UNEMPLOYED RELIEF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20823, 16 March 1931, Page 11

UNEMPLOYED RELIEF.

NO. 5 SCHEME EXTENDED.

OTHER PLANS IN VIEW.

WORK THREE YEARS IN ADVANCE

RURAL LANDS DEVELOPMENT

[BY TELEC.P ATH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] WELLINGTON. Sunday.

"'J'lip Unemployment. Board's scheme No. 5 is proving so successful from the point, of view of relief ot unemployment and from that of the local bodies of the Dominion," states the chairman of the hoard, Hon. S. G. Smith, "that the board has decided to allow if to continue in operation tuilil tlie end of April. This will meet tho wishes of a number of local bodies which desire to put in hand work that will extend over several weeks. "In an effort to lessen the concentration of unemployed in the centres of population I lie board is considering various proposals, and it is hoped to evolve schemes that will result in getting large numbers of men employed on useful work in tlie country.

" The advance planning of work by local bodies is another subject that the board lias discussed. This method of anticipating possible needs in the way of work for the unemployed has the endorsement of most competent authorities in England, America and on tho Continent, and the Unemployment Board intends to invite tho local bodies of tho Dominion to submit proposals covering work three years in advance of their usual schedule. "Tho encouragement of reproductive or partly-reproductivo work in rural areas is now being planned by the hoard, such schemes as getting returned soldiers' abandoned farms back into profitable production, clearing, sub-division and development of Crown lands, clearing of noxious weeds lands suitable or development, otc., being included in the plans. "Tho board is specially concerned in the provision of work during the winter, and it is hoped that particulars with regard to this will he announced later."

CRITICISM OF SCHEME

REPLY MADE BY MINISTER

A member of (he Kairanga County Council, Wellington, is reported as having said at a meeting of the conucil on March 10, when the Unemployment Board's No. 5 scheme was being considered, that "the whole scheme is wrong. Certainly the roads are being improved to some extent, but there will be no return, and tho jobs undertaken will not add one penny to the prosperity of the country." In reply, tho chairman of the board, Hon. S. G. Smith, has made the following statement: "The 'prosperity of the country,' in the sense that tho scheme would increase the flocks and herds of the Dominion, or the output of butter, cheese and meat, was not in the minds of the members of the Unemployment Board when the scheme was inaugurated. "The board's chief consideration was to make it possible for local bodies to employ large numbers of men. The selection of the work was left to those bodies. Under the circumstances it is possible that in some cases work of an uneconomic nature had to be put in hand, but in many instances wovk of lasting benefit to the country has been and is being done, under this scheme. Its chief value, however, is the fact that since it was put into operation it has provided some work for over 12,000 men each week.

"The estimated expenditure on wages is £99,000, and when this amount is added to the local bodies' outlay for plant and material, it must be realised that the circulation of so much money has had distinctly beneficial results."

DEPARTMENT'S STATISTICS

" WEEKS OUT OF DATE."

The official statistics regarding the numbers of men registered at the various labour bureaux throughout the Dominion for the week ended March 9, are stated to be even more incorrect and out of date than the returns supplied for the previous week. According to the official summary, in Auckland there were 6718 applications for employment, 1044 men temporarily working, and 5674 unemployed. The Dominion total of men temporarily working was given as 13,096, and the number of unemployed as 16,845. In referring to the matter yesterday, Mr. G. Finn, a member of the Unemployment Board, said he was quite unable to account for the figures supplied, which must be weeks out of date. Over 4000 men were working under the board's schemes in Auckland, and there were very few men without some sort of temporary employment. The returns issued were altogether wrong, as the New Zealand total for relief workers was nearer 20,000 than 13,000. Mr. Finn said he would investigate the matter when next in Wellington and see where the mistake lay.