NOT A BAR

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 11, 13 July 1931, Page 10

NOT A BAR

WORKERS' SAVINGS

CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT

NO PENAXTY ON THRIFT

A good deal of publicity has been given cases where applicants for relief work have been prosecuted for having made false declarations. In some cases the ground of action has been that single men, have described themselvei as married men with families, so obtaining more work than is given single men, and iv others applicants have stated that they were without any money on hand, when in fact they had fair sums in the savings bank, or elsewhere." 'J.'his latter typo of-case ha» given rise to a great deal of feeling, and to many complaints that thrift ia penalised, and also to a very gonoral impression that those who ' are : unfortunate enough to lose their employ* ment must spend anything they hava put by before they can expect a turn on relief work. \ "That impression," stated Mr. J. I. Goldsmith, chairman of the Wellington Belief Committee, to-day, "is entirely wrong. I cannot say what is the attitude elsewhere, but the Wellington committee is not penalising thrift. A line must be drawn somewhere, and as a rule the Wellington committee makes an allowance of about £150. What tlie committee will not tolerate aro deliberately false statements by applicants as to their position, either financially, or as to their married or siugla state." Bceciit cases of false declarations, ha said, were of a man who said that he had a wife and two children, but who was in fact single, and of another who said that he had & 200, whereas in fact he had nearer £600. INSURANCE PAYMENTS. The continuation of insurance payments was a matter to man j; at present, added Mr. Goldsmith, but tho committee did not call upon, any applicant for employment on relief works to> discontinue such payments and so throw up his whole cover. For instance, a man, previously well able to; carry on with payments on a policy of* say, £1000, having tea years to jrunj found himself put of work and hif policy, perhaps his only saving, threatened. The committee did not regard a continuation of regular payments a bar to the man obtaining relief work. In a great many cases parents insured their children, paying sixpence to> one shilling per week, and of tori these payments were made a first1 charge upon, the wages received by relief workers. "Several"of the companies," said Mr. Goldsmith, "have come --forward verjs handsomely and have offered to allow; these small weekly payments to remain in abeyance for tho time being, until conditions improve. This offer, I need, hardly say, is ,deeply appreciated by; parents who are most anxious to keep; up the payments upon policies taken out in tho interests of their children." EQUITY IN THE HOME. There were rumours also,1 continued Mr. Goldsmith, that a man. who owned a homo or who had an equity in a'home had to dispose of it before he could hope for assistance by employment oa relief works. "That is not correct. The fact that, a man, has a home over his head does not: mean' that he has food in the kitchen. An equity in 'a home is not a bar to obtaining relief employment. But the.commiteo does inBist that when applicants declare their) position they shall do so honestly. A! line must be drawn as to who is.to receive assistance and who is considered able to look after himself, depending upon many factors, but the Wellington. Belief Committee does not . penalise! thrift by saying that a man must spend all he has, sacrifice his insurance savings, and give up his small equity] in his home, before he can obtain employment under the relief scheme.'^