THE UNEMPLOYED

Grey River Argus, 21 August 1934, Page 6

THE UNEMPLOYED

IKHISINi; RELIEF ('ompciihiilioii lot Aciidcnl Mil. .1 O'lllti UN 'ti HIKKIiiiITION (l)tll I ‘ll 111 II 111 tt II 111 I li'•p' I • I I I Hpmihiiig in I ‘|i tli«i In t-ii I h< I In- reply 10 II iplUhlion wlliili 111- ntlked I-'HlK-limr ItgO, Mi. .1 < t ‘Hiii-ii, M <-in Ih-i tor Wr: I 111 ll d , lliid Sound Ii i lig pi-1 I I in-li I I" • n ii iii-ii I Ihr Illuming nf tiio-iiiployl \\ orkiti'rt. 11l- hill! a d < d Ihe M iiiii-der I’m Employiin-nl Io ad\ iiiu c srvi-aly per (•(•111. of Ihr ro-d of dwellings free o| ni|i-rr:-l In ii ii rm ploy rd workers and | lor e whn wrrit receiving Ihr basic build houses ol I heir own, Ihr Min islrr, in imply, had slalrd Ilia! (In11 nriiiploy me n I Board were alreitdy prepared In assist workers Io obtain their own houses. The lime allowed to it member Io speak in answer to a quest ion is oiilv l ive minutes, but M (.J’Hrien made the most of his lime, lie Mr. O’Briou (Westland) referreil Io question |(i/\ in uhirh he had asked the Minister of Employment Io bring before the I ’ nemploy merit Board the nrcrssilx - of making advances without interest payments Io workers wishing Io build their own homes. To that the Minister had replied that tin* Board was in consultation with building societies in. an endeavour to arrive at an arrangement which would better enable home building to lie financed. He had asked lhe question in view of the statement made by the Minister that advances to workers would not be more than 8 per cent, of the cost of any building, while (he present rate of wages obtaining was quite insufficient to enable a man to build a home of his own. His suggestion was that arrangements might be made whereby the I ’ nem ploy men t Hoard might advance 75 per cent, of tin* cost of a building to men on a small wage who were at present living two and three families in one house. There was a definite shortage of dwellings, and if this money were advanced at a low rate of interest, or without interest, it would be coming back to the people later instead of being spent in subsidising those who could well do without it ami hud money enough Io do their own building. 'l'lii* unemployment fund was created to assist the unemployed, and what belter way to utilise it than to enable people to build houses of their own. He had in mind the case of a man with a family of twelve for whom he had endeavoured, withou’ result, to obtain some assistance. AVith a grant of about £l3O the man could have erected a house for himself, unemployed carpenters having agreed to du so free of labour cost. Other countries could advance money from their Unemployment Funds iri that way, and money advanced on such lines to help working men and working farmers had been very much better spent than any money advanced by the New Zealand Government. Incidentally, if th< i Government followed that suggestion and a few thousand houses were put in hand in the Dominion it would assist the Unemployment Funds tremendously by putting a large number of men to work. The sawmilling industry was languishing, carpenters, plumbers, bricklayers and builders’ labourers were out of work, and house-building would mean work for many of them. If 75 per cent, of the money were advanced it could be paid back at the rate of ten or fifteen shillings a week, which the man would otherwise have to pay in rent or interest.

STARVATION. Mr. CU’Brieu also referred to a question in which he asked that relief workers meeting with accidents at work receive adequate compensation to keep them in the necessaries of life. The question was not satisfactorily answered, Mr. . O’Brien said: He wished to refer to the question in which he asked the Minister of Employment whether he would take steps to have relief workers under Unemployment Board schemes paid adequate compensation if they met with an accident at work. The Minister had replied that the measure of relief to workers during periods of disability arising out of their employment was at present under consideration. He held that the rates of compensation paid to relief workers now and in the past were a scandal. A man with a large family forced on relief work in the country could only receive, at the most, £l/2/3 per week. If he met with an accident at work his compensation worked out at about 14/5 per week, which was far from sufficient to keep him and his family and they were forced far below subsistence level. A married man with a wife and two children received little more than 14/per week in the country. If he met with an accident at work his compensation pay would be 9/4 per week. A single man sometimes earned 9/- per week. If he had to go on compensation through an accident he would receive 6/- per week. Mostly in the country single men got about 6/- per week relief pay. If they were injured their compensation would work out at 4/- per week. No one could live on these payments and they and their families were faced to appeal to charity. Business men in the smaller towns found it impossible to assist, and mayors and charitable organisations of religious bodies are at their wits end what to do in the matter. There were cases of actual starvation which had come under his notice. Members of the House had time and time again tried to move Ministers on the question, but their appeals had fallen on deaf ears. It did not matter how eloquent the appeal, how perfect the case made, or what figures were produced the members on the Government benches had sat in their places with wooden faces and met. each appeal with starry stares. He did not think it possible to make such appeals to the Government without securing some re-

dress, but he had been disillusioned. It mattered not to the Government 'what hardship, poverty and misery existed; it listened complacently and did nothing. The facts had been stressed time and time again that the people were starving and could not possibly exist on the few shillings per week allowed them, but still the Government seemed utterly incapable of taking any action.