£50,000 TO BE SPENT

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21652, 10 December 1935, Page 14

£50,000 TO BE SPENT

RELIEF WORKERS' BONUSES EIG SUM TO BE DISTRIBUTED IN THE CITY When the new Minister for Employment, the Hon. H. T. Armstrong, was speaking to a deputation yesterday he told the members that th # e share of additional Christmas relief'pay which the city unemployed will secure will be in the neighbourhood of £50.000. Under the first allocation of the Unemployment Board, Christchureh was 'to receive £33,000. Mr Armstrong said, but with the additional payment out of the £IOO.OOO granted by the Government the city would receive £16,000 more. There were a lot of the unfortunate victims of unemployment who were going to be deprived of the bonuses because of the existing unemployment regulations; which could not be altered immediately. But it had been suggested, the Minister said, that the certifying officers should be given discretionary powers to administer . the regulations with some elasticity to prevent unfair treatment, as .far as .possible. In the case of Christchureh he thought that such a plan would be feasible, and that here the regulations would be administered sympathetically. Although the Government could not go further than the grant of £IOO,OOO that had already been made, it still had power to decide on the allocation of the money. The question would be determined to-day, when Mr ArmStrong returned to Wellington.