A STRONG STAND

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 87, 9 October 1937, Page 10

A STRONG STAND

SUSTENANCE ROLLS

PURGE COMMENCED

MINISTER'S ACTION

The Government has commenced a purge of the sustenance rolls throughout New Zealand. Notices have been sent to all single men who are physically fit that where jobs have been found fc them they are expected to accept them. The penalty for refusal will be the striking of their names off the sustenance rolls.

In making this announcement today th* Minister of Labour (the Hon. H. T. Armstrong) said that the tragedy was that when these men left school, a few years ago they were keen and anxious to work, but nobody wanted them.Now, after long idleness; his Department was finding the greatest difficulty in getting them to settle down when work had been found for them.

Mr. Armstrong said he realised the problem that was facing the country, and after long consideration had decided to take up a strong stand. He was convinced that the action he was taking was in the best interests of the men.

The Minister added that it was wrong for the opponents of the Government to say that there were 5000 young men in the country refusing to accept work on the farms because they were in receipt of unemployment benefits. The possibility was that the nrones of these young men were registered with the Placement Department, and that there was no doubt that they had jobs at the present time, and were looking for better ones. In any case, they were not receiving benefits from the Unemployment Fund, and for that reason the Labour Department had no jurisdiction over them.