UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 22 September 1926, Page 2

UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF.

HOSPITAL BOARD’S CLAIMS.

RETURNED BY GOVERNMENT,

(by TELEGRAPH MESS ASSOCIATION.) AUCKLAND. Sopt. 21. The claim for £.1655 18s 7d made by the Auckland Hospital Board on the Government on account of disburseinents for unemployed relief was returned to the board by the Department o, Health this evening, with the intimation that while the Government was pr.epared to meet the board fairly on the claim it was not prepared to accept full liability for the extra cost caused by the unemployed situation m Auckland. The claim was in respect of relief granted up to July 17. _ , After stating that the Prime Minister had referred the claim to the Department of Health, Dr. T. H. A. Valentine, Director of Health, said that as the board was aware it was the. function of the board to grant relief to those requiring assistance in its district and the department, by way of subsidy, contributed approximately half of such relief. The Prime Minister had informed the Minister of Health, the Hon. J. A. Young, that as far as he could remember no understanding was 'arrived at that the Government would indemnify the board for full amount, but it had been agreed that the Government would meet the board in a fair way. Before giving the matter further consideration, the letter added, the Minister would be glad to know whether any further special relief had been given since July 17 and the amount. The chairman (Mr W. Wallace) said lie had met the Prime Minister, who had asked if the board would deal with all unemployment Telief. Mr Coates had said the Government would be responsible for any expenditure incurred outside of ordinary relief. Mr Wallace also said the calls for relief were Still large and the total expenditure was now about £3OOO. The relief committee was dealing with about 200 cases at present. The board decided to forward to the department the information asked for. It was also decided to renew the claim, repeating that the board understood from the Prime Minister that the Government would meet all the cost of unemployed relief.