PARTIALLY UNFIT

Hawera Star, Volume LII, 2 September 1932, Page 9

PARTIALLY UNFIT

HELP FOR THE B2 < MEN. DUTY FOR HOSPITALS. The New Zealand Government considers that hospital boards should deal with applications for relief from 1 all unemployed men classed as 82, that is those'“not fit for camp, but fit for light work in town only,” according to a statement defining the position by the Minister of Health, the Hon. J. A. Young, at Wellington oil Thursday. It is held, however, that the Unemployment Board’s officers should find work for these men wherever possible. “At (present there is some conflict of "view between the Unemployment Board and certain hospital boards throughout the Dominion as to the lesponsibility for the relief of men. who are deemed ‘not fit for camp, hut fit for light work in town only’,” Mr. Young said. These men are classified B2 on the reports of hospital hoards’ medical officers,' and the majority of the men are suffering from some physical incapability, permanent or temporary. “Following the receipt of a copy of the circular sent out by the Hospital Boards’ Association embodying the decision of the Unemployment Board, the Health Department circularised boards requesting them to deal with B2 and H men, the latter, C men, being described ns ‘men unfit for work of any hind.’ There is hardly any question that the hospital boards have the bettor machinery for dealing with this institution, of special relief work for B2 men appears to present peculiar difficulty, and to put them to work alongside fit men is not advisable. In normal times these B2 men, when at the end of their resources, and unable to find employment, would be entitled to look to the hospital hoards for relief. Eiven in these stressful days, the numbers of B2 men m the several centres are believed to be not so great as to cause serious embarrassment to the finances of hospital boards, and the Government considers that hospital boards should deal with applications for relief from all men classed as 82, namely, those ‘not fit for camp, hut fit for light work in town only.’ “Should a hoard, however, find itself embarrassed, it can in the ordinary course make representations to the Government for consideration. I recognise, however, that the Unemployment Board must, whenever possible, 00-operate wijji the) hospital board in endeavouring to- find suitable work for B2 men. In the event of local authorities finding suitable relief work for any of these men the Unemployment Board would then_take over the responsibility of paying them the relief rate? of pay and thus for the tame being absolve the hospital boards •from liability.”