BURDEN OF RELIEF

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 94, 15 January 1932, Page 13

BURDEN OF RELIEF

Hospitals Make Appeal BIG DEFICITS AHEAD 7 ■ ■ ", ' Deputation to Government APPROACHING A CRISIS Au appeal to the Government to grant further and immediate assistance to the hospital boards, which were rapidly reaching a position in which they would be entirely unable to give assistance to the unemployed, was made by a deputation from the New Zealand Hospital Board’s As- < sociation, which waited on the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, the Minister in Charge of Unemployment, Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, and the Minister of Health. Hon.' J. A. Young, yesterday. Deficits of the Auckland, Wellington, and North Canterbury boards are expected to total £lOB,OOO. It was stated that upon the Government’s decision would depend whether the association’s annual conference would be postponed in order to save the £6OO or £7OO that would be Involved in calling it. The Prime Minister promised to consider the position fully. Mr. W. Wallace, president of the Hospital Boards’ Association and chairman of the Auckland Hospital Board, said the boards were faced with a very serious state of affairs. The burden of providing unemployment relief was proving altogether too heavy, and a halt would have to be called, for the boards would shortly be entirely without funds to carry on. The problem had become even greater during the last few months, and a crisis was rapidly being approached. . : . Nine' months of the financial year had gone, and they were in a position to judge how they would stand at the end of March. On a rough calculation the Auckland board would have a deficit of £60,000, Wellington £30,000, and Canterbury £lB,OOO, making a total of £lOB,OOO for these three. Dunedin now seemed to be going through experiences simijar to those of the other boards for some time past. ■ ’ The Auckland board’s estimate for relief for the 12 months bad been overspent in proportion at the end of nine months by £27,000, and £62,000 would have been spent by the end of this month. It would be impossible to carry on after the end of this month, and the board would have two months of the financial year to go without any money on which to operate. A total of 2G25 men were assisted in two days during December, the /trouble being that when men were standing down for their week under the No. .5 unemployment scheme they were forced to seek aid from the board. The position had been aggravated through the interference by the Government with the boards’ estimates at the beginning of the year, and the heavy curtailment that had been in--sisted upon was now being felt. It was maintained that if the boards were to continue bearing the burden of unemployment relief the money should be handled through the Unemployment Board. • Mr F. Castle, chairman of the Wellington board, said the board’s debit at the end of the nine months was £28,611. The sum of £75,000 had been earmarked for the boards throughout New Zealand, and the greater part of this would have to be allocated to the principal boards, yvhicb would need £llO,OOO in all in order to balance this year’s expenditure. They were anxious to know whether the £75,000 would be forthcoming, because overdrafts were, mounting up and increasing costs, all the time. The boards vjere becoming concerned at the situation. 'The amount of subsidy available was cut down in anticipation that the Unemployment Board’s schemes would draw the men away from the boards, but the applications for relief.had increased. The boards maintained that they should not have to pay for the sustenance of able-bodied men who were out of work. The Unemployment Board was set up to deal with tliis question, but the ralepayers were being called upon to meet unexpected expense. Wighty-five • per cent, of the relief , money was being spent in Auckland. Wellington, and Christchurch, and the unemployed were likely to get out of hand. Trouble was not wanted, and everything should be done to avoid it. It was thought that a certain amount of overlapping could be avoided by doing away with the necessity for men to go through certain formalities at the labour'bureaux and then being forced to do the same at the hospital board’s offices. It was not a pleasant thing to be on a hospital board at the moment. ~ , The Prime Minister: I can quite believe that. There is no pleasure in being in any responsible position toMr. Castle said the Government’s difficulties were appreciated and the boards would do everything they could to assist. ... Mr. H. J. Otley, chairman of the North Canterbury Board, said that more accommodation was required in Christchurch to deal with unemployment relief. Every week that men stood down from relief work, they had to be fed and sometimes clothed. If file men were not fed they could expect a riot. “We are coming to the end of our tether the same as the other people and we will not be able to carry on/ Mr. Otley added. Mr. W. E. Knight, chairman of the I Otago Board, said he could see _no I sign of improvement in the position. ' in spite of the fact that the Prime Minister had spoken very optimistically the other day. Mr. Forbes: Not very. Mr. Knight said the ratepayers could not carry the burden any. er. The boards took up the attitude that it was the duty of the State to provide unemployment relief- , lne boards were already sufficiently burdened with ordinary charitable aid. The Prime Minister said he appreciated the boards’ difficulties, and he knew the charitable organisations had done wonderful work, for which the Government was very grateful. He assured the deputation that their representations would have full consideration with a view to alleviating the burden on the boards.