THE NO. 5 SCHEME

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18353, 22 March 1934, Page 10

THE NO. 5 SCHEME

MEETING T&E EMERGENCY BEST UNDER CIRCUMSTANCES Addressing a deputation from/ the Muncipal Conference at Wellington, Mr. J. S. Jessep, deputy-chairman of the Unemployment Board, touched on criticisms of the No. 5 relief scheme the pointlessness of some of the work done under it, and the need for its abolition. These and other arguments against scheme 6 that were not so much discussed were well known to the board, he said. This scheme was introduced under toe stress of urgent circumstances, when unemployment registrations were increasing by thousands daily. It was not put forth as a perfect conception, nor even as any more than a. transient measure to meet the needs of a pressing situation. Considered in that light it was probably as good a scheme as could have been devised under such circumstances, and had served a very useful purpose. It drew on the reservoir of contemplated, but not Immediately urgent, works ot local bodies, and adapted to tho purpose of large scalp relief, tho standing equipment and adriiinistrative personnel bf such institutions. This avoided the. dissipation of substantial segments ot relief funds, which would have been unavoidable if the board had hud to incur the capital cost of duplicating those facilities; and a- sum equivalent to that saving became available for expenditure on tho 'proper objective of the relief taxation, namely, the relief of unemployment distress,

Even under those conditions, the board, owing to the until lately steadily rising tide of unemployment, had never had any margin between its weekly income arid its outgoings with which to finance any comprehensive substitute for scheme 5. This method of providing employment, being that which came most under the notice of people, was naturally tho one which received most criticism; but, fortunately, it was now becoming of secondary importance. Not so prominently in sight were many thousands of men, aided by unemployment funds, now seeking to reestablish themselves in different parts of the country—the board lias nearly 4000 subsidised goldminers alone—with very great benefit both materially and morally to the workers concerned,