BULLER ELECTORATE

Grey River Argus, 19 June 1933, Page 7

BULLER ELECTORATE

ministerial replies. Al 11. 11. Hijllunil. M.T.. bus ri'i-eiv-eil the following Ministerial communications: — Boots for Relief Workers —From the Minister of Employment (12/6/33): — ‘‘l have to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the. 25th ultimo in which v.oi make representations on behalf of the Millerton Miners’ t’nion for the mtermil tent workers to be issued with working hoots under the same conditions as the issue is at present beingmade to .Scheme 5 relief workers. At the present lime the Board is desirous Jf concentrating on the issue of boots to those relief workers who have been engaged on Scheme 5 on a rationed basis during the past 26 consecutive weeks ::-s there is no doubt that the i majority of these men are in urgent need of good footwear. It may later bo possible to extend the issue to intermittent workers, but al the present time, it is impossible to forecast the. ' Roa rd’s decision in the mat ter. Your 1 representat ions will, however, be sub milled Io the Board whim the .piest'ion is being dealt \\ ith.

Westport. Allocations I’mn tinMinister of Employment. (12/6/33-): —;■ “ Further to my letter of the 31st ultimo with reference to the position! of relief workers at Buller Gorge in relation to their relief payments, I have to advise that T have gone fully into the question, ami the position is that the allocation to Westport is the maximum possible from the funds available to the Board. “The Westport allocation is quite a good one and is in line with all other comparable centres" actually it is the highest obtaining outside the tour main cities. In Hie circumstances I regret that it is impossible to provide any fuller allocation to Westport at the present time.’’ THE ALPINE MINE. At the beginning of the* present month Mr. Holland wrote to the Minister of Employment supporting the protest of the Millerton Unemployed Workers’ Movement against married men being, required to work at the Alpine Mine for 30/- per week, and pointing out that it would be utterly impossible. for any man to keep himself at the Alpine ami maintain his wife ami family in Millerton on that rate of pay. Mr. Holland has now received the following reply (which leaves 'matters as thev were) from the Minister: “In reply to your letter of the 2nd instant. 1 have to advise that the actual position concerning the employment of married men from Millerton on gold mining work is as follows. In extending the Unemployment Board’s prospecting Scheme on the West ('oast, it lias been found necessary to improve ami construct tracks leading to likely auriferous areas, and on this class of work special rates are being paid by the Board. In the case of work in the Lyell district, it is recognised that the. men will have to undergo a certain amount of hardship during the initial stages, ami for this reason married men have been offered 37/fi per week while on preliminary track construction work. “Besides the possibility ,of winning gold when they start prospecting, the. men are further assisted by the provision ’ of lent, accommodation, tools, and other necessary equipment. The uniform subsidy of 30/- per week is applicable to married men when they commence full time prospecting or mining wilder this scheme, ami to date some hundreds of num have voluntar- ; ily taken up this form of work in pre- ; ference to remaining on ordinary relief under Scheme No. 5. The question as to the basis of remuneration - for parties engaged on a co-operative i basis in opening up and working reeds - in inaccessible areas has not yet been determined.’’