BOARD DISBANDS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 49, 26 August 1931, Page 15

BOARD DISBANDS

CHAIRMAN HONOURED

UNEMPLOYED PROBLEM

TASK FOR FUTURE

The necessity for tlio new Unemployment Board formulating schemes whereby the men ou.tVbf ..#ork would be given employment in. productive channels was stressed by the deputy-chairman, Mr. J. S.Joßsep, at a gathering, of the old board last night. Ho said that unless this policy were carried out there would have to be increased contributions to the fund. The members: of the old board had gathered to say farewell to the chairman (the Hon. S. G. Smith), and, as a token of the esteem in which ho had been held, presented him with an enlarged photograph of the board. In ranking, the presentation, fifr. H. B. Burdekiu, the vice-chairman of the old board, said that the members of the old board appreciated the manner in which the Minister had carried out his duties as chairman. When the board had been engaged on intricate matters his advice haa been most helpful. Another member of the old board, Mr. P..J. Small, said that when the board had been up against it in the matter of finance the Minister had done all that was pbssible in the interests of: the workers, and in: the interests of tho country in which he had been born.

In reply,. Mr. Smith said that he appreciated deeply the presentation which had been,made to him. He would always remember the. keenness and ability with which the old board had tackled a task' which .had baffled statesmen and economists throughout the world. The members had tackled the problems before, them with ii spirit of co-operation, and with an entire absence of partisanship. The Minister said that had it not been for the grant of new money to cope with the unemployment problem he shuddered to think what would have been ,the position of thosa out of work.1 '.'■■■ REASONS EOIt- RECONSTRUCTION.

, Ho wished to. allay any supposition that .the board Bad been reconstructed because of dissatisfaction."with the old one. Pressure had been brought to bear in favour of a board with fewer members and not representative of different intorests, and the reeonstruetion of the board was no reflection on the old members, whphad ..earried_ put L their work with .aoa.spieupns.ability. He paid a tribute to the work done by Mr. Burdekiiij who had acted as chairman during his absence. The board-had carried out its task under tremendous difficulties. When it canue into.'office it never expected that the.number of unemployed would exceed 15,000, and-when; it grew to over 4d,000 the board's difficulties ftonifd'bt) reilisedj especially as the funds at'-ita disposal- had' bees limited. The fact that there' had. been no serious disturbances showed that the vast »najprity of the'unemployed realised that the besi; in the circninstaiiees was being;"done for. themr Now that the. board Kad|beeii.fQct>^Btruoted it'was 'cbntend-Mvthitltheinien-ihsthe cit}es v sl£p.uld be sent""but -iilto ijfcfie?<i6ttntry^: : ;Thp . old I)bard had realised this^ but it had realised also that married men on rationed work cduld not keep two'homes going. The .Work done;by.the,board in r its eight months- of office, had been,re'mal'kable, ajiit^th 0"! jftti^-ia;^ uifiL .• No. i gcheraes, wlri^Jifli^:. jM|tfe^\9op(i '.a\^n/pn tfteyelopBi^aJvTOykS^EttSii^cSajSvpf^.feao.OOO, Svouid' be-a monument to its'worki. He was parting with- the old board. with a great deal of regret, and the friendshiiDS he bad formed at its sittings would, remain'as. long" as memory lasted. The olji- board ■hadjhandMpyer. to .the new Sb^jd'^^eM^^^O^Oikatilegacy, but.it ■:^ulii'nßof'^iaTO-;-il6n^'o s"-had--it not had to tackle, a tremendous problem with limited funds. Whatever success the new board had-would be due in some measure to the work.done by its predecessor

-^-.JEhe deputySh'ajrma'n'' }df-1;, tiieV v new ■board; ~Mr. J. SV'Jessep; said vthat the members of the new board- appreciated the work done by tfie old board; which had broken the trail. The new-board •would", be.'able to forward proposi:.:w;puld:SoJ have been possible" but for "tne.^pjbieering. work Which the other board had"done. The, unemployment problem was a serious one, and it was absolutely necessary to realise that the money which had been j raised fxom the wages of those who'were in employment and from taxation.must be -spent in i-eproduetive work, otherwise,the contributions would have to be increased.. It'was impossible in New, ZeaJand^tp-find-Avprk for; such a large number .of men unless some of the money went badk to the State so that further funds would be required to carry out;future work. V..".;