NEW RULES

Southland Times, Issue 22046, 20 June 1933, Page 6

NEW RULES

SCHEME NO. 10

PAYMENT OF BUILDING SUBSIDY

CONDITIONS OUTLINED

The full rules of Scheme No. 10, which was re-introduced on June 1, are as follows:—

(1) No specific restriction will now be made as to the class of new buildings, alterations, additions to, or renovations of buildings, upon which a subsidy may be applied for; but all applications will be individually considered Iby the Unemployment Board. Applications must be accompanied by a statement of the class of work to be undertaken and of the reasons (if any) which would prevent the work proposed from being proceeded with this year without the assistance of a subsidy. The decision of the Unemployment Board as to approval or otherwise must in every case be accepted as final, and it will be a condition of approval, in every case, that New Zealand materials shall be used wherever practicable. (2) On approved works a wages subsidy will be paid from the Unemployment Fund at the rate of 33 1-3 per cent, up to award rates on the total wages paid in respect of the labour actually performed on the premises, except that in the case of the erection of the new dwellinghouses not exceeding £650 total building cost, the wages subsidy will be at the rate of 50 per cent, on wages up to award rates on the total wages paid in respect of all labour actually performed on the premises. No subsidy will be payable in respect of wages for work performed away from the premises, notwithstanding that such work may be part of the approved job, and whether or not carried out by the contractor for the approved job. If any question arises as to what shall constitute “labour actually performed on the premises,” in respect of which subsidy is claimed, it shall be referred to the Unemployment Board, whose decision shall be final. In order to calculate the amount of subsidy payable, a wages-book showing only wages paid for work actually performed on the premises must be kept, and a certificate as to its accuracy must be given by the builder concerned. In the case of small jobs where the building contractor is himself actually engaged doing the work, or where he is working with the men, it shall be in order for him to book wages to himself for the actual time so worked, based on the rate for tradesmen operating in the current award for carpenters and joiners. The wages of subcontractors or men engaged by subcontractors may be entered in the wages-book on the job, but only in respect of time actually worked on the premises, and such wages must be certified to as being correct by the builder in charge of the work. (3) Subsidy will not be payable if the work is commenced prior to the approval of the Unemployment Board being notified to the owner, and approval of the subsidy will be cancelled if the contract is not let and work actually commenced within three calendar months of the date of notification of approval, unless by arrangement with the Unemployment Board in the case of large buildings where the time necessary for the preparation of plans and specifications would exceed that period of time. If the work on an approved job is commenced in accordance with the foregoing, and the rules of the scheme are otherwise compiled with, the subsidy will continue to be paid until the completion of the job unless otherwise specified by the board. No subsidy will, however, without reference to the Commissioner of Unemployment, be paid on wages which are in excess by more than 5 per cent, of the estimate given in the application. (4) No restriction will be imposed regarding the source from which labour may be recruited—that is to say, wages for labour other than that engaged through a Government Labour Bureau will be eligible for subsidy. Employers, however, are asked to recognize that, as a general rule, the necessity for relief is greater in the case of married men, and that they will materially assist the Unemployment Board in dealing with this problem, if they will, other things being equal, give preference to married men. (5) The subsidy basis will involve a cost to the board greatly in excess of that granted last year, and is based bn the principle of rationing the work on approved jobs to a limit of forty hours per- week, with a further condition that no overtime may be worked. It may be that in particular cases there will be strong economic reasons why the hours of work should not be rationed to a forty-hour-week basis, and on representation of such cases to the Unemployment Board an adjustment on the basis of subsidy may be arranged, except that in no case will a subsidy be paid when the weekly hours of work exceed forty-four, other than in accordance with the next paragraph. (6) The restrictive conditions in paragraph 5, in so far as they relate to weekly hours of work shall not apply to any work coming within the scope of “country work” outlined in clause 6 of the New Zealand Carpenters’ and Joiners’ awards—Book of Awards, Vol. 32, —but the hours worked must not exceed forty-eight per week.

(7) Nothing in these rules shall be taken to interfere with, or alter in any way, the wages and conditions provided for in any award or agreement for the classes of workers concerned.

(8) Builders in any class of the trade operating under this scheme are required to protect their workers under the provisions of the Workers’ Compensation Act. The Unemployment Board will not accept any responsibility in this connection. This rule applies also to local-body authorities and to Government Departments which may be operating under this scheme, whether they insure or not, and they must accept the responsibilities of the Workers’ Compensation Act.

(9) A breach of any of the rules of the scheme will render the payment of subsidy liable to cancellation, and a refund of subsidy paid (if any) may be required. In the foregoing rules—- “ Owner? means the owner or lessee of the premises on which the work is proposed to be done—i.e., the person or firm paying for the work—and the subsidy shall be payable to no other person than the owner as herein defined: “Builder” means the person who undertakes to perform the work for the owner and who engages the labour necessary to carry out the work: “Premises” means the land on which a building is to be erected, or on which stands a building to be added, to, altered, or renovated. The term “owner” and “builder” will, of course, be synonymous in cases where the person at whose instigation the work is being done does himself directly employ the labour.