THE UNEMPLOYED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21543, 15 January 1932, Page 8

THE UNEMPLOYED

PROVISION OF RELIEF f « HOSPITAL BOARDS ALARMED RESOURCES INSUFFICIENT MINISTER DEFINES RESPONSIBILITIES (Special to Daily Times.) WELLINGTON, January 14. An appeal to the Government for further and immediate assistance to hospital boards, which were rapidly reaching a position in which they would be entirely unable to give assistance to the unemployed, was made by a deputation from the New Zealand Hospital Boards’ Association, which waited on the Prime Minister (Mr G. W. Forbes), the Minister in charge of unemployment (Mr J. G. Coates), and the Minister of Health (Mr J. A. Young) to-day. It was stated that upon the Government’s decision would depend whether the association’s annual conference would be postponed in order to save the £6OO or £7OO that would be in-

volved in calling it. The Prime Minister promised to consider the position fully. DIFFICULTIES OF THE BOARDS Mr W. Wallace, president of the Hospital Boards’ Association and chairman of the Auckland Hospital Board, said the boards were faced with a very serioug state of affairs. The burden of providing unemployment relief was proving altogether too' heavy. The problem had become even greater. during the last few months and a crisis was rapidly being approached. Nine months of the financial year had gone, and they were in a position to judge how they would stand at the end of March. On a rough calculation the Auckland Board would have a deficit of £60,000, Wellington £30,000 and Canterbury £IB,OOO, making a total of » £IOB,OOO for these three. Dunedin now seemed to be going through experiences similar to those of other boards for some time past. The Auckland Board’s estimate for relief for the 12 months had been over-spent, in proportion at the end of nine months by £27,000, and £62,000 would have been spent by the end of this month. It would be impossible to carry on after the end of tins month, and the board would have/ two months of the financial year to go without any money on which to operate. As many as 2025 men were assisted in two days during December, the trouble being that when the men were standing down for their week under the No. 5 unemployment scheme they were forced to seek aid from the board. The position had been aggravated through the interference by the Government with the board s estimates at the beginning of the year, and the heavy curtailment that had been insisted upon was now being felt. It was maintained that if the hoards were to continue bearing the burden of unemployment relief the money should be handled through the Unemployment Board. Mr F. Castle, chairman of the Wellington Board, said that the board’s debit at the end of the nine months was £28,611. A sum of £75,000 had been earmarked for the boards throughout New Zealand, and the greater part of this would have to be allocated to the principal boards, which would need about £IIO,OOO in all. In order to balance this year’s expenditure they were anxious to know whether the £75,000 would be forthcoming, because- the overdrafts were mounting up and increasing costs all the time. The boards were becoming concerned at the situation. The amount of subsidy available was cut down in anticipation that the Unemployment Board’s schemes would draw .men away from the boards, but the applications for relief had increased. The boards maintained that they should not have to pay for the sustenance of able-bodied men who were out of work. The Unemployment Board was set up to deal with this question. Eighty-five per cent, of the relief money was being spent in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, and the unemployed were likely to get put of hand. Trouble was not wanted, and everything should be done to avoid it. It was not pleasant being on a hospital board at present. Mr H, J. Otley, chairman of the North Canterbury Board, said that more accommodation was required in Christchurch to deal with unemployment relief. Every week that men stood down from relief work they had to be fed, and sometimes clothed. If the men were not fed they could expect a riot. "We are coming to the end of our tether, the same as other people, and we will not be able to carry on.” Mr Otley added. Mr W. E. S. Knight, chairman of the Otago Board, said he could see no, sign of an improvement in the position,, in spite of the fact that the Prime Minister had spoken very optimistically the other day. Mr Forbes: Not very. Mr Knight said the ratepayers could not carry the burden any The boards took up the attitude that it was the duty of the State to provide unemployment relief. PRIME MINISTER’S REPLY The Prime Minister said he appreciated the boards’ difficulties, and he knew the charitable organisations had done a wonderful work, for which the Government was very grateful. He assured the deputation that their representations would have full consideration, with a view to alleviating the burden of the boards.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF BOARDS The Minister of Health (Mr J. A. Young) made an important statement. He said he had followed the figures submitted by the deputation regarding the estimated deficits for the year, and they tallied approximately with those which the Health Department had prepared. As at December 31 the total estimated deficit for the year on the operations of the Auckland Board would be £OI.OOO, of which £35,000 would be due to unemployment relief. In Wellington the total estimated deficit was approximately £33,000, of which £25,000 would be due to unemployment relief. . In North Canterbury the total deficit was £IB,OOO, of which £II,OOO would be due to unemployment relief. The Treasury had been recommended to make interim payments, totalling £37,000, from a sum of £75,000 allocated by the Government. The Minister added that ha had found quite a few members of hospital boards who were of the belief that the function of a hospital board ended in providing hospital accommodation and treatment. Although the Statute had little to say with respect to charitable relief, it made it clear that “ every hospital board shall have the administration of charitable aid •within the district of the board in accordance with the provisions of this Act,” and in addition to that, the Act provided that a hospital board might apply “ any moneys in its hands in such proportion and in such manner as it thinks fit for the purpose of the provision of charitable aid by way of grants of money, food, and other requirements for indigent, sick, or infirm persona who are not inmates of any institution.” Some had been inclined to read it as meaning “ indigent sick.” he said, but that was not the case. However, said Mr Young, the position had so developed that the demands to-day on the hospital boards for relief had grown far beyond the anticipations of those who had originally - designed the Act. A number of boards had declared that they had got beyond the limit of their resources to meet the situation, and this necessitated the Government providing extra assistance. The position in Dunedin was not so bad as it appeared, for at the end of December last the board was within its estimate for the year and, according to the remarks of the chairman, they would be overdrawn to the extent of about £2OOO tor outdoor relief by the end of the year. The Minister pointed out that the Otago Board had accumulated funds on which it could draw temporarily, and the matter of £IOOO or £2OOO should present no difficulties to the board. Continuing, Mr Young stated that unfortunately in the early part of the present financial year, and with the very best of intentions, the Government caused hospital boards to write down their estimates, with the result that a saving on

the Government subsidy had been effected to the extent of £140,000, and in relief to local authorities of £130,000. That had been illustrated by the deputation in the statement made to the effect that the Auckland city ratepayers had been saved the sum of £IO,OOO. The Minister said that in the Waikato hospital district the local bodies were saved not less than £BOOO. The effect of that was that demands had been made on the Government for further assistance to hospital boards, and as a consequence the sum of £75,000 had been allocated by the Government for the purpose. Already the Treasury had been recommended to make the following interim payments:—

Auckland Hospital Board .. £20,000 Wellington 10,000 North Canterbury 4,000 Waikato 2,000

B idler 1,000 The balance of £38,000 it was proposed to allocate before the end of the financial year, but even then they would be approximatety £50,000 short of actual requirements., Mr Young pointed out to the deputation that as Minister of Health he had no control over the finance, and he had to make a good case to the Treasury. So far as the additional £50,000 was concerned, it was a matter for consideration by the Government. He said that the question to be considered was the extent to which hospital boards would be required to spend the money in social relief in order that the boards might be in a position to strike something like a reliable estimate of expendture and liability early in the year. Appreciation of the lucid manner in which Mr Young had placed the facts before the deputation was expressed by Mr Wallace.

POSITION IN DUNEDIN ACTIVITY AT THE DEPOTS Large quantities of food, clothing, and other articles were received at the various relief depots in the city yesterday, and the staffs were fully occupied in receiving, classifying, and distributing goods to the applicants. Though an excellent response to the appeal for help has already been made, and many firms, and private citizens have given freely, the need for further assistance still exists, and it is hoped that donations of all useful articles will continue to come forward in order that the greatest possible relief may be afforded those who are urgently in need. i HOSPITAL BOARD’S DEPOT The following donations are acknowledged by those in charge of the Hospital Board’s depot:—Mrs Douglas, groceries; Fraser and Sons, bread; Octagon East Express Bank, bread, potatoes,‘buns; P.S.S.A., cabbages and vegetables; “ Friend,” groceries; “Friend,” vegetables (per Mr Gibb, grocer, Mornington); Mrs Laidlaw, oatmeal; Mrs Blaney, assorted groceries; Mrs D. Young (Milton), clothing; Fort, Roche, meat; “Friend,” turnips; A. J. Watt, clothing; town clerk (Mosgiel), vegetables: Mrs Shacklock, butter; Mr Beckingsale, jam; vegetables; Co-operative Milk Supply, milk; Irvine and Stevenson, seven cases jam; Mr D. Tannock, vegetables; “A Friend,” rhubarb; “Anonymous,” vegetables; Neil and Co., goods; Sherriff, meat; Mrs Liddel, fruit; Mr Hannah, vegetables; Burtons, apples; Scoular and Co., oatmeal and flour; “Anonymous,” jam; “My Employer,” jam; Lady Ferguson, clothing for babies. Mr G. Blythe, Ohau street, off Selwyn street, N.E. Valley, will supply lettuce plants to unemployed men for planting. Depot officials request applicants to bring containers for milk, as the Cooperative Milk Supply is donating three gallons daily. The proprietors of the Rio Grande Restaurant (Messrs D. and A. Pagonis) have kindly given the Hospital Board Relief Depot permission to send 50 men along for a meal. As far as possible single men will be sent, and the batches will be so regulated that the dinners will be given over a period of about a week. Those in receipt of general relief at the depot should note that the workers there are on duty at 9 a.m. They are therefore advised to report as early as possible. CITIZENS’ RELIEF DEPOT Another busy day was experienced at the Citizens’ Relief Depot yesterday, when 200 applicants were supplied with groceries, bread, meat, fish, and vegetables. The principal shortage at present is meat. Acknowledgment is made of the following donations: —Meat from the Bristol Piano Company’s staff, Duke’s staff, A. S. Higginson, Wix, Miles, Chivers, and Anderson; bread from J. R. Brown, J. Brown, Fraser, and Campbell; groceries from “E. J. M. ” Mr Jolly, M'Lean's, and M'Cormick; five cases of fish from Mr M'Farlane (Port Chalmers); milk from Mr M'Gregor (North road); one sack of flour from the Crown Mills; jam from Mrs Cox; children’s clothing from Mrs Byrne; cash donations from the St. Kilda Methodist Church (£4 4s), Dr R. (£5), “Working Woman” (£1), Mrs Thomas (£1), “Anonymous” (5s and Is). A regular supply of milk has been promised. Applicants should bring containers. The committee wishes to announce that Mr E. W. Braithwaite is the only official canvasser, and will be obliged if persons approached by any other person will immediately inform the depot supervisor, telephone 18-844.

REGISTER OF UNEMPLOYED SLIGHT INCREASE SHOWN. (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, January 14. For the week ended January 11 the unemployed on the register totalled 45,539 — an increase of 978 on the total for the Dominion at the end of the previous week. The aggregate is approximate, as was the total of 45,524 registered for the week before Christmas. The latest figures include 33,771 men employed part-time on relief work, leaving 11,768 unplaced.