UNEMPLOYED RELIEF

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 77, 14 March 1935, Page 8

UNEMPLOYED RELIEF

Improved Winter Rations RISE IN SCALE OF PAY Deputation Not Satisfied By Telegraph—Press Association, WELLINGTON, March 13. Promises of a 5(1 per cent, increase in the ration system, and of a rise in the scale for certain relief workers, was made by the Minister of Employment, Sir Alexander Young, this afternoon when a deputation representing the Christchurch, Wellington and national organisation of unemployed, waited on him. A crowd of 300 accompanied the deputation, but was entirely orderly. Parliament House was well picketed by police. Speakers in the deputation advocated an increase in relief allocations, criticised the Unemployment Board as hiding the true financial position, and urged an improvement in the position of single unemployed women. The Minister explained that the £1,250,000 stated to be in the reserve fund of the board was subject to certain liabilities, and the real reserve was only £648,000, which would be sufficient for only eight and a-half weeks on the present basis of expenditure. The board, he said, had considered the whole question, and from May 1 those workers who were on scale D would be raised to scale C; also th* ration system during the coming winter would be improved 50 per cent on what it was last winter. Dealing with the 10/- Increase asked for by the deputation, he said that on the basis of 52,000 unemployed, it would involve an additional expenditure of £1,300,000 a year. Tho board would seriously consider the representations made with a view to assisting where It could. The deputation was not satisfied with the Minister’s reply, and refused to leave the room until persuaded la by the police. CHANGE IN POLICY URGED Christchurch Resolutions By Telegraph—Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, March 13. A conference of representatives of relief organisations, the churches and local bodies received a deputation from the Canterbury Unemployed Relief ♦Yorkers Association in the City Council chambers this afternoon, and later passed resolutions as follows: That this conference of representatives of local bodies, church organisations, the Metropolitan Relief Association, Citizens’ Unemployment Committee and Returned Soldiers’ Association, etc., is strongly’ of the opinion that the present policy of dealing with unemployed in New Zealand should he changed. It therefore urges on the Government, pending changes, that all No. 5 Scheme relief workers receive an additional payment of 10/- a week with a corresponding increase for those on sustenance; that No. 5 Scheme be gradually withdrawn; that the Government commence without delay suitable public works of a reproductive nature, such as the completion of railway lines, highway construction, irrigation and drainage; that payment of this class of work should be at standard rates. The Christchurch Presbytery passed a resolution declaring that responsibility for full maintenance of unent ployed should be undertaken by the State.