PAY AND RELIEF

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21577, 23 August 1933, Page 11

PAY AND RELIEF

| UNEMPLOYED PROBLEM better system urged duration OF ASSISTANCE AUCKLAND COMMITTEE'S MOVE. An effort to bring about a change jn the present method of employing J; icn at relief wages and supplementing their earnings by various means is to {SO made by tho Auckland Metropolitan Unemployment Relief Committee. At a meeting of the committeo yesterday the chairman, Mr. G. W. Hutchison, said they had to consider how long they wero to go on as at present. They could not regard tho clothing depot and tho meat and boot pools as fixtures, and it would probably bo advisable to urgo tho Government to review tho wliolo unemployment situation. "This method of paying tho men less than they can livo on and then giving them assistanco by boot repairs, cheap meat and by other means will havo to be done away with," said jlr. Hutchison. "I think tho authorities will have to consider seriously tho advisability of getting rid of this method and paying tho men enough to enable them to get their goods through tho retail shops." \ " Mr. L. Marks said that, while it might bo all right to carry on these relief services for six months or even a year, they could not go on for two or three years in this way. Mr. Hutchison: Well, see that you vote for tho city loan proposals, as they' are intended to provide men with work on necessary undertakings at reasonable wages. Mr. Marks sdid he was going to voto for the loan proposals, and would work hard to get others to do the same. The Mayor of Mount Albert, Mr. R. Ferner, said it was time the relief workers wero placed on necessary works at rates of pay that would enable them to live reasonably well. Thero was much necessary wotk that could be undertaken, and the men could bo employed on it until there was an improvement in conditions. Sir George Richardson said the resolution adopted by the Auckland committee- should bo such that it would cause relief committees throughout the Dominion to ask for a drastic ' change in the present system. tions should be prepared for consideration at the next meeting of tho committee. WESTERN RECLAMATION FURTHER ROAD WORK PROPOSED £IO,OOO LOAN / . 1 In connection with the proposal of the Harbour Board that further road construction work on tho eastern portion of the western reclamation should be carried out a3 a relief work, the Commissioner of Unemployment advised the board yesterday that, provided tho sanction of the Local Government Loans Board to the raising loan was obtained, there would be no objection to the work being carried out by relief labour under scheme No. 5 on the same conditions as approved for the present work. The chairman, Mr. T. B. Clay, stated the work would not have been contemplated unless it could have been carried out ynder scheme No. 5.

The application to the Loans Board for the raising of £IO,OOO is to be made on the basis of a 4 J per cent 20year table loan, and, failing such being obtained, the loan is to be raised on a 4 per cent table basis. >

OAMARU PROTESTS ADVISORY COMMITTEE REQUEST FOR EXPLANATION [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION - ] OAMARU, Tuesday A deputatjon representing Oamaru Unemployed waited on tho Mayor, Mr. M. F. Cooney, and representatives of tho Chamber of Commerce and Mr. J. A. Macpherson, M.P., asking that tho local unemployment committee, which recently was dissolved, be re-established. Several cases of hardship were quoted. In reply the Mayor said that had he Jcnown there were rules regarding tho eligibility of members of the committee it would never have been dissolved. The present advisory committee of two, appointed by the Minister, had not been asked for by tho citizens, but had been appointed purely on tho recommendation of the Locai certifying officer. Mr. Macpherson said ho resented that the Minister had not given any explanation for tho formation of the advisory committee of two. The matter was subsequently referred to the Minister and tho Unemployment Board. Tho deputation also complained of married men being sent to the Waitaki hydro-electric works without due consideration of each case. The Mayor said the Minister - had promised that where married men were unablo to go to tho Works they would not be penalised. That promise had not been carried out. Protests were made also regarding the reduced allocations for Oamaru, many men having been cut down from five to 3} days' work. That apparently had not been donfc elsewhere. Mr. Macpherton promised full investigations.

ONEHUNGA ADMINISTRATION LOCAL COMMITTEE DISBANDS The conditions under which the Auckland Metropolitan Unemployment belief Committee will include Onehunga within its area for the purposes of relief administration were stated at a nieeting of the committee yesterday. Formerly the administration of unemployment relief in the Onehunga district was in the hands of the Onehunga United Kclief Committee, but as the result of local differences, the unemployed were given the opportunity of deciding by a vote whether they desired the local committee to continue or that Onehunga should affiliate "with the Metropolitan Committee. The men by a large majority favoured affiliation with the Metropolitan Committee. The Mayor of Onehunga, Mr. E. Morton, and the deputy-mayor, Mr. S. Vclla, attended the meeting. Mr. Morton said the Onehunga committee had disbanded. If it were necessary to set up a local committee at Onehunga to work with the Metropolitan Committee, he did not wish to have anything to do with it. The chairman, Mr. G. W. Hutchison, suggested that Onehunga should be informed that in the event of a committee being set up representative of the local body and the social workers, the .Metropolitan Committee would be pleased to co-operate with it. The chairman's suggestion was adopted, with the stipulation that the town clerk of Onehunga should continue to act as secretary and treasurer to the pommittee.