COUNCIL CRITICISED.

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 47, 25 February 1937, Page 17

COUNCIL CRITICISED.

AID FOR UNEMPLOYED

POSITION AT INVERCARGILL

(By Telejrrapii—Press Association.)

INVERCARGILL, February 24.

Criticism of the administration of unemployment relief by the Invercargill City Council was made by the Minister of Labour (the Hon. H. T. Armstrong) today after he had heard a deputation of relief workers. On the figures given by the deputation the position certainly required looking into, said the Minister, and if the position as stated was correct it appeared that the sooner the No. 5 scheme was finished the better.

"With regard to the city council, it seems that you have brought forward a case which requires investigation," said Mr. Armstrong. The Labour Department had done as much as possible to induce local bodies to put relief workers on to their staffs under the 40-hour week, the department contributing up to £2 5s a week for married men providing they were engaged at current rates of wages on full time, he said. This only left about £1 15s a week for the local body to find. Some local bodies were doing excellent work to assist the Government, notably the Dunedin, Christchurch, and Auckland City Councils. However, a number of local bodies in the south were refusing to do anything for the unemployed. It appeared that the Invercargill City Council should do more.

The deputation had stated that the council was contributing only Is 8d to 2s 8d a week a man. If rates offered under the No. 5 scheme were not worth: a greater subsidy from the council, it was time the scheme was knocked off and the men placed on sustenance. The Labour Department was actually trying to clean up the No. 5 scheme. He personally was anxious to get rid of it, as a,number of local bodies were not assisting. He promised that he would go into the matter before he left Invercargill with officers of the department and representatives of the city council.