THE H.B. TRIBUNE MONDAY, MARCH 19, 1934 UNEMPLOYMENT FUNDS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 82, 19 March 1934, Page 6

THE H.B. TRIBUNE MONDAY, MARCH 19, 1934 UNEMPLOYMENT FUNDS.

Elsewhere in this issue will be found a summarised report of the ministerial interview granted to representatives of municipalities which consider they have a grievance on the subject of allocations from the State Unemployment Fund. It will be Understood at the outset that this deputation did not carry with it anything in the way of support or recommendation from ihe Municipal Conference, which as a body declined to be identified with it. No doubt this will have deprived the representations made of a good deal of .the weight they might otherwise have had. This was, of course, regrettable, though possibly, with respect to the big cities at any rate, it may be assigned to other considerations than mere selfish satisfaction with their own apportionments. The same, however, can scarcely be said of the many provincial centres, big and little, seemingly contented with what they are getting and so quite indifferent to the case of those less fortunate. As to the outcome we shall probably have to wait a little while before any official announcement can be made, the Ministers interviewed having now to discuss the subject with the Unemployment Board, whose deputy chairman was, however, present at the interview. In the meantime it may be noted that the Prime Minister opened his remarks by indicating that there should be no question involved of an increase in taxation, which was already having an adverse influence on the industrial recovery from which ultimate and permanent relief could alone come. That, however, is not the question just now at issue, which is as to the equitable apportionment of the funds which existing taxation makes available. Into this the relative amounts contributed by the several localities should not enter. The fund is a national fund whose operation should be spread as fairly as possible over the whole country, and it has to be admitted that this provides a problem that is by no means easy of solution. It may, however, be suggested that as a basis from which io start the relative numbers of unemployed upon the various local registers should he taken. It should then be for the Unemployment Board to consider and show reasons why strictly arithmetical distribution should be varied on account of varying local conditions. This the deputy chairman of the Board said, in effect. was what was being done, some few of the reasons for seemingly unjust discrimination being given. These, however, do not appear at

all sufficient to explain away many of the practical differences in allotment that actually exist, especially as between or among communities which are at no great distance from one another and where general conditions are very much alike. The Unemployment Board is quite justified in declining to regard its fund as one of an eleemosynary character. It is primarily designed to provide employment and at the same time make allowances for sustenance such as the capacity of the fund will admit. These, it must be recognised, are the lines along which, under the rigid statutory powers and restrictions conferred and imposed upon the Board, the fund must be administered. But in carrying out this administration it has been amply shown—and readily conceded by the Board itself—that the Board is very largely dependent upon the cordial co-operation of local bodies. Beyond this, of course, it has also tc be acknowledged that

the allowances made from the Unemployment Fund are in very many cases quite inadequate even for providing mere sustenance, when other inevitable exigencies are taken into consideration. It is thus obviously essential that they should be supplemented from locally raised charitable funds. It is on grounds such as these that the principle of committing to urban local bodies the immediate expenditure of local allotments made by the Board should be more widely recognised than at present, It is obvious that, in the interests of economical spending, if of nothing else, local knowledge is required if the most and best are to be made of all available resources. Just as this writing is going into type we are furnished with a brief statement from the Mayor of Hastings giving a summary of the proceedings and results of the interview with the Ministers. From this it will be seen that the deputy chairman of the Unemployment Board is to pay a visit to the town to-morrow. It may not be too much to hope that some explanations will be given and conclusions reached that will serve to allay the spirit of discontent that has been generated not only among the unemployed themselves, but also among those who are actively and practically concerned and engaged in earnest endeavours to mitigate the hardships of their lot,