LOWER RELIEF PAY

Grey River Argus, 29 April 1932, Page 6

LOWER RELIEF PAY

CANTERBURY OBJECTION to j (Per Press Association). CHRISTCHURCH, Ap.il 18. j A secret balot is being taken vu I various Canterbury relief works io determine what action should be adopt | ed in connection with the new rates i of pay offered by the Unemploy men* : Board as from May 1. The men are said to De greatly om | satisfied with the new scheme, us tin y ! will have to wprk extra time for lilt j [increased pay. U.S.A. PROTEST. AGAINST PENSION CUTS OAMARU. Apr! 28. ! At the annual meeting of the Oamaru l Returned Soldiers’ Association to-night. | resolutions were passed condemning the action of the Government reducing the sold’ers’ pensions and also th e action of the U.S.A, headquarters in compromising in regard to these cuts to pensions. CUTTING OF WAGES SHOULD BE “THE LAST TIIINIG. 1 (.Al.i. Ot N Z, Cable Assn ( SYDNEY, April 28. “Wages should be the last thing cut in industry,’’ declared Sydney Pascaii, addressing the Newcastle Rotary Conference. He added: If wages are first attacked, how can you expect the confidence of your workmen. An employer should be a leader without being an lautociat. Profits were normally am. I ethically wrong, if obtained at tae c - pense of the worker. In times of dr i pression, the burden should not l; • i placed on the shoulders of those lea;-; able to bear it, namely the employee l GOVERNMENT’S CLAIMS. WELLINGTON, April 27. ~ In the House, Mr fl. E. llollan i I said the country had been crrpccting i the Minister’s statement that he worn i make some provision for women who were contributing to the unemployment fund. The had referred loal voluntary organisations and ha I declared the Government looked to these committees to provide for w. men, but no adequate provision wa > made for these committees. The position of the women was infinitely worse than that of the men. Th ‘ whole moral well-being of the Domi ion was wrapped up in the uclfaic of the women. He characterised the Minister’s statement as altogether i’■ adequate, and wholly lacking in e.'icaey. As a measure to remedy t_.e existing evils of unemployment, it 1 had fallen far short not only of wh J • the unemployed had been exipectiug, I but also of what the general pul-H«* ; had been led to expect. Mr Atmore said that the Govern inenf still failed to realise this was not the time for decreasing the pc . pie’s purchasing power, and that tlie way out would be to increase the purchasing power. The Minister’s new scheme would certainly do nothing to allay unrest. It would merely servo to intensify the feeling of uneasiness.

After a nupnber of Labour member had spoken, Mr Coates said he w.:s, bound to admit a number of peop.e would be disappointed with th • scheme, but mainly because they had been misled as to the ability of the country’s finances to deal with tiw position. He assorted that in spite <»'' criticism New Zealand’s today, to cope with the unemployment problem was better than that in other countries. It was apparent that many did not yet realise the count)y and the people had their backs to the ' wall, and were fighting for very e :- istcnce. The Minister said that ganisation in connection with the oil I employment scheme was being completely overhauled, and this task would be completed in about eight days, at I least so far as most places were concerned. The Board would see that 1 where work could not be provided, people would at least be fed. Mr Semple: Does that mean yo i will give sustenance. Mr Coates: Yes in food and possibly some cash. Ho gave an assurance that relief would be offered in a manner that would cause no irritation. There would be no call for women and children to line up in queues. He was convinced that the new scheme would be infinitely superior and far more generous than any previous contri bution to the unemployment problem. Replying to an interjection, relat-

ing to women, the Minister said that the women’s organisations had as.naed him they were able to handle the . situation. — ,