UNEMPLOYMENT PAY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 89, 13 March 1935, Page 8

UNEMPLOYMENT PAY.

EQUALITY IN RATES SOUGHT. Tlie necessity for unemployed workers who are residents of the country being placed on terms of equality with city workers was stressed at yesterday’s meeting of the Kairanga County Council. The matter arose when a letter was received from the Unemployment Board, in reply to a communication from tlie council seeking the reason for the differentiation. The Commissioner of Unemployment explained that it had been considered justifiable, on account of the more favourable circumstances ruling at Bnnnytliorpe, and among other circumstances the average rental at Bnnnytliorpe was about- half that at Palmerston North. While the position at Longhurn was somewhat doubtful, it was regretted that the city scale could not he extended to Bunnythorpe. The engineer (Mr L. C. Pickering) reported that he had hen given to understand that tlie Longhurn workers had been reduced to the country rates of pay. Ci*. W. G. Shannon maintained that the workers should be on equal basis, irrespective of where they lived, adding that the men should he encouraged to go into tho country instead of crowding into the towns. Crs R. A. Mercer and C. Anderson also spoke in support of the complaint, both pointing out that there were many disadvantages under which the country man laboured. It was decided to write the Commissioner of Unemployment and press for equality in the rates of pny, the eiT^ineer mentioning,* that the country man had to pay bus far© in same instances in order to come in and collect his pay.