M.P.’S COMPLAIN

Southland Times, Issue 21856, 5 November 1932, Page 6

M.P.’S COMPLAIN

LACK OF COURTESY DEPARTMENTAL OFFICIALS METHODS ASSAILED (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, November 4. “Instruments of a policy of bumble” was the description applied to certain inspectors of the Labour Department in the House of Representatives to-day by Mr J. A. Lee (L., Grey Lynn) during the discussion on the Estimates. Further complaints about the administration of the department were made by other members. “I want to know,” said Mr Lee, “whether the Minister of Labour will give us some information as to. the number of Labour Department pimps who are going round spying into the homes of people, trying to discover whether they are letting rooms or whether their wives are earning a few shillings scrubbing floors.” He said that these men seemed to have been selected more for their capacity to offend rather than their tactfulness, and he hoped that the Minister would reconsider the question of employing “Instruments of a policy of bumble” to inquire how much furniture a person had in his house, or how many vegetables he had in his garden, before he was entitled to relief. Mr Lee said that he also wanted to know whether these inspectors were employed full time and whethei they received the same rate of remuneration as the poor creatures they were engaged to pimp and spy upon. Whenever an anonymous letter was received by the department to the effect that some member of the family receiving relief was earning an extra 2/6 a week, some individual from the department was immediately sent round to the back door to bully some defenceless woman into disclosing the alleged information. If the Labour Department was supplying funds for the employment of pimps, the Minister should see that these men did not receive any more than those on relief and every effort should be made to prevent them from riding rough shod over hundreds of women.

A complaint that he had received most discourteous treatment from officials at the Auckland unemployment office was made by Mr M. J. Savage. In the first place, Mr Savage said, there had been a hold up over payment for work on Labour Day and he had asked that the matter be rectified. He complained that he had not been able to get certain information which had been abruptly refused him by some official at the end of a telephone. “He slammed the receiver while I was speaking,” said Mr Savage. “I complained to lhe Minister but the only explanation I got was that this particular official was renowned for his courtesy. All I ask for is courtesy. Generally speaking I have received it for the last 12 or 13 years from Ministers and their private secretarys and from heads of departments. The sooner the Minister puts the hose of investigation on the Auckland office the better it will be for the Unemployment Fund. There is a good deal of discourtesy and lack of ability.” Mr A. S. Richards (L., Roskill) said that he noticed that £B5BO was provided in the Labour Department’s vote for travelling expenses and allowances and he asked how much of that amount was being spent on sending officers round the country inquiring into people’s private affairs. The examinations people were being subjected to were most degrading. Mr Richards sought information as to the amounts paid to medical referees who decided whether men were fit for camp life. It was stated that these doctors received 3/6 for every person examined and on some days they put through between 150 and 200 men. In reply the Minister of Labour said that there had been a misunderstanding among local bodies in connection with the Labour Day holiday. However, the men had not been penalised and opportunity was being given them to make up the time lost. He was sorry that there had been discourtesy to Mr, Savage because members of Parliament were entitled to courtesy. Mr Richards: Two of the men ought to be shifted. Mr W. J. Jordan (L., Manukau): They are treating the unemployed like cattle in some cases. The Minister said that the medical referee was employed only in compensation cases. The camp men were examined by hospital authorities.