UNEMPLOYMENT BOARD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21198, 2 December 1930, Page 10

UNEMPLOYMENT BOARD.

CONFERENCE OF LOCAL BODIES.

ADDRESS BY MR W. BROMLEY.

WORK FOR THE CHRISTMAS SEASON.

The very large meeting of representatives of local bodies which met Mr W, Bromley, a member of the Unemployment Board, at the Town Hall yesterday afternoon had several matters relating to the working of the Act cleared up.' The meeting was called to ascertain if work could 110 1,1 J OUBd . for men this month, to enable them to tide over the Christmas n 'v. a ? cl v Mr B ,r° mle y explained that £2OOO had been allotted to Dunedin by the board for the object aimed at. The money is to be given on a basis of £2 for every £1 spent by local bodies—on certain conditions. The work has to be new work,_ that is, not already scheduled for carrying out by a local body, 50 per cent ® f , th ® expenditure has to be on labour! * be “° ney has to be expended by *- ie da ? u ? ry ‘ Mr Brrjjnley emphasised the need for getting on with work at once, so as to find employment this month and as a result of a round-the-table discussion it seems that a fair num*jen T l]l , secure employment in the T saburbs during the next few •“ was n °t made very clear }'' b< ; tber unemployed in one district would rv ab } e f? see k work in another district, , lm P resslon given was that each 111!? 7 ! 18 expected to look after the ” ? y n d in Jt f °^ n . Particular area. ..A“j fofiewing local bodies were repreR ty j C^ nc l 1 and Dunedin TW ft® ?v ar v^ 8 „ J ' B - Shacklock, W. TVT-, F \) Y ' Ml T tcbell - Wilson, J. J. e ? B ra J- 6- Alexander (city enrifve^’- and \ Sp m Ca i r Scoullar (assistant o f y $i gmee L> 5 Waikouaiti County Council, Messrs G. Gilmore (chairman) and £• j u l er (clerk); Otago Hospital Sc°n a A d .' ni essrs £ W- Gove and J. P w! Con TVr‘-nA aß |?i Fu rb ° UT Hoard—Captain W r, (ch iU rm T an i aD d Messrs J. W. Munro, M.P., W, J, Bardslev (seereSt ry KiM d ¥ <Greg ? r Wilkie (engineer); d A/r Bor ough Council, Messrs J. Beattie (Mayor) and R. Telfer; Peninsula County Council—Messrs Hunter Maeandrew (chairman), J Miller, J. Cross, ana t>. G. Paterson (engineer): West .Harbour Borough Council, Mr H. E roll? (Mayor ); High Schools Bofrd of Me S srs T S ~T D M (chairman), siho 3 of c6mm?t+ Al J e ? an - d - A ‘ J - Allen : benool Committees Association. Messrs FT Works Mr T^ll°fit’ll?Port Chalmers Borough Council, Messrs W G ten . and C Blackm?n TTO«n cle /L Education Board, Messrs ± Wallace .(chairman) and J. H Wilkinson, Taieri County Council—M'essrs R M - Stevenson, and n Tii clerb^: TT Green Island Borough Council—Messrs W T. Smellie (MayorT (derk) - “4 *• J- waffii siied D -R« Ut a='^ a ?w ( S. r J - dark) pre--0 t>i * i that the Mayor (Mr Jt S. Black), had left for Wellington on muni cipal business, and be "welcomed +lia calkd at the request of the Unemployment Commissioner. Mr Malcolm Fraser? in order that Mr Bromley, a member of the orxmg of the. Act to them and also that ?af^ 0P + eratl ° t a m ,'B ht be enlisted. He ? a j? slad5 lad to note that 16 public bodies nfi d roo?- re a en^ tlves at tbe meeting'. They ’ very seri °ua position re^ 1 ml Bald the chairman, and they all realised that during the nasi; the local bodiesVad been straining their resources in order to assist nf e th nem £ lo / ed - supposed ?hat mo t them had now, like the City Council come to the end of their financial tether’ In the city of Dunedin they had this year' relief spent £2 L329 in’ everSho rW A r they -i Wer . e aware > however, the City Council, with other local t^ a - 7% noi ? IloWed t 0 have an overdraft at December 31. and even under ofThe C^v 1 r° nS t ?} 6 Fin ?? C t Committee of the City Council would have had to issue, instructions to cut down theit expenditure and reduce hands. The committee was nevertheless doing everything 7 COu d to kee P men employed r d A take • c ! n i ? s ma “ y as it could. It might assist the position temporarily if ' L h l,, GoVeri l ment “ ade provision that money spent on unemployment felief in the next two or three years should not be taken into account in assessing overdraft +w e b ? nk- He might say quite frankly that so far as the City Council was conit could not find any more money. Mr Bromley said he was very pleased to see such a large gathering of representatives of local bodies. The board was composed of representatives of various secxion and interests in the community, a fi? he was pleased to say that, although the board had been said to be. representatives of these various interests—manufacturing, primary producing, labour, and the Government—after a week s work he was not revealing any secrets when he said that the board in the main was anxious to pull its full yeignt id the solution of the greet problem facing the country—(“Hear, hear"), and that they qould not have discovered, from any of the discussions, where any of the draerent interests lay. Some members felt keen on certain things, some felt keen on other things, but all felt keen on the necessity - or rendering immediate and generous help to those unfortunate members of the community who were unemployed.—(“Hear hear.”) If anyone ran away with the idea that a solution of un,employment had been provided by tbe passing of the legislation placed on the Statute Book, there was a disappointment coming to him. The Unemployment Act could, however, do something to minimise the distress which was Being caused through unemployment, and the board could do a good deal provided there was full co-operation by every worker, every ®u?Pj°yar of labour, and every citizen. Without this co-operation the board could not be the. success it was anticipated it would be, and that it ought to be. The board desired to find work for unemployed in the last month of the year—at Christmas time—and there were at the present tune some 10,000 unemployed in the Dominion. It was impossible for the board to set the machinery for sustenance in action between now and Christmas time, and the question of co-operation with productive industries and developmental work also could not be dealt with before Christmas time. The board would go into these matters by-and-bye. To meet the posifion trm board had decided to encourage public bodies to put in hand as much work as possible before Christmas time. In Wellington work had been found for about 350 unemployed. The board had decided to make an offer to the various centres of a subsidy of £25,000, and Dunedin subto adjustment, would be allocated £2OOO, payable on a £2 for £1 basis. That was the board’s contribution immediately towards the relief of unemployment, th° subsidy being for work that had not previously been determined on in Dunedin. Mr Burnley mentioned, incidentally, that the worst conditions financially of any place in the Dominion were being experienced in Foxton, owing to the reduction in the price of .flax. In Wellington private employers were also prepared to employ men for a day or two round their properties, and the board was contemplating whether the subsidy could be paid in these cases. The point had not, however been settled. The board was actually taking 30s in the one hand and they suggested giving it back with th e other. Of course he could not commit the board to anything it had not decided. He wanted to know how many men could be taken on in Dunedin between now and Christmas. He understood they had two relief committees ip . Dunedin at the present time, and obviously that seemed to be some sort of duplication. He would not enter into that, but they would want a committee if they were to co-operate and get together. They would want a commitee in each centre. The board was already getting all the information it couia from the various centres Mr Bromley added that the board was not anxious to subsidise work that had already been scheduled out of loan money If this work could be put in hand now jvith a subsidy, why could it not be put in hand at once without a subsidy? The Joard had definitely laid down the rule that the. work for the unemployed—that was. if. it was to be subsidised—must be work not otherwise scheduled. The money, moreover, must be expended before the end of January. Various questions Were asked Mr Bromley regardine the nosition of some of the

I°cal bodies who were prepared to assist, f Br0 ? 1 ?y sa, d that the applications the subsidy would have to go before a ’ and , be } vou ld submit a report, f ltty P, er , cent, of the expenditure must oe on labour. In several instances Mr iiromley made it clear that, on the work suggested to be carried out, the local body would have a legitimate claim for the subsidy. Mr iloller, Mr Macandrew, and Captain M Donald said their bodies would De prepared to carry out special work, utner proposals were commented on bv Mr Bromley. J + Both Mr F. J. Williams and Mr Munro thought that provision should be made to enable the money spent on unemployed work being excluded from assessment in deal mg with overdrafts of local bodies. Mr ocurr explained the arrangement between the Hospital Board and the City Council under which the board subsidised the council, which found a certain amount ot employment for the men sent along from the board. The board itself had no work.

Mr Bromley said he thought the money found by the Hospital Board might carry the subsidy. If they could find work, he said, for 100 men who would otherwise not have work this month, they had done something.—(“Hear, hear.”) He asked the Pl Jo do everything they could to assist the board, and to send along any suggestions. The board would welcome the suggestions, and do its best to solve the tremendous problem with which the , ominion was faced. The board would lie sitting for several weeks yet before it would be able to make a declaration as to how the Act would ultimately funcnon. As regarded sustenance, the Act provided that where men could not find work tne board should provide sustenance. They could not pay sustenance in the meantime, even if the board, wanted to, because a tremendous organisation was required. Ihe position was that at the present t!rae the board was seeking avenues for providing employment. The meeting then concluded. Bromley will leave on his return to Wellington this morning, and to a Daily Times reporter he stated last evening that his visit had been most encouraging and he hoped it would be profitable to all parties concerned. As a result of the co-operation promised by the local bodies, that afternoon £3OOO that would not otherwise have been*hvailable would be distributed in wages locally between now and the end of January. He was pleased to be able to state also that the Citizens’ Unemployment Committee at. a conference held that evening had assured him that the board would receive its fullest co-operation. WORK FOR CHRISTMAS PERIOD. SUBSIDY TO CITY COUNCIL, (Peb United Pbess Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, December 1. That the City Council had been promised a subsidy of up to £2OOO by the Unemployment Board for providing work to tide the men over the Christmas period was a statement made at a conference of local bodies to-day. The conference, yhich met for the purpose of considering the Unemployment Board’s offer of £25,000 in subsidies for the Dominion for Christmas work, was addressed by Messrs Leadley and Hutchinson, the two Canterbury members of the board.

MEMBERS OF THE BQARD,

CONFERENCE IN WELLINGTON.

(Pee United Pbess Association.) WELLINGTON, December 1. Members of the Unemployment Board will reassemble in Wellington to-morrow after spending the week-end in various centres in conference with, local body representatives concerning the decision to make the total of £25,000 available throughout New Zealand for relief works over Christmas and New Year period. Reports will be made to the board by members upon the outcome of their conversations and ways and means of distributing the money upon the conditional subsidy basis of £2 for £1 will be discussed.

FIRST PAYMENTS OF LEVY.

MONEY COMING IN STEADILY.

(Peb United Pbess Association.) WELLINGTON, December 1,

Payment of the unemployment levy is coming in steadily all over New Zealand, and up to to-day it was estimated that 150,000 payments had been made. The majority of people are paying one instalment. CO-OPERATION WITH BOARD. (Peb, United Pbess Association.) WANGANUI, December 1. At a public meeting convened by the Mayor it , was decided to set 'up a committee to co-operate with the Unemployment Board. The Mayor stated that the offer of £IOO from the Wanganui Aero Club for unemployed relief work on the airport would be subsidised at the rate' of £2 for £l, A certain number of men would probably start on Wednesday.