SUSTENANCE PAYMENTS

Hawera Star, Volume L, 10 September 1930, Page 6

SUSTENANCE PAYMENTS

THE UNEMPLOYMENT BILL

MANY AMENDMENTS MOVED

HOUSE: SITS ALB NIGHT

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)

WELLINGTON, Sept. 9. Urgency was accorded the passage of the 'Unemployment 'Bill, which was further considered in. committee in the House of Representatives to-night. The clause dealing with the appointment of associate members of the board was passed with an amendment moved by the Minister providing that co-opted members should have full standing, but no right to vote. Two submitted by the Minister were inserted .in the clause dealing with the subsidiary functions of the board. The first provided authority to grant assistance not only to enable new works, to be undertaken but also to, -enable existing works to be carried on. The second' amendment made provision for power to grant assistance to developmental and other •works (instead 1 of only developmental as originally proposed). An- amendment was moved by Air R. Semple stipulating that the iwages paid on all- works carried out. or subsidised under this section should be -subject to award or agreement rates. The Chairman of Committees ruled the amendment out of order on the ground that it involved an appropriation, but at the' request of Air P. Erase); Mr Speaker ’is ruling was sought. Mr Speaker pointed' out that even if the amendment involved an! extra ■charge on the unemployment fund it would not. involve an. extra charge on tbe 'Consolidated Fund. It was therefore in order. Mr Cbafe!s said he did not- think it would be wise to make such a stipulation as the amendment contained. The board -should be left- plenty of scope. Air H. T. Armstrong contended that the effect of failure to make some such amendment would 'be to undermine the Arbitration Court system. Mr E. Semple asserted that th» object of the. amendment was to protect workers against unscrupulous cmploy■ers.

* Hon. S. G. Smith said he- could not ac'cbpt the amendment. He could assure tbe House-, however, that as chair-

man of tbe board ho would take, ample precaution -that the workers did not suffer at tbe hands of unscrupulous employers. •Air Semple’s- amendment was defeated bv 43 votes- to 32.

CONVERSION OF CONTRIBUTIONS

r F. Irangstone, raised an objection •to the fund® raised largely from the contributions of workers being used to make grants or loans to enable persons t-o undertake development or other (works. He con-ten died that such assistance should be confined to. loans. The clause was passed.

When the sustenance clause was under consideration, Air Coates moved to add a proviso that no sustenance should l>e paid except in cases of ill-health, ■unless the recipient worked in return for the m'oriey on the basis of the 'Arbitration 'Court rate of wages where applicable, the proviso not to come into effect until six months after the passing of the Bill. It would 1 be a bad principle, he said, to pay money for nothing. He admitted it would be difficult to find work at first and it was for that tea-son that be suggested the provision should not come into effect for the first six months after the passing of the Bill.

IMF 'it. E. Holland said toe only interpretation! ho eoultli place on the amendment was that there .should be no sustenance if there was no work, while the Kill provided that sustenance should be paid only where work could not bo provided. The amendment, jwonld destroy the whole principle of the Bill. Mr W. D. LvSnar pointed out that there was no provision anywhere in the Bill that sustenance should: be paid only in. eases where the applicant had no means.

Air Sriiith saidl it was hoped, that ■once the board was in full operation there would! he very little need, to pay sustenance.

'The amendment was lost on the voices.

Mr Savage moved an amend'nient altering the. wording of the clause from “no sustenance allowance shall- be paid to, any person who is not a contributor to the unemployment fund” to “no ■sustenance allowance shall be paid to aiiy person who is not registered for employment.” with the object of providing that persons who were out of employment and! cculd not afford' to pay the -contribution; -should! not for that reason be debarred' from 1 the benefits af the fund.

The amendment <wns rejected' bv 40 to 26.

QUALIFICATION PERIOD

Mr :!?. McKean moped that the period of unemployment before which the sus tenance all ova nee was paid l should 1 be reduced! from 14 to six days. This was defeated by 46 toi 17. An amendment moved by Mr Savage providing that the yustenanee allowance might be paid for 20 instead of 113 consecutive weeks met a similar fate iby 41 to 20. The Minister then moved' an additions to the clause that on such recommendations being made by the board the sustenance allowance might be paid to any unemployed contributor to the fund notwithstanding that the period of his unemployment was less than 14 days or that, he had been already in receipt of the sustenance allowance for more than If consecutive weeks. He pointed nut this would meet the objections that had risen by the deputation e£ waterside workers. It would obviate eases of casual workers or intermittent workers being deprived, of the benefits of the fund in- con sequence of ■a few hours' work. The amendment was adopted.

Mr Barnard! urged that, refusal to grant the sustenance allowance in cases where a worker deelined to accept employment should not lie used as a means ■of strike-breaking.

The Minister said l lie. would like an opportunity of looking into the matter. He mentioned that there iva» another point of view to be considered. If a man, went on. strike he should: not have the right to come along to the board to get sustenance. He would have the matter investigated: with a view to the insertion of the amendment in the T.e.gisl:tt ivo 'Council, nr ■some other provision by means r f the issue of regulations to meet the position.

Mr Armstrong pointed, out that it was -desired the\Bill should not be a

iweapon either of the striker or of the strike-breaker.

The amendment moved by Air -Barnard! was withdrawn in view of Air Smith’■» undertaking.

On the motion of the Minister an amendment was adopted providing that no sustenance allowance be paid unless the recipient hadi bad six months’ residence in New Zealand.

(Left Sitting.)

THROUGH ALL STAGES,

LABOUR AMENDMENT LOST

WELLINGTON, Sept. 10

The Unemployment Bill was put through its final stages and passed in the House of Representatives in the early hours of this morning. The lengthy process of committee was finally completed at 1.10 a.m. and the Bill was reported to the House with amendments.

The leader of the Labour Party (Mill. E. Holland) then moved that the Bill be recommitted to give the Government an opportunity of reconsidering the amendments that had been sought by the Labour Party during the committee -stage, notably those aiming at the replacement of the flat bate of contributions by a graduated scale.

Four Reform members supported the Labour Party in advocating a recommittal, whereupon tbe acting-Prime Minister intimated that it would ho unfortunate if Mr Holland’s amendment, were carried, because it would be regarded by the Government that the House was not satisfied with the Bill in its present form. A division was taken just- after 2 a.m. and the amendment was rejected by 35 to 25 votes.

The division list was as follows:

For the Amendment (25). Armstrong AfcKeen Barnard AfaeMi'llan Burnett Martin 'Chapman' Alassey Dickie Nash, ,T. A. Fraser O’Brien Hall Parry Holland, 11. E. Savage Howard Semple Jordan- Sullivan Kyle Wright Langstono Young McDonald Against tbe Amendment (35). Ansell Lysnar Bitchener McDonald. Black AfacPbers’on Bodkin. iMakitannra Broadfootl Munns Clinkard! Murdoch Coates Nash, W. Ccbbe Ngata de la Perrolle RansoihDonald Rush worth Endeani Smith! Fletcher Stalhvorthv Harris Sykes I-lealy Vcitcli Hogan Ward H. Holland 'Wilkinson Linklater Williams Lve PAIRS. For the Amendment. Carr Mason MunTO Against the Amendment. Atmoro Poison) Stewart Members, then placed on record the views that had been expressed timing the committee stage, after which the Bill was read a third time and passed. The House rose at 3.30 a.m. till 2.30 o’clock this afternoon.