a 10s increase would involve the board in an additional expenditure of £1,300,000 a year; but he promised the men that from May 1 next D class relief workers would be raised to C class (a change which would involve an increase in wages of approximately 2s a week), and that the winter ration rales would be improved. Many Christchurch Men The deputation, which consisted mainly of Christchurch men, represented the National Unemployed Workers' Movement, the Canterbury Unemployed Workers' Association, the Wellington Association, and the Canterbury Women's Movement. Several Labour members of Parliament, including Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P., were present. Mr E. F. Ewing, representing the Canterbury association, claimed that for some months conditions among the unemployed in Christchurch had been unbearable. The situation had been so alarming that a mass meeting decided to inaugurate a national move toward an increase of 10s a week in the ordinary allocations. The deputation was in Wellington to press this claim. Mr Ewing said that thousands of Christchurch relief workers and their families had been brought to rely to a great extent on charitable aid for something the Unemployment Board had taken away from them—necessary rations. Men and women had gone repeatedly to the metropolitan relief depot in search of aid, but only to be told that there were no funds available. The City Council had voted £2BOO to the relief association; but even that had been without apparent effect. "We claim that if a 10s rise were granted to relief workers, the whole system of charitable aid would not be necessary," said Mr Ewing. Finances of Board Mr O'Reilly. representing the National Unemployed Workers' Movement, disagreed with the previous speaker that charitable aid would not be necessary if an increase were made in the allocations. He quoted figures to prove that the board was financially able to grant such an increase, not only to the 52,000 registered unemployed, but arso to unemployed women and youths.

Mr T. West (Christchurch) advanced a demand for payment of 14s a day to all relief workers engaged on schemes financed or subsidised by the Unemployment Board. An increase of 10s a week in the ordinary allocation would be, he said, only a temporary relief measure. He criticised the Unemployment Board's alleged policy of "hiding" its true financial position from the people, and claimed that the board was in a position to review generously the whole scale of relief payments. No justification could be offered even for the most recent relief scale, which did not allow relief workers to maintain life at a decent standard.

Mr West displayed a torn blanket which, he said, was typical of the blankets to be found in relief workers' homes. He referred to a case in Christchurch, and stated that a woman had been violently treated by the police officer when she was trying on a recent occasion to secure relief at the depot. Unemployed Women Mrs Penney, representing the Canterbury women's branch of the movement, urged the Minister to improve the position of single unemployed women. She said that some Christchurch girls were faced with dire poverty. Their standard of living must be raised, and they were entitled to the same treatment as that given to unemployed men. She also said that two women had been assaulted by a policeman at the Christchurch relief depot. Mr W. H. Bayard (Christchurch) spoke vigorously, and argued that the Government would soon find the necessary money if the country were at war. Why could it not find money for relief?

Mr Sullivan said that after paying for rent many relief workers had practically nothing to spend on food and the necessaries of life. There was a smaller chance than ever of their supplementing their relief earnings. Many who had been contributing to his fund as Mayor of Christchurch were recipients of assistance from the fund.

The Minister explained that the £1,250,000 that was stated to be in the reserve fund of the Unemployment Board looked all right on paper, but there were certain liabilities to charge against that, and his accountants informed him that the real reserve was only £648,000. That would be sufficient for only about 8£ weeks on the present basis of expenditure, and it did not count the prospect of increased liabilities during the winter months. Improvement Promised The board, continued the Minister, had considered the whole question, and from May 1 those workers who were on Scale D would be raised to Scale C. That would give some measure of assistance, and as time went on and as circumstances would allow they would improve the situation as far as it was practicable to do so. There were quite a few people who preferred relief work to regular jobs. A voice: That is all bunk. The Minister: I am referring to a man in my own district. He stated what I am stating now. Mr P. Fraser, M.P.: We have not heard one case proved yet. The Minister: It would be unwise to create such conditions as would leave no incentive for anyone to look for work. Sir Alexander Young went on to announce that the ration system during the coming winter would be improved to the extent of 50 per cent, on what it was last winter. Dealing with the increase of 10s asked for by the deputation, he said that on a basis of 52,000 unemployed it would involve an additional expenditure of £1,300,000 a year to do this. Revenue from wages tax Would have to be increased to Is 3£d' in the £l, or the quarterly levy would have to be increased f/om 5s to £1 Is 6d, or the levy on income other than wages would have to be increased from lOd to Is lOd.