GOVERNMENT SCHEMES FOR RELIEF.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 18 February 1921, Page 5

GOVERNMENT SCHEMES FOR RELIEF.

, MUST BE USEFUL. • (Received Feb. 18, 9-30 a.m.XlX>NI>l>N, Feb.'l6. Mr Macnamara, in the' House of Commons, stated that although it was j necessary to alleviate hardships arising from unemployment the Government *lso had a far-reaching duty to reestablish British sndustry, and thus bring about permanent prosperity. The Government's policy hud been to ccc that relief work was useful. A productive scheme, costing £105,000,000, in connection with roads was now giving . employment.to 35,000 extra. On the Minister, of Health's scheme i n connection with the laying out of .building sites, at a. costf of £5,000,000, lie was employing others. Altogether productive schemes were, finding employment for 70,000 me§. Referring to an amendment of jriie Unemployment Act Mr Macnamara said, the contribution would be raised from lOd to Is l*d, employer and employed paying the- ey--T tra penny and the Government the balance. Mr Macnamara said the men's unemployment benefit should be inxcreased from 15s to 18s, women receiving 15s, boys 9s, girls 7s ed, and •ex-service men continuing to receive : :20s. ; , ' - Later speakers >ere largely Labour aiembers. Mr Barnes, in a solid cross-bench speech, criticised Mr Clynes' reference to Russia, saying that Labour was "hugging a delusion if it thdught any^ thing could, lie got out of the resumption of trade with Russia. He asked !Mr Clynes to be Jiore explicit regarding ihp workers' right to adequate -maintenance. It was essential not to • lessen the incentive to work. • Some■thing might >be done hy the State makdug advances, to employers, who would "willingly keep on their workmen if they , "Were assisted over the temporary diffi- ; culty. Mr Barnes stated that during 1920 twenty-seven million days' labour % were lost owing to strikes. Most of the trouble was due tn the workers' mistrust. V j Mr Hartshorne drew attention to the i growing unemployment in the mining industry, urging" that when the Government was arranging the reparations : agreement with Germany it should reniemioer the way the workers were af- , fected. y . . ' - -.;.;. Mr G. Roberts: We will never get •unemployment within manageable limits until we have resumed, trade -with the foreign markets. This is impossible until the employers >and workmen are got together in an atmosphere V^ of goodwill. The deljate was adjourned. ' Mr Macnamara said the ex-service men -received1 £1 weekly, and the refusal of the 'building trade unions to absorb 50,000 men was costing the , country £50,000 weekly. .