"FALSE PRETENCES"

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 95, 23 April 1931, Page 12

"FALSE PRETENCES"

UNEMPLOYMENT ACT

WATERSIDERS COMPLAIN

APPEAL TO -MINISTER

A complaint that the waterside workers were not obtaining the benefits they were entitled to under the Unemployment Act was made-to the Minister of Labour (tho. Hon.-S. G. Smith) to-day by a;deputation of representatives oi' the Watersido Workers' Union. The speakers denounced the Act as inadequate. They considered that it should be repealed and replaced by legislation which would cope with the position, but until this was done the waterside workers who paid the levy were entitled to the provisions 'set out in the existing measure. In reply, the Minister stated that ho fully sympathised with the waterside workers, and would investigate the representations which had been made.

The president .of ths Wellington Waterside Workers' Union (Mr. L. Glover) said that they wanted a definite statement of the position of waterside workers "under the Act. Regulations had been prepared for them, but had been vetoed by the Prime Minister on his return, and at the present time, when a" waterside worker registered af the bureau he was told that there was no work for him, and' that he had better go back to the wharf. The watcrsiders paid about £2200 in levies each quarter, and were entitled to some 'bonofits if they'were out of work. If they did not get any benefits, they should be exempt from the levy. They were entitled to work: or sustenance, and it seemed that the Government was taking the levy under falac pretences... . . WANT ACT REPEALED. Mr. Smith: "You want the Act repealed?" .' "'::■ ■■■-,- Mr Glover: "We want it repealed unconditionally." He said that if a man was unable to .pay Ms levy, he -had to meet the payment out of ■ his first job. The effect;of this was that he was pawning his labour in advance. Mr. Smith :"He has to pay an entrance, fee before',his',-joins the union, ' Mr. Glover: "That is a different question. There, is some protection for him from the union. I don't think you can compare the levy with the union fee. The Minister stated that the Unemployment Board had distributed £460,----000 in four months that would have not otherwise been distributed. This money had helped a large number of workers, and the last return showed that, out of the 38,000 men registered, 29,000 had been given work under the No. 5 scheme.- .. Mr. Glover:1 "The Act has stopped employment, and has dragged down the wages of the workers until they find it impossible to exist." He said that the waterside workers had not received any benefits from the Act. What they wanted . was something on the lines of the Queensland system, which was on unemployment insurance. The secretary of the Alliance of Labbur (Mr.J. Kobcrts) said that a man did not need to .-join thb union, but he had to pay the unemployment levy. II1 he ,-jo'incd'the union ho was guaranteed the'backing of the union, but there was no guarantee under tho. Unemployment Act. Tho waterside worker did not get employment, and he did not get sustenance. A« a result, many of them were in a desperate position. All they asked was some consideration. Mr. Smith: "You say you arc not getting it?" Mr. Eoberts: "I have not .come here with a cock-and-bull story. I am stating the actual position." He understood that 90.000 men had not paid the levy. Mr. Smith: "That is only a guess. I have the figures, and that estimate is not correct." "USELESS WORK." Mr. Kobcrts: "There are thousands who haven't paid." He said the work that had been put in hand was useless and. valueless, and might well have not been done. Mr. Smith: "Some of tho,work may have.been useless, but a; great deal of it has been valuable." Mr. Kobcrts said that there had been a great deal of grubbing gorse and other' such work done. Mr. Smith: "That is a reflection on tho local bodies." Mr. Roberts: "The local bodies can't do the work. It is a national question." There was plenty of valuable work, such as land development, to bo done, and in his opinion the Act would have to be drastically amended to adequately meet the position. Mr. Smith: "You must have sympathy with the men who are trying to do their best for the unemployed!" Mr. Roberts: "I have sympathyfor anybody who is trying to do the right thing, but how, can I have any sympathy with.', the Unemployment Board? It has been considering expediency only from the start." Mr. Smith:. "There is a vacancy on the board. Will you come along and lend us a hand." ' Mr. Roberts: "When I accept any position.from the Government, I won't take it, from/the bosses; I will take it from my-fellows who elect me to represent them." / Mr. J. O. Johnson complained that many men who had paid their levy had been listed as defaulters and had been unable to get. jobs. The fault lay in the system ,of checking, and it was unfair that - the watersiders should be penalised because the system was at fault. The men were so incensed, because they were not getting the benefits due to them under the Act, that they were continually asking the union officials to give them a lead by not paying the levy. Owing to the reduction in the volume of trade, it was more difficult than ever to obtain work on.the wharf, and the position of many of the men was desperate. Mr. E. E. Canham said that the only watersiders who had obtained work under the Act Had been those who had registered as labourers or gardeners. He complained'that the list ■of defaulters • was very inaccurate, , and penalised the-men severely. MINISTER SYMPATHETIC. The Minister said he was sorry that difficulties had arisen in connection with the men getting work. He had understood that a system of co-opera-tion had been involved, whereby casual workers who could not obtain employment could get jobs under the board's schemes. He would look into the system of listing defaulters immediately. It had to be remembered that 395,000 men paid the levy in New Zealand, and as tho total number registered was 38,000, it was obvious that the vast majority did not- get any benefits at all from the money they paid in. Mr. Glover: "We only ask for the provisions of the Act." Mr. Smith: "Some people argue that if there is no work availablo the men should Tcecive sustenance as a right, but this was not so." Mi. Glover: "They are not getting either." , ' Tho Minister said that he had always been sympathetic with the men on the wharf,' and would try to help them. When the board reassembled on-Tues-day he-would place their representations before it, and see ill something rcould no| b<3 dw».