AUSTRALIA'S UNEMPLOYED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20595, 20 June 1930, Page 7

AUSTRALIA'S UNEMPLOYED

MILLION POUNDS GRANT. FEDERAL CABINET'S DECISIONThe Australian Federal Ministry has decided to provide £1,000.000 for tho nextfinancial year to assist tho State Governments in their efforts to give immediate assistance to tho unemployed. The allocation of the amount will be:— l New South Wales ~ .. £SG3.OOO Victoria . . . . .. 257.000 Queensland 3 30.000 South Australia .. .. 150,000 Wostern Australia . . . . Go.OOO Tasmania . . • . . 33,000 lii making the announcement in tha House of Representatives, the Prime Minister, Mr. Scullin, explained that tha money was to be distributed on a population basis, with an exception in the casa of South Australia, where the unemployment position was worse than in any other State. At a meeting of tho Loan Council tho representatives of other States agreed to forgo tho full amounts which they might have claimed in order that South Australia could obtain a larger, share. Mr. Scullin said that the Federal Ministry felt that the question of giving relief to tho unemployed was primarily an obligation resting on the State Governments. Tho contribution by the Federal Ministry had been to build up Australian industries by imposing an effective tariff. Even though this step would be a big drain on tho financial resources of tho Commonwealth, it did not provide immediate relief, or anything like a solution of (lie problem. Mr. Scullin, continuing, said that encouraging reports were coming to band of an increased number of men being employed in various factories, of the development of existing factories and the creation of new ones, and of a large number of people continuing in employment, although they had been on tho point of be,ing dismissed. Unfortunately, side bv sido with these things thcro had been a great slump in cmplovment in other directions. Tho Prime Minister said that the allocation of tho £1,000,00 C would be made early in Julv. Unlike the previous Federal grant of £1,000,000 to the States for the relief of unemployment through road works, this grant would be unconditional.