RELIEF CAMPS

Southland Times, Issue 21836, 13 October 1932, Page 5

RELIEF CAMPS

SUMMER WORK MARRIED MEN FOR TIIE COUNTRY CONSERVING CITY JOBS (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, October 12. Fears that the Unemployment Board was taking steps to send large numbers of married men into camps for the summer months and thus cause hardship were expressed in questions addressed to the Acting Minister of Employment, the Hon. A. Hamilton, by Messrs A. Harris (C„ Waitemata) and A. S. Richards (L., Roskill) in the House to-day. The Minister said the policy was to get as many as possible into the country during the summer so as to reserve city work for the winter. “The class of work now being carried out under the No. 5 Scheme in urban areas is becoming more and more unsatisfactory from the point of view of a valuable return for _ the money expended,” said Mr Hamilton. “Indeed, local authorities are finding it increasingly difficult to find sufficient work. This can be remedied only by transferring the men from cities and towns to developmental work in the country where the monetary return is better to the man on the average and the work carried out will unquestionably give a better return to the country.” There were already a number of married men in camps, the Minister continued, and a number of County Councils were prepared to establish camps as soon as they were assured that the men were available. It was desirable that men should be placed on developmental works as far as possible, thus reserving the city works for winter. Mr Harris asked what was the position when local bodies in the city were prepared to find work. Mr Hamilton: It is for the Unemployment Board to say what is the most valuable class of work. Mr E. J. Howard (L., Christchurch South): Are you not chairman of the board? Mr Hamilton: Yes, and I am speaking as chairman of the board. It is desirable that the men should be placed on summer work in the country. They will be better off there on the average. Mr Richards said that hundreds of married men had been circularized to report to the Labour Department at Auckland to go into camps. Several had large families and permanently injured children and to send these men to camp would create hardship. “Quite a lot of married men have had to leave their families in the past to get work,” replied the Minister. “Generally that should cause no particular hardship, and if any hardship is caused consideration will be given to those cases.”