DISTRESSED AREAS

Northern Advocate, 18 December 1928, Page 5

DISTRESSED AREAS

MINING COMMUNITY.

URGENT RELIEF MEASURES.

(British Official Wireless.) (Received 1.22 p.m.) RUGBY, December 17,

The Prime Minister stated in the’ House of Commons today that the Government w:as not opposed to asking Parliament 4b authorise (certain measures to deal with the present emergency in distressed mining areas. It was very important that these measures should be considered, in. addition (to the policy which the Government had already initiated and was resolved to pursue. Apart altogether from the heavy cost of normal social services, including unemployment insurance, school medical services, and maternity and child welfare, and 1 in addition to theproposals for relief of industry from' local taxation, special \ provisions made by Parliament for the assistance of unemployed generally during the current financial year amounted to £1,700,000 over the above Budget estimates.

The special measures which the Government would now ask Parliament to sanction were authority to grant to the Lord Mayor's Fund £1 for every £1 received in voluntary subscriptions, and (to make an immediate grant of £150,000 to the fund as an. equivalent of maney already subscribed to the fund. Mr Baldwin said that the transfer of unemployed from distressed areas •was proceeding steadily, but was hindered because married people found it difficult to leave their homes, unless special assistance were available for their removal and' resettlement of families. Ho would therefore ask Parliament to vote. £IOO,OOO immediately for the removal of families.