SCHEMES 4A 4B AND 5

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 67, 20 March 1931, Page 8

SCHEMES 4A 4B AND 5

EXTENT OF EMPLOYMENT

T|he proportion of support accorded to tho three schemes of the Unemployment Board is shown in the following statement by the chairman of tho board (tho Hon. S. G. Smith). An endeavour' is to be made to arouse additional interest in the 4a and 4b schemes for farm work and development.

"Local bodies in many, parts ,of the Dominion have displayed considerable interest concerning the reception accorded to the Unemployment Board's Schemes 4a, 4b, and 5," states the chairman, "because it was recognised that they possessed more stable potentialities than the earlier schemes, which were "devised to give temporary relief to the unemployed. "Under 4a the board subsidised the wages of men employed by fanners at the rate of los per week lor a single man, and 25s pnr week for a married man, and up to 18th March the subsidies paid amounted to £924. 'Of the workers, 424 were single and 174 married.

"Scheme 4b covers contract labour for developmental work on farms, which is subsidised by the board to the extent of 33 1-3 per cent, of labour costs. The response to this scheme has been 34 contracts, involving 87 men, and the total subsidies paid to ISth March have been £777 9s. "Single men are given two •'ays work each week, married men with one dependent child.under 10 receive three days' work, and married men with two or more dependent children are given four days' work under Scheme No. 5. As complete returns of the number of men employed were not at first sent in by local bodies, these are available only from 7th March, and disclose a total of 56,630 who have shared in the different jobs up to ISth March. Of this" total', there were 22.41S two-day men, 17,125 three-day men, and 17,087 four-day men. "The original allocation lo this scheme was £.150,000, but up to 18th March the total commitments amount to £105,025 14a. The following are detailed estimates covering the operation of Scheme No. 5 in the four centres, and the rest of the Dominion for the week ended 14th March: —

The estimated amounts of wngos for the above period were: Auckland, £.10,----360; Wellington, £4212; Christchurch, £5033; Dunediu, £3317; other centres, £23,863; total, £46,785. The totals for the previous week were: _A men, 5702: B men, 4399; C men, 4124; total, 14,285; wages, £33,----45 P.

A B C . Tl. Auckland - .1649 15S1 1600 4920 Wellington . 1035 730 435 22M Christcli'ch . 863 842 710 12388 Dunedin ... 740 57(5 372 1004. Other centres 4555 3020 3845 11,420 Totals ... 8821. 6755 7052 22,62S.