RELIEF PAY

Southland Times, Issue 22041, 14 June 1933, Page 8

RELIEF PAY

CUT IN ALLOCATIONS IMMEDIATE RESTORATION URGED PUBLIC MEETING At a meeting of citizens in the Council Chambers last evening called for the purpose of discussing the allocations of relief pay and conditions generally of the unemployed, it was unanimously decided to protest against the cuts and ask the Unemployment Board to immediately restore the full allocations to the men in the Southland district. His Worship the Mayor, Mr John Miller, convened the meeting and also present were representatives of the City Council, relief organizations, business men’s committee, and several relief workers. In outlining the object of the meeting, the Mayor stated that the main grievance as far as the relief workers was concerned was the reduced allocations of pay. He quoted from figures supplied to show that the loss sustained by each man working under the various relief schemes amounted to an average of £1 in a twelve weeks period. The A class men (single men without dependents) lost 19 hours work amounting to 16/9; B class (married men with up to two children) £1 2/6, and C class (married men with over two children) £1 1/3. This did not seem much over that period, said his Worship, but when it was taken into consideration that no fewer than 725 men were employed in Invercargill under the No. 5 Scheme of relief works, it would be seen that the total loss in spending power was £787 3/1 for the period of twelve weeks. He proceeded to give individual instances of'the losses and also quoted comparisons of the scale of wages as they affected Invercargill and Christchurch. In Invercargill the married man with no children received £1 8/1 (the full allocation) a week, and in Christchurch the wage paid was £1 2/6;. the married man with one child received £1 8/1 in Invercargill and £1 7/- in Christchurch, and the married man with two children received £1 8/1 in Invercargill and £1 11/6 in Christchurch. Extra Ration Allowance. It had to be noted, said the Mayor, that in Invercargill there was no distinction between the man with no children and the man with up to two of a family. The Invercargill figures were based on full allocations, but the figures quoted showed that only for six weeks during the past 18 weeks had Invercargill received the full allocation and for the remaining twelve weeks they had been cut. In Christchurch it was noteworthy that there was provision for an extra ration allowance ranging from. 2/- to 8/- a week in cases of special need. The Christchurch figures were based on the full allocation, but Christchurch also was cut in allocation from time to time. Summarized the average wage for the B class man in Christchurch was £1 7/- and in Invercargill £1 8/1, both full allocations. After representatives of the relief organizations had given a further explanation of the reduced rates of pay as affecting Southland relief workers, a citizen asked what pressure could be brought to bear by the business peonle of the town on the Government to have the full allocations paid. In reply the Mayor said that the meeting could pass a resolution that night asking the Unemployment Board for the full allocations. Councillor W. M. C. Denham urged that a resolution go forward at once. He said he thought the council might be able to subsidize the allowance to its men and he considered that the council should pay the transport of the men.

The chairman reminded Councillor Denham that that question was not before the meeting and went on to refer to the amount of money that unemployment was costing the country. The people had been asked to contribute. They had and were assisting in various ways to relieve the position. There were relief committees, appeals and depots, but the fact remained that the relief workers should be getting sufficient to be independent of this outside relief. It would be far better if these organizations were done away with altogether. The unemployment business was a very expensive one for those in employment; they had to keep those not employed. He was satisfied the men were not receiving sufficient to carry on, and they were debarred from getting assistance from the Charitable Aid Board. , Payment In Levies. Councillor J. H. Tattersfield said the immediate trouble seemed to be the shortage of time which accounted for the reduced allocations. Invercargill was paying in £50,000 a year in levies and taxes, and on the figures quoted it looked as if their unemployed could receive something like 33/- a week. He could not see how the men could exist on what they were getting. They should ask for the full allocation for Invercargill. He moved that a resolution be forwarded to Wellington asking for the full allocation to be apportioned to Invercargill. It was only their due. There was something wrong if they could not get back what they paid in levies, and something would have to be done to get it back. Councillors H. Ritchie and A. W. Jones spoke in support of the motion, and with the substitution of Southland for Invercargill the resolution was carried. Mr Ritchie said it was more expensive to live in Invercargill in winter than in the north of New Zealand, and for that reason alone Southland should receive more consideration. Mr Jones praised the work of the relief organization and said they deserved whole-hearted support. The money should be found for the men. The country was not a poor one and the people had the right to live reasonably comfortably. Under the present system of allocation the men were not getting what was their right. He was strongly in favour of the reasonable demands being made, and the men should receive every support.