SUSTENANCE AT HIKURANGI

Northern Advocate, 30 May 1936, Page 6

SUSTENANCE AT HIKURANGI

NEW SCHEME OF RELIEF From the beginning of next week a large proportion of the able-bodied population of Hikurangi will be • on sustenance. , The number of unemployed has been swelled this week by the exhaustion of the surface coal around the old workings of the Hikurangi Coal Company’s mine, throwing another dozen or so men out of work. This is regarded as only a temporary setback, however, as developmcntal work on the field is being pushed ahead, and it is confidently expected that coal will be struck from one of the two new dips being put down early next month. “ This should result in a large number of miners being re-absorbed into permanent work.

Under the old Unemployment Board the relief workers in Hikurangi were engaged on No. 5 Scheme, payment being made through the Hikurangi Town Board.

As many of the ratepayers have been on relief over a considerable period, the town board has not finance available to subsidise the employment of more than 10 men. The new administration of the Act provides that where useful work can be supplied by the local' body, additional men to those subsidised may be retained on the recently increased allocations, but, as economic work _ cannot be provided in Hikurangi for more than the ten already mentioned; the remainder—about 70 —will go on to sustenance, and. will receive their payments through the Post Office in future.