UNEMPLOYMENT

Southland Times, Issue 20497, 28 May 1928, Page 8

UNEMPLOYMENT

COST OF BELIEF WORKS GOVERNMENT’S POSITION STATED MR COATES REPLIES TO CRITICISM (Per United Press Association.) Wellington, May 26. The Prime Minister, referring to criticism levelled at the Government regarding unemployment, says: “The public might be led to believe that the speakers alone were concerned with the present unemployment situation and the Government was doing nothing to cope with it. They fail to appreciate what has been done. The following information will reveal what the Government has done to afford relief to those who have been unable to obtain employment, elsewhere: “(1) During last financial year approximately 6,200 men were sent to Government relief works throughout the Dominion and over 3,000 men left these works of their own accord. “(2) The Local Bodies’ Empowering Act under which local bodies could raise loans for relief of unemployment was extended for another year last session and in addition legislative authority for the payment of subsidies to local bodies for works undertaken for the relief of unemployment was given by Parliament. The total- payments were limited by the Imprest Supply Act (No. 1) to £150,000. Subsidies totalling £113,000 were approved during the year and payments actually made to March 31 last amounted to £75,106. “(3) The total expenditure by the Government on relief works last year, including £75,106 paid in subsidies to local bodies, was £472,671. "(4) During the period of seven weeks from April 1 of this year up to May 19, 1,200 men have been sent to Government relief works which are being undertaken by the Public Works and Forestry Departments. Of this number 400 men left the works of their own accord. “(5) There are 2,759 men on Government relief works at the present time and arrangements are in train for placing approximately 1,000 additional men as soon as camps can be erected and works laid out, probably within a fortnight’s time. “(6) Approximately 11,000 men are being employed by the Public Works Department to date. In addition to this we have to remember that the Public Works programme has been pressed on at a high rate of speed, at a pace faster than would have been normally required and that about 10,000 men are being absorbed whereas under ordinary circumstances the number employed would be between 6,000 and 8,000. “With regard to the question of subsidy to local bodies for unemployment works, Cabinet decided to re-enact provisions to subsidise local authority unemployment loans and this fact was definitely announced by my colleague (the Hon. R. A. WrightJwhen he received a deputation concerning unemployment recently. I have been in communication with the Mayor of Wellington regarding variation of the subsidy paid to local bodies, but no decision has been arrived at yet. In the meantime, however, the same provisions which applied up to March 31 last are being continued and a public statement to this effect has already been made. “There has also to be taken into account,” added Mr Coates, “the recent decision of the Government to undertake a statistical review in order to ascertain the ages, responsibilities and qualifications of men with a view to launching a scheme designed to prevent men getting out of employment and where they are unemployed to absorbing them in our various industries.”