UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF
TO THE EDITOR. Sir— ln my letter dated June 6 I stated that when the administration of unemployment funds in New Z&ftland “ became a public scandel, the Gov eminent would be guided by the e *P®, ence of British statesmen and adopt tne so-called dole plan. Mr P. W. Shaddock has drawn attention to some of the work that is being done for the benefit of private individuals, but he has by no means exhausted the list. I could tell him of anotherrdief job that has already cost over £4OO, and will cost at least three times this amount before the small patch of land is reclaimed. The place is called a fairn, but it has a great prospective value ns building sites. When the time is ripe the people who are farming the farmer” will step in and take the profits, and this is the manner in which production is being assisted—Yes, production of profits for a few. individuals. I/think, however, that it is wrong to blame the Unemployment Committee. 1 he committee is. like the local bodies, the victim of the Governments mistaken P °Wc’ must keep steadily in mind that there is a limited amount of money available, and the amount is barmy sufficient to pav the relief worker. Ihei-e 13 no money for materials which would enable employing authorities to place men on work of a permanent character. Rut whv labour the point? I could fill pages telling of the difficulty of finding suitable work for the unemployed. Sanitation is one difficulty that might be handled to better advantage than at present. Old soldiers who have had experience of mobile columns will remember that one of the first things done after the commanding officer had approved of a site for a camp, was for the officer of the day to caxise fatigue parties to be detailed to dig latrines, and it was the same officer’s duty to see that the ground was left clean when the troops moved off. This simple but necessary duty is being neglected on some of the jobs where large groups of relief workers are engaged, with the result that many of those secluded, shady spots, which invite one on a hot day are becoming places to be avoided. This question of sanitation is a real difficulty when large groups are employed chipping grass in the thickly populated parts of the suburbs. All these difficulties would disappear if The Government would pay the subsidy direct to the unemployed instead of, as at present, giving it away to peryla
who do not need it. Leave the unemployed free to grow vegetables, etc.; Ja per cent, could be trusted to make good use of their time. They would be able to keep in touch with their usual occupation and eventually fit in somewhere. At present men are grouped in large numbers of work for a bare ■ existence, to depress each other with tales or then troubles, to listen to the trouble-makers. This army of unemployed is a potential danger all the time it is kept together as at present. Payment of direct subsidy would break up the present organised groups. In a scattered community such as ours, they would soon lose touch with each other and thus would be removed an ever present danger.—l am, etc., July 4. Prospector.
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Otago Daily Times, Issue 21688, 5 July 1932, Page 9
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557UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF Otago Daily Times, Issue 21688, 5 July 1932, Page 9
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