INHUMAN POLICY

Grey River Argus, 14 June 1935, Page 5

INHUMAN POLICY

towards unemployed Oamaru’s Strong Protest (Per Press Association). •OAMARU, June 13. \ vigorous protest was made, t'.night ' y the Oantaru Borough ('ouiie I again< the action of the Unemplov ment Board in putting local unemployed men on sustenance at a rate that i> p,. loss than that received on relie; work. The whnle of the Coune’Jli’' < joino<j ’in the jnotest, it being c cendel Hint the .-mailer towns were being i.euali-ed the relief rates c .pared vith iht> cities, and that out of .£50,00:' ddlei-: ed in unemployment taxation •j, the Oamaru district, only £14,000 was .-pent in the district, so that ove>went .from Oamaru to help . iher p eoples. I: was contended that the Unemployment Board was accumulating in::•;> in Wellington at the expense of vhe yinaller town-', and that the me i had a genuine grievance, and furthe’’ lh:.: irony men would bo thrown on lhe depotTlii' Mavor (Mr AI. |’_ Cooney) enii fully lhe remarks < f lhe Counci Im-. He stated that the action of H'p cn\ernii.i-ii: in placing Hip m?n on sii-fenance. at a lower rate, was not ui unfair but .inhuman because it was putting lhe men off at lhe tilin' of t’lp year when it was impossible get other w, >rk. Mr Forbes had slated thai men were not going to recciv*' any iiay without work, but the policy ~f the Board had since been reversed. Th ’ Government, said the Mayor ha«l bungled the question of unemployment and the chickens were now com ing home to boost. ITe thought that it was cowardly for the Government ’to throw the responsibility on the local bodies, and said that the Government mu-- accept the responsibility.