CHRISTMAS RELIEF BONUS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18900, 30 December 1935, Page 13

CHRISTMAS RELIEF BONUS

CONDITIONS EXPLAINED MAY COST OVER 'MOO,OOO EMERGENCY TAX QUERY (Special to the Herald.) WELLINGTON, this day. The festive season lias not brought much in the way of relief to I lie Hon. If. T. Armstrong, whose responsibilities as Minister of Employment and Labor have kept him chained to his desk in Parliament Buildings practically continuously throughout the holiday season as far as it has gone. lie intends to take a spell of a few days from to-morrow, when lie will leave for the south. Matters arising out of the (,'hristmas bonus lo unemployed have largely occupied his attention for the last few weeks. He has been almost inundated with letters from all over the country. many of them from people who wanted to know why they had not shared in the Unemployment Board’s ('hristmns disf ribution.

Mr Armstrong stated to-day that a good deaf of misunderstanding seemed lo have arisen over the concession ami ihe qualifications of those entitled to participate in it. The conditions l:iid down at the time the announcement ivas made were quite clear, said the (Minister, and they had the effect of denying the bonus to hundreds, probably thousands, of people who had hopes of getting it. The stipulations were that, a man had to he actually on relief work, or at the time the bonus was decided on, and that a man had to have been on relief for a period of 18 weeks at some time, during the year, not necessarily continuously.

The Minister said that more than 41.000 were concerned in the distribution of the bonus. lie added that the second portion of this payment was to he made as soon as possible after January -. it recommendation to this effect having been scat out to the various centres.

Mr Armstrong added that the original sum involved in this pay-out was £IOO,OOO, hat it was probable that wns would be exceeded. The individual distribution amounted to one and almlf weeks of relief pay.

Questioned as to whether the Government. was contemplating any increase in the emergency unemployment charge of Sd in the pound, the Minister said that he had not discussed that matter with his colleagues, hut he agreed that something would have to be done to find finance. lie explained iliat the Cabinet had authority by Oriler-in-Council to increase the-charge to'ls in the pound if it so desired.