RELIEF WORKERS

Southland Times, Issue 21831, 7 October 1932, Page 7

RELIEF WORKERS

UNABLE TO PAY RENT PLEA FOR INVESTIGATION MANY CASES OF HARDSHIP (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, October 6. “An opportunity may be given to this House before the end of the session to say what it will do towards making better provisions for relief workers,” the Acting Minister of Employment, the Hon. A. Hamilton, said in the House of Representatives this afternoon in replying to requests from Labour members for provisions to prevent the eviction of relief workers from, their homes. The discussion on the matter was instituted by Mr R. McKeen (L., Wellington South) who moved an adjournment of the House in order that the position of relief workers in general, and one case in his own electorate in particular, might be discussed. The condition of relief workers today was tragic, Mr McKeen said, and quoted numerous incidents of hardship caused through men being unable to pay their rent. The Government was looking after farmers but was neglecting the men in the cities. It was the duty of the House to bring about an adjustment of rents or provide sufficient money to enable relief workers to pay the rents at present ruling. Other Labour members spoke on similar lines and Mr R. A. Wright asked if members were prepared to impose additional taxation to provide something towards relief workers’ rent. It had been said that the Government had no heart, the Minister said. It was easy to say that, but he had been listening all the afternoon to see if those who were complaining about the position would suggest what should be done.

Mr J. A. Lee (L., Grey Lynn): Pay them a decent wage.

The only suggestion made had been that from the member for Wellington Suburbs, the Minister continued, and his suggestion that taxation for unemployment funds should be increased was the only real solution, but it would be opposed by a good many members of the House. Relief workers were not the only people who could not pay their rent.

Mr H. T. Armstrong (L., Christchurch East): I don’t pay mine. The Minister: A lot of us find it difficult to pay our rent.

Mr P. Fraser (L., Wellington Suburbs): But you’re not evicted. Tlie only suggestion that had previously been made was that the men in cities should be given an extra 10/a week, the Minister said, but city unemployed were actually about 10/- better off than relief workers in the country. The question of rent was a difficult one, he added, and asked “On what basis are we to fix the rent that should be paid?” Rents were from 50 to 60 per cent, above pre-war levels and the Government could not be expected to find money to pay rents on that basis. In most cases if workers could get homes for 10/- or 15/- a week they would be able to manage. “It is all very well to say we should accept liability for these rents,” he said, “but as soon as we did that, we would shoulder a very heavy liability indeed. An opportunity may be given to this House before the end of this session to say what it will do towards making better provisions for relief workers and to decide where the revenue is to come from. At the same time I doubt very much if the House is prepared to go further in imposing taxation for the purpose of providing relief.”

The debate was continued until 5.20 when a division was taken on Mr McKeen’s motion which was rejected by 43 votes to 26.