UNEMPLOYMENT

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21449, 15 April 1935, Page 6

UNEMPLOYMENT

BOARD'S REPLY TO

REQUEST

EXTRA RELIEF PROMISED FOR WINTER MONTHS

Repi'tsentations made to the actingPrime Minister, the Hon. E. A. Ransom, bv the Mayor of Christchurch, Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P., for an increase of 10s a week in the wages paid to relief workers, have received the reply that the request cannot be met at the present time. In a letter received by the Mayor on Saturday from the Minister for Employment, the Hon. S. G. Smith, the Unemployment Board promises additional rations, a further issue c.f boots, and an issue of blankets to all married unemployed who have been out of work for some time.

The letter, a reply to the Mayor's telegram of April 2, stated: — "Your telegram of April 2, addressed to the acting-Prime Minister, following representations made .to you by a deputation of wives of unemployed, has been referred to me for consideration by the Unemployment Board. "Whilst assuring you that myself, and other members of the board, appreciate keenly the hardship being endured by those families in the community whose breadwinner has lost his employment, the suggestion made in your telegram for increasing all relief workers' pay by 10s a week is not possible at the present time. Extra Expense Involved "To do as you suggest," continued the Minister, "would require an additional sum of money annually in excess of the presont balance of the unemployment fund. Apart from that factor is the other factor, that such a method of procedure would not be entirely equitable, as not every registered unemployed is experiencing the same difficulty. "In an investigation made by the board recently, it was found that in one centre just over 50 per cent. o£ the registered unemployed had regularly augmented their relief earnings by private earnings, or had family in- j comes to increase their relief earn-1 ings." The letter continued that the board, in view of the fact that its funds were in a sound condition, was desirous of providing additional relief. This would apply to the more necessitous cases during the winter months.

With that object in view, arrangements were being made for an additional supply of rations, a further issue of boots, and for an issue of blankets to all married unemployed who had been on the unemployed list for some time.

Provision was also to be made to class as dependents those children whose ages ranged from 16 to 20 years, and who previously had not been listed as dependents for the purpose of granting additional relief. These proposals, it was estimated o.y the board's accountancy department, would cost the board an additional £160,000. It was the hope of the board that the worse cases of hardship would be reasonably met during the coming winter by these measures. MAYOR'S COMMENT REPLY CHARACTERISED AS "DISAPPOINTING" "I am disappointed, and I am sure that the community will be disappointed, that the representations made by so many people, including the Municipal Association, in favour of granting 10s a week extra to relief workers, has not been acceded to by the Government or the Unemployment Board," said the Mayor (Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P.), commenting on the letter.

"1 am quite sure that, in spite of the troubles of the community, people would sooner pay a little more if it. were absolutely necessary in order that releif workers, their wives and children, should be able to live and avoid the humiliation of having to accept charity," he continued. "If the Government does not act, it looks as if further efforts will have to be made in the way of providing supplementary relief by people who have been called upon to give so much in the last five or six years. "I note that there is to be an issue of boots and blankets, and I am asking the Government to extend its assistance in this direction by providing women's and dhildren's footwear, as the position at present is very acute."

THE RECENT DEBATE IN PARLIAMENT

ADDRESS BY MR E. J. HOWARD

"The Uenmployment Debate in Parliament" was the subject of an address by Mr E. J. Howard, M.P., to a meeting of the Unemployed Workers' Association in Latimer square yesterday afternoon.

After describing .the reception of the recent deputation to Parliament claiming an increase in relief pay, Mr Howard outlined the history of the unemployment position since Sir Joseph Ward's death. He contended that a more liberal allowance would have been made by the United party, but that the Reform party dominated the Coalition and was carrying out a policy of reducing the rates of pay. Mr Howard also described the unemployment debate. He said that in influencing Parliament, petitions were not worth the paper they were written on. Their only use was to influence those who signed them. In Parliament all that mattered was how the votes were recorded when the division bell rang and the sheep were separated from the goats. Labour should be more closely united. Cr. A. E. Armstrong took the chair. Other speakers were Messrs E. L. Hills and E. Braithwaite.