UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 17956, 7 December 1932, Page 7

UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF

PAYMENT AT CHRISTMAS EXPLANATION BY AIINISTER (Parliamentary Reportor.) WELLINGTON, this day. The position of relief workers whose stand-down week occurs during the Christmas period, when a fortnight’s pay without work is to be granted, was raised in the House by Air C. Carr (Lab., Tiinaru), who asked if arrangements would be made for these men to got the full value of the gratuity. The acting-Alinister of Employment, the Hon. A. Hamilton, said that to make such an arrangement would give some of the relief workers an advantage over others. It would also require an increased allocation. It would be possible, however, for arrangements to be made for men to advance their stand-down week by a week so that they would get the benefit of the gratuity. Mr Carr: Will the Alinister do that? The Alinister: Local committees can do it themselves. Replying to Air M. J. Savage (Lab., Auckland West), who asked whether special rations and allowance would be given to men who came home from eaqfps at Christmas, the Alinister said relief workers who went home would receive the same pay as though they had remained working in camp. Mr Savage: They are eating their own,rations.., Will .any rations allowance 1 be made to those who go to their own homes? The Alinister: AVe cannot make any such an allowance for them. Married men in camps contributed something towards their upkeep, he added, and this would not be charged against hem if they went to their own homes. Single men did not pay for their upkeep in camps. He regretted that the board could not make any additional allowance to single men who went to their homos during the holidays. Those who had no homes to go to could remain in the camps.