HELPING THE UNFIT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21239, 20 July 1932, Page 13

HELPING THE UNFIT.

ACUTE RELIEF PROBLEM.

TWO BOARDS REFUSE AID. CLASSIFICATION CRITICISED. if " Wo cannot have' people in our city told that their only privilege is to starve," said the Mayor, Mr. G. W. Hutchison, at yesterday's meeting of the Metropolitan Helief Committee, when divergent views were being expressed regarding tho relative responsibilities of the Unemployment Board and the Hospital Board for assisting men classified as 82, namely, men not fit for camp, but fit for light work in town only. The subject was raised by tho receipt of a letter from the acting-Minister of Employment, tho Hon. A. Hamilton, who said, inter alia:—"Tho Unemployment Board is of opinion that it is within tho scope of its responsibilites to assist to tho extent of the means available those who, because of lack of available work, are unable to earn a livelihood, but that this responsibility does not extend in all cases to those whoso physical condition debars them from taking advantage of employment available to them.

" The Unemployment Board will accept responsibility for men in classes A, A2 and B, tho hospital boards to accept responsibility for classes B2 and C," added the letter. " There may be cases under B2 where tho Unemployment Board may be able to assist, but it cannot take responsibility for the class as a whole." " This has not altered my opinion that tho B2 men should be the responsibility of the Unemployment Board," said the Mayor. Mr. W. Slaughter, officer controlling unemployment in the Auckland district, said many of the B2 men would be unemployable whatever the state of employment was, and the hospital boards had been helping such men for years past. The Mayor: Having regard to the fact that neither board will help them, what are these men to do ? I would like you to answer that question, not as an officer of the Labour Department, but as one of us.

Air. Slaughter: They are going to starve.

The Mayor: Exactly. The Mayor: We cannot have people in our city told that their only privilege is to starve. lam thinking of opening a register for B2 men to see -what the position is and how many of them there are. Replying to the Mayor, Mr. Slaughter said lie would supply a list showing the number of men classed as B2 who had not been placed.

Mr.' W. F. Stilwell moved that consideration of the question be deferred until the information required had been given by Mr. Slaughter. " When you see the class of man we have turned down I am satisfied you will say they should be a charge on the Hospital Board," said Mr. Slaughter. The question was deferred as suggested by Mr. Stilwell.

METROPOLITAN COMMITTEE

OVER £IOOO IN HAND. GRAMOPHONES FOR CAMPS. "We have £1023 in hand after meeting all our obligations to date and that is quite encouraging," said the Mayor, Mr. G. W. Hutchison, at the weekly meeting of the Metropolitan Unemployment Relief Committee yesterday. It was staled that during the week 197 men had been given clothing and 183 had received boots. A total of 1367 men had been assisted to secure equipment sinci> the committee's activities began. A ruling was sought by Mr. B. Clark regarding the meeting of applications in cases vouched for by a social worker. He said he had sent a young man to the depot, but the youth had been refused assistance.

It was pointed out that tho original intention was to help only men on the No. 5 scheme in the city and men proceeding to country camps. The applicant mentioned by Mr. Clark was under 20 and was proceeding to work under tho No. 4A scheme. It was decided to supply the required equipment to the youth, but to re-confirm the policy that social workers should see that men sent to tho depot for assistance came under the schemes to which the committeo was confining its activities.

It was also stated that tho committee required men in employment to contribute 50 per cent, of tho cost of equipment supplied. A donation of six cabinet gramophones, made by Mr. John Court, was accepted with thanks. It was stated that six camps had already been supplied with gramophones. It was decided to distribute those presented by Mr. Court to the most suitable camps and to issue them on loan to the engineers in charge, in order that trace of the machines might bo preserved.