POSITION EXAGGERATED

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 13 June 1939, Page 7

POSITION EXAGGERATED

DISTRESS IN THE DOMINION GOVERNMENT DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE 1 United Preaa Association) AUCKLAND, 12th June. Following on statements which he said had been made reflecting on the attitude of the Government in regard tc the relief of distress in Auckland, the Minister of Labour, the Hon. P. Webb, met members of the Auckland metropolitan relief committee and social workers at the Town Hall to investigate the position. The Mayor, Sir Ernest Davis, who is also chairman of the relief committee, presided and the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. R. Semple, was also present, It was generally agreed that the position was being adequately met in Auckland. Mr Webb explained that he had been concerned about suggestions that there was a great deal of distress in the Dominion. and that a certain class of reople was left without means of support as the result of a lag between the operation of the Social Security Act and provision for them from other sources. In some cases a very gloomy picture had been painted and the Government had been very unfairly criticised, whereas it had been doing everything possible to meet all deserving

The Minister mentioned that a statement had appeared in the Press in Wellington which left the impression that some poor people were being left without means of support. He had taken the matter up with the Wellington relief committee and found that the complaint was reduced to eight cases of men of a very difficult type to deal with. When ne came to Auckland he noticed similar statements had been made.

The Minister added that all possible was being done by the Government to provide men with work, but it was not always possible to give them that work in their own towns. To assist them the Government was finding fares and providing blankets, boots, cooking utensils, and so on. The Government could not be blamed if there were people who were not able to do work of any kind.

Money was provided for relief committees in the various centres, and he was very grateful for the assistance which these committees had been able to give. A total of £300,000 had been provided from art union funds for the relief of distress and the Government was so anxious to help that if these committees were short of funds it would find a way to help them. WORK FOR ALL There was not a man in the country able to work and willing to go to a job that they could not place. While the Government was doing all it could to help deserving cases, the position would be made much more difficult if statements were made which did not meet the position. Sir Ernest Davis said the Auckland Metropolitan Relief Committee had received ample funds from the Government to deal with cases of distress. No genuine case had been refused, assistance having always been given in cases of distress. The committee was only

carrying out the Government's desire, and if it had required more money it knew that it had only to ask for it.

j The Rev. Canon Coats, vicar of St. j Matthew's Church, said he had the profoundest admiration for what the Government was doing. It was deplorable, he said, that when pensions were increased there were people who raised th rents of rooms from 2s to 5s a week just because old people were getting a little more money. He knew that this had happened. Mr Semple: I know it, too. The work of the relief committee during the past year was explained by the Rev. T. Halliday. who said he felt that any criticism of the Government in the matter of assistance to needy cases was unfair. He would say: “God bless M. J. Savage and the Labour Government.” Auckland had never been so well provided for. Other members of the committee also expressed satisfaction at the way the position was being met. Mr Webb said that he was very much relieved at the statements which had been made, as the Government had been much disturbed at what had appeared in the Press. Had he found the committee was short of money he would have had no hesitation in asking the Government to make additional funds available.