THE UNEMPLOYED

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 90, 14 March 1935, Page 8

THE UNEMPLOYED

DEPUTATION TO BOARD. HIGHER. RATIONS FOR WINTER MONTHS. (Bv Telegraph. —Special to Standard.) WELLINGTON, Match 13. Publicly announcing their intention to descend in force on Parliament Buildings a.nd to remain there until their demands had been granted, the National Unemployed Workers’ Movement leaders, supported by about two hundred men, appeared before the Legislative Building this afternoon to find all the entrances to the grounds under police control, while two mounted police at the head of the drive provided an effective leading feature of a strong police guard. Except for members and officials well-known to the staff, no person was allowed to enter Parliament Buildings without a ticket or the production of proof of bona fide business on the premises. The crowd was held outside the grounds and faced the police guard quite patiently while negotiations went on regarding their admittance. The official decision was that a dozen representatives would be received by Bir Alexander Young (the chairman) and members of the Unemployment Board, which was holding a meeting in one of the committee rooms near the central hall. An interesting preliminary was the request of the deputation that two of their number should act as carriers to the crowd outside. The Minister of Employment was puzzled until it was explained by the speaker that “quite a number of police a.re outside and it is possible they might try to intimidate them.” “If this is a matter of speech-mak-ing to the crowd outside I will have nothing to do with it,” declared the Minister firmly. For over two hours speakers, mainly from Wellington and Christchurch, endeavoured to demonstrate to the Unemployment Board the difficult position of the unemployed. A suggestion that a 10s increase in relief rates would - meet the position was repudiated by subsequent speakers, who stated that the request of the organised unemployed was for a minimum wage of 14s a day on all schemes financed by the board, and, if work was donb by men in the country, that an additional 2s locality allowance be paid daily. The Minister stated that the rationing system would he reintroduced during the winter months in the main centres, with a possible increase or 50 per cent, on the previous arrangement. This would apply' to registered unemployed in the main centres. As for the demand for a. general increase of 10s a week in relief pay, the Minister pointed out that this would involve an additional expenditure of £1,300,000 and would necessitate raising the wage tax from lOd in the £ to Is 3jd. “The deputation is closed and you have been met in a constitutional man--53. ner,” protested Sir Alexander Young as he and the members of the board stood up to leave the room, while sev-' eral of the members of the deputation shouted protests at the indifferent reply. •Replying to the protests, which were so numerous that their exact nature wan difficult to ascertain in the babel of noise, the Minister sharply reminded the deputation that the hoard was a responsible administrative body and its decisions would not he given on the spur of the moment. Such a practice, he concluded, would he a mistake and would soon ruin and wreck the country. Another diversion was the ringing or the division bells in the House of Ile- . presentatives. These called all legislators hurriedly into the Chamber to vote on the third reading of the Mortgage Corporation Bill, but the deputation did not follow them out of the room. “Stay right here,” shouted one. “Don’t leave the room.” The deputation complied and as two pressmen also remained to complete their notes they were left isolated near the door while the members of the deputation took the seats vacated by the Unemployment Board and proceeded jocularly to pass resolutions unanimously. Five minutes went by and the pressmen completed their notes but were warned not to open the door, otherwise, it was explained, “the Johns will get in.” This was a reference to the group of police who had patiently waited outside in case of disorder. Someone in the corridor knocked persistently and the voice of Mr P. Fraser, M.P., was heard demanding to I>9 let in. He was allowed through the half-closed door and the two pressmen squeezed themselves out to find themselves surrounded by the police. It was evident that the siege would not last long, though just when a spare key" for the lock had been hurriedly obtained the deputation voluntarily came out and in due course quietly dispersed. CONDITION OF FUND. WHAT INCREASE WOULD MEAN. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, March 13.

Promises of a 50 per cent, increase in tlie ration system anti of a rise in tli-e scale for certain relief workers were made by the Minister for Employment when the deputation representing Christchurch, Wellington and the national organisation of unemployed waited on him. The speakers in the deputation adTocated an increase in the relief allocations criticised the Unemployment Board as hiding the true financial nosition, and urged an improvement in the position of single unemployed women. The Minister explained that the i 11,250,000 stated to be in the reserve fund of the hoard was subject to certain liabilities, and that the real reserve was only £648,000, which would he sufficient for only 81 weeks on the present basis of expenditure. The hoard had considered the whole quesThe Minister announced that, as from Mav 1, those workers who were on scale X) would be raised to scale C; also that the ration system during the coming winter would he improved by 50 per cent, on what it was last winter. . Dealing with a 10s increase asked for by the deputation, he said that, on a basis of 52.000 unemployed, it would involve an additional expenditure of £1.300,000 a year. The board would seriously consider the representations made, with a view to assisting where it could. RESOLUTIONS AT CHRISTCHURCH. INCREASED PAY URGED. Per 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 Workers’ Association in the City Council Chambers this afternoon and later i>assed resolutions as follow: “That this meeting of representatives of local bodies, church organisations, Metropolitan Relief Association, Citizens’ Unemployment Committee, Returned Soldiers’ Association, etc., is stronglv of the opinion that the present | policy of dealing with unemployed m

New Zealand should be changed. It, therefore, urges on the Government, pending changes, that all No. 5 scheme relief workers should receive an additional payment of 10s per week, with a corresponding increase for those on .sustenance; that the 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 the payment for this class of work should be at standard rates.” _ Expressing the view that the Government should take more responsibility in relieving the distress of the unemployed, and should- make better arrangements for relief in the eoming winter, the Christchurch Presbytery to-day passed a resolution defining its attitude on unemployment. The resolution stated, inter alia, that the present vates of relief pay were inadequate t 0 maintain the men without additional help from charitable sources, and they realised the increasing difficulty of continuing such supplementary assistance oil an adequate scale.