UNEMPLOYMENT

Otago Witness, Issue 4085, 28 June 1932, Page 23

UNEMPLOYMENT

EXTENSION OF SCHEME GREATER ASSISTANCE TO RURAL AREAS. WELLINGTON, June 21. An announcement was made to-night l>y the Minister of Employment (Mr J. G. Coates) that areas outside the four main cities are being placed on substantially the same basis for unemployment relief allocation as the cities have had for the last few weeks. In making this announcement Mr Coates expressed gratification at being able to remove what was undoubtedly an anomaly and to give a further measure of relief where it was most urgently required. “In my opinion.” said Mr Coates. “ and if is an opinion forced upon me by specific reports from the various centres, some citizens have been short of the necessities of life owing to the limited funds available. Some men have been so far reduced in relief work that their earnings over a period of months have averaged as little as 3s 9d a week, and in another district they have fallen as low as 2s 3d. Married men with two children or less have received in some areas only .12s weekly, and men with larger families have averaged scarcely £1 a week. These are figures justifying a review of the position, hard pressed as we are to find additional money. I am sure I am expressing the determination of our people when I insist that nobody shall be reduced to these straits. There is a duty to see that all are fed and provided with reasonable requirements. In very many instances while food is available from sustenance that is granted the stocks of clothes and boots have become depleted. It is not possible in the present circum--stances for the Government to provide everything, and more than ever it is necessary for the citizens to rally together and do their utmost to provide those things which the Government is not able to provide. The scales of unemployment relief in the four main cities have recently been revised, with the result that the expenditure has greatly increased. The additional money now being expended in the cities from the Unemployment Fund is more than the amount previously spent by the hospital boards on unemployment relief, so that the recipients of relief in the city areas have as a group been placed on an improved footing. Up to the present, owing to the lack of funds, it has not been possible to revise the relief rates outside of the main cities. To meet the needs M the areas which have not been placed on the revised scale arrangements have been made by the Government for a further expenditure up to £16,000 to cover the winter months.”

The Minister emphasised that it is ] not intended to apply a uniform system ' of work and relief in all areas. Each 1 locality will be considered on its merits, and to meet the particular needs of the j areas in distressed circumstances special 1 allocations will be made. Generally, how- I ever, the effect will be to place relief workers in all parts of the country, ■ having regard to local conditions, on a ' substantially equal basis. It will now ' be possible at the discretion of the local I committees and those responsible for the control of relief work to eliminate the stand-down week or to adopt other arrangements that'may serve equally effec- 1 tively to meet the needs. The Minister also stated he was partieularly gratified at the excellent progress that had been made in moving men into productive work under schemes 4a and 4b. by which the unemployed are placed on farms as additional labour with assistance from the Unemployment Fund. There have been in all 27,974 placements, and of these 10,153 are now on farms, while many of the remainder have moved off the Unemployment Fund into productive work. The small farm plan for the placing of married men with their families in cottages in country districts has been taken up enthusiastically throughout the Dominion. These men have a section of land ranging from 10 to 5 acres, on which they will presently be able to earn a substantial part of their food requirements. A useful modification of this plan provides for the commencement of sharemilking. and already openings for some hundreds of relief workers in this line are in sight. Gold prospecting is attracting increasing numbers of men, and already the total who are being assisted from the Unemployment Fund for this purpose is well over 1000.