UNEMPLOYMENT BOARD

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 135, 5 December 1930, Page 10

UNEMPLOYMENT BOARD

PRIVATE WORK SUBSIDISED

CHRISTMAS RELIEF

A second scheme of subsidising work during the holiday period, as forecasted in "The Post" on Tuesday, has been announced by the Unemployment Board. The amount of tho allocation'for the scheme, which has been approved by the Minister of Finance, is £25,000; and it is laid down by the board that tho money shall be used to subsidise work for those who cannot conio under the first scheme. The board also wifehes to make it clear that it is not its intention to reduce wages on this work, and that all jobs will be subsidised £1 for £1 at a rate not exceeding 7s per day per man. The actual wages are to be fixed by mutual agreement between employer and employee. This subsidy will apply to the following classes of work: — Country "Work. —(1) Improvements to and maintenance of land by way of stone clearing, stumping, draining, fenc-* ing, rush grubbing and burning, gorse and noxious weeds grubbing or cutting, or spraying, scrub cutting, and work of similar nature. (2) Harvesting. (3) Ploughing and harrowing after clearing only. City Work—Labour Only.—Gardening, wood chopping, section clearing, subsoil drainage and trenching, clerical work. FUNCTION OF LOCAL COMMITTEES. <; In accordance with the powers contained in the Act, special local committees will be appointed wherever possible. The Act also states that the board shall define the powers of these committees, the members of which shall not receive any remuneration from the board's funds, and has accordingly laid down tho following conditions:— (1) The Local Committee to invite citizens in their district to offer work of the classes approved on the terms of this subsidy. (2) Where they exist tho Labour Exchange to act in conjunction with Local Committees, who will satisfy themselves that the proposed employee is, registered under the Act. (3) The Labour Exchange and/or Local Committee to issue a card to the employer, stating a maximum of subsidy authorised, and advising .him. of the name and particulars, of man sent to him for the work offered. The employee to sign the card also for identification purposes. (4) The employer will sigu the card after the work is finished, certifying that he has paid the employee a certain sum. (5) The employee to bring this card to the executive of the Local Committee, one of whom shall be a Government officer approved by the Unemployment Commissioner, who will make out a voucher for the subsidy due and-cer-tify it correct for payment by the local post office, attaching the original card thereto. (6) Amounts to be allocated to each Local Committee to be approved by the Minister of Finance. UNPRECEDENTED REGISTRATION. There was an increase of 636 over the previous week in the number of unemployed registered in Now Zealand for the week ended Ist December, according to a statement issued yesterday by the Minister of Labour, the Hon. S. G. Smith. Last week's total was 803S, and of these 4688 had dependants. Details of the registrations ■at labour bureaux and post offices, are:— < With Without dependants, dependants. Auckland j;)43 986 Wellington 657 943 Chrlstchurch ....... S7l .115 Dunedin 313 234 Invcrcarjill < 102 S2 The totals for the five centres, with the figures for x tho previous week in parentheses are:— Auckland, 2329 (2258); -AVellington, 1200 (1194); Christchurch, 1389 (1089); Dunedin, 547 (582); Invcrcargill, 184 (189). ■ . The increase in registrations in the fortnight has been 1270, a figure unprecedented since records of registration were first kept. Tho board has been working long hours all this week, and it sat day and night yesterday. As its activities extend it promises to be faced with an increasingly difficult task, and the co-operation of local bodies and committees will be urgently required. Over 50 applications have already been made by local bodies for subsidies under the board's scheme No. 1, by which up to £25,000 is to be made available for Christmas relief purposes. It seems obvious'that many will not be able to secure subsidies, although e,ach application will receive earnest attention.