AID FOR UNEMPLOYED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21223, 1 July 1932, Page 14

AID FOR UNEMPLOYED.

ttIASSIFI CATION OF MEN.

RESPONSIBILITY DEFINED.

DUTY OF HOSPITAL BOARDS.

The policy of the Unemployment Board fn regard to the granting of additional assistance to those men who are not physically fit to do work on the variouu jobs subsidised by the hoard was again stated; yesterday, in order that the position may be perfectly clear to-day when thij new scheme commences, under which thij, Unemployment Board undertakes to asiiist all but class B2 and class C men. The Unemployment Board will either find work for, or give> assistance ia other ways, to all those men who, under thi3 scheme, are certified to be capable of doing the work assigned to them. The remainder are to be cared for by the hospital boards.

Certificates i!rom Doctors.

l'n the following statement of policy there is shown the basis to .he adopted to determine the responsibility as between the Unemployment Board and a hospital board in tho case pf single men:— (1) Men who have presented certificates from private practitioners that they am unfit for camp work should be examined by a hospital doctor. (2) If the hospital doctor's certificate Indicates that tho claim, for exemption on the ground of medical unfitness is not substantiated, and the worker persists :in his refusal, then ha shou(d be denied ralief by either body until such time as he his objection. (3) The following classification by the hospital doctors and definition of responsibility for assistance baa been agreisd upon as a basis:— Class A.—Men fit for any work in any place. "" . .

Class AlL—Men fit for camp, provided light work is given. , Class B.—Men fit. for liny work in city ®r town, but not fit for camp*.

Classes A, A2 and B belong definitely and entirely to. the responsibility of the Unemployment Board. Class B2.—Men not fit for camp, but fit for light work in town only. Class C.—Men unfit for work of any liind. >

Partial Responsibility.

The Unemployment Baard will not accept/- responsibility for classes B2 and C, taut states there may be cases under cliiss B2 where it v/ill be able to assist, * although it cannot take responsibility for Ithe class as a whole. Class C never had Ibeen and never would be the responsibility of the board.

Instructions have. beun., given to I;he Iboard's certifying officers in accordance ;with the foregoing statement. ■ The Unemployment Eoard has for 'ihe past two weekis been assisting relief workers by issuing ration orders where ithe wages earned have not been eunliidered sufficient to support the worker •and his dependants. The system has bsen working smoothly in Auckland and, according to officials of the Labour Department, it is not anticipated that there will be any difficulty in dealing with all cases which are definitely the responsibility of the Unemployment Board wiien the hospital board ceases, as from to-day, to grant charitable aid to the majority of the cases which it has assisted in the past.

The question of men classed as unfit for camp work was being considered by the Unemployment Board, Mr. Slaughter said. Some of these men were now bfiing certified as fit for light work in camps, and the Unemployment Board would definitely assume full responsibility in these cases. The medical examinations of unemployed men were still being carried out by a doctor appointed by the hospital board.

Commenting on the Unemployment Board' 3 statement, Sir. W. Wallace, chairman of the Auckland Hospital Board, said yesterday it did not remove the difficulty which existed in regard! to single men certified as unfit for crimp work. The Unemployment Board sought to make these men a charge on hospital boards, whereas the hospital boards field that they were the responsibility of the Government!

YOUTHS OUT OF WORK.

' OFFER OF FREE TUITION.

'An offer of free tuition is made by Hemingway's Correspondence Schools to youths who are in need of specialised! instruction, but, owing to unemployment, are unable to find the necessary fees., On the production; of satisfactory evidence of unemployment, Hemingway's will, in suitable cases, supply exjiert correspondence tuition without charge. The means of training are provided by the tutors, but tHe / actual study must, as alway3, be done by the pupils themselves.

COMMUNITY GARDENS.

SUCCESSFUL TE KUITI SCHEME.

[FB.OII OCR OWN CORRESPONDENT. ]

TE KUITI, Thursday.

The community gardens for the unemployed in the Te Xuiti district have proved most successful. Last November

a committee composed of citizens, fi.ided by a grant of £32 from the Te "KuitiBorough Council, supervised the work of planting vegetables, and a splendid crop was realised by the work unemployed. Every Saturday morning a distribution of vegetables is made among the unemployed and this has been the means of relieving a large amount of distress. Altogether ten acres were planted ender thia scheme, and there is a sufficient supply of vegetables now available to meet all calls on the Relief Committee lor a further three months. In addition to

the vegetables given to the unemployed, ' a portion was sold, and the money realised in this way will be utilised to purchase seeds and manure for the coming season's operations.