HELP FOR WORKLESS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19957, 28 May 1928, Page 11

HELP FOR WORKLESS.

GOVERNMENT'S ACTIVITIES. YEAR'S BILL NEARLY £500,000. REVIEW BY PRIME MINISTER. [BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] WELLINGTON. Sunday. "In reading the statements of certain speakers at the Trades Hall on the unemployment position," said the Frime Minister, Mr. Coates, in a statement last evening, " the public might be led to believe that the speakers alone were concerned with the present unemployment situation, and that the Government was doing nothing whatever to cope with it. They fail to appreciate what has been done in this connection." Mr. Coates proceeded to detail what the Government had done to afford relief to the unemployed. He made his review as follows: During the last financial year approximately 6200 men were sent to Government relief works throughout tho Dominion, and over 3000 men left these works of their own accord. local Body Loans. The Local Bodies Empowering Act, under which local bodies could raise loans for the relief of unemployment, was extended for another year last session, and in addition legislative authority for the payment of subsidies to local bodies for works undertaken for the relief of unemployment was given by Parliament. The total payments were limited by the Imprest Supply Act (No. 1) to £150,000. Subsidies totalling £113,000 were approved during the year and the payments actually made to March 31 last amounted to ' £75,000. The total expenditure by the Government on relief works last year, including the £75,106 paid in subsidies to local bodies, was £472,671. v During the period of seven weeks, from April 1 of this year up to May 19, 1200 men have been sent to Government relief works which are being undertaken by the Public Works and Forestry Departments. Of this number 400 men left the works of their own accord. There are 2750 men on Government relief works at present, and arrangements are in train for placing approximately 1000 additional men as soon as camps can be erected and works laid out, probably within a fortnight's time. About 11,000 Men Engaged. Approximately 11,000 men are being employed by the Public Works Department to date. In addition to this it has to be remembered that the Public Works programme has been pressed on at a high rate of speed, at a pace faster than would have normally been required, and that about 10,000 men are being absorbed ; whereas under ordinary circumstances the number employed would be between 6000 and 8000. "With regard to the question of a subsidy to local bodies for unemployment works," said the Prime Minister, "Cabinet decided to re-enact tho provisions to subsidise local authority unemployment loans, and this fact was definitely announced by my colleague, Hon. R. A. Wright, when he received a deputation concerning unemployment. "I have been in communication with the Mayor of Welington regarding a variation of the subsidy paid to local bodies, but no decision has neen arrived at yet. In the meantime, however,, the same provisions which applied up to March 31 last are being continued, and a public statement to this effect Has already been made. "Also to be taken into account is the recent decision of the Government to undertake a statistical review in order to ascertain the ages, responsibilities and qualifications of the men, with a view to launching a scheme designed to prevent men getting out of employment, and where they are unemployed to absorb them in our various industries."