SUSTENANCE PAYMENTS

Hawera Star, Volume L, 16 January 1931, Page 9

SUSTENANCE PAYMENTS

MACHINERY REGULATtONS. OBLIGATIONS OF EMPLOYERS. (By Telegraph—Special to “The Star.") WELLINGTON, Jan. 16. Though constantly interrupted by the necessity to consider emergency schemes of relief the National Unemployment Board lias made progress with its permanent machinery. It has gazetted', regulations for controlling the payment of sustenance and these make it clear that very strict supervision is required over payments from the unemployment fund. Emuloyers’ co-operation is expected for tffe regulations state: “Any person engaging any worker shall require such worker to produce to him Ins coupon book or .sustenance card and h. 3 shall not engage any worker who is not able to produce one of these documents. If the worker so produces the sustenance card the employer shall forthwith enter the date of the commencement of employment and! on the termination of the employment shall enter the date thereof, sign the card and return it to the worker. This procedure shall be followed on- each occasion on which the employer proposes to) engage a. worker, notwithstanding that same worker may be engaged on more than one occasion.” When collecting his first sustenance, pavment an unemployed contributor will surrender his coupon book to the postmaster who will, in, return, issue a sustenance card which will record these payments. When they cease the card is again exchanged for a contribution hook. At a later date the Unemployment Boa I'd intends to issue explicit and detailed rules showing how contributors mav become entitled to sustenance payments, this being extremely important in view of Parliament’s action in frammo: the Unemployment Act to cover breaks in employment. Such classes of employees as waterside workers and many other casual employees dependent on fluctuations of transport and! other seasonal occupations are likely to obtain substantial aid from the operation of the Act, either by temporary work or sustenance if jobs are unavailable. The brief experience of the Act has already shown the necessity of adopting o(a,reful safeguards against Imposition and the Board is anxious to take great precautions to safeguard 1 tlic contributors’ funds.