UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 105, 30 October 1931, Page 11

UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF

UNAVOIDABLE POSITION

While recognising that the principle of penalising thrift embodied in the Unemployment Act was unfortunate, tho Dominion executive of the New Zealand Farmers' Union agreed yesterday afternoon that with the limited relief funds available and the large number of unemployed nothing could be done to overcome the anomaly. Tho Dominion president (Mr. W. J. Poison, M.P.) said that to allow those who luid small banking accounts to participate in the relief schemes would merely aggravate tiic position, although everyone would admit that it was appalling to have to place a premium on pauperism. Probably a radical change would be made in tho whole plan, including an enlargement of the camp scheme. Mr. W. Morrison pointed out that the same principle applied to the old age. pension, and said he could not see how tho Government could do any more than at present. • Mr. H. E. Blyde said it had to be realised that all money paid under unemployment schemes was by way of relief in the most necessitous cases. Unless they were prepared to submit to far higher taxation the existing state of affairs could not be altered. The following remits were carried: — "That this executive feels that the only way to relieve tho position caused through unemployment is to devise some scheme for land settlement under a group system and a classification of those who have had previous experience of agricultural work." "That this executive considers the unemployed levy is right in principle for finding necessary work for the unemployed, and that a£ least a portion of the necessary funds should bo raised by a flat tax, and that the Government should not permit laxness in those contributions."