UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 May 1928, Page 7

UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF

WHAT GOVT. IS DOING MR. COATES’S REVIEW (Pcv Preßß Association.) WELLINGTON, May 26. The Prime Minister, referring to criticisms levelled at the Government, re unemployment, says: The public might be led to believe that the speakers alone were concerned with the present. unemployment situation, and the Government were doing nothing whatever to cope with it. They fail to appreciate what has been done. The following information will reveal what the Government, have done to afford relief to those who have been unable to obtain employment elsewhere. (1) During the last, financial year, approximately 6200 men were sent to Government, relief works throughout the Dominion, and over 3000 men left these works of their own acco.rd. (2) The Local Bodies Empowering Act, under which local bodies could raise loans for the relief of unemployment, was extended for another year, last session, and in addition legislative authority for payment, of subsidies to local bodies for works undertaken for relief of unemployment, was given by Parliament. The total payments were limited by the Imprest Supply Act (No. 1) to £500,000. Subsidies totalling £113,000 were approved during the year, and payments Actually made to March 31 last amount to £75,106. (3) The total expenditure by the Government on relief works last year, including £75,106 paid in subsidies to local bodies, was £472,671. (4) During the period of seven weeks from April 1 of this year up to May 19, 1200 m‘en have been sent to Government relief works, which are being undertaken by the Public Works and Forestry Departments. Of this number, 400 men left the works of their own accord.

(5) There are 2750 men on the Government relief works at the present time, and arrangements are in train for placing approximately 1000 additional men, as soon as camps can be erected and works laid out, probably within a fortnight’s time. (6) Approximately 11,600 men are being employed by the Public Works Department to date. In addition to this, we have to remember that the Public Works programme has been pressed on at a high rate of speed, at a pace faster than would have been normally required, and that about 10,000 men are being absorbed, whereas under ordinary circumstances the number employed would be between 6000 and 8000. With regard to the question of a subsidy to local bodies for unemployment works, Cabinet decided to reenact the provisions to subsidise local authority unemployment loans, and this fact was definitely announced' by my colleague (Mr. Wright) when he received a deputation concerning unemployment. Recently, I have been in communication with the Mayor of Wellington regarding the variation of the subsidy paid to local bodies, but no decision has been arrived at yet. In the meantime, however, the same provisions which applied up to March 30 last are being continued, and a public statement to this effect has already been made. “Also to be taken into account,” added Mr. Coates, “is the recent decision of the Government to undertake a statistical (review in order to ascertain ages, responsibilities and qualifications of the men, with a view to launching a scheme designed to prevent men getting out of employment, and where they are unemployed, to absorbing them in our various industries.”