LABOUR ON FARMS

Stratford Evening Post, Volume I, Issue 497, 20 July 1932, Page 5

LABOUR ON FARMS

WELLINGTON TOPICS

unfair Criticism alleged (Special Correspondent) WELLINGTON, July 19—The Hon. Adam Hamilton, Acting-Minister of Labourduring the absence of the Right Hon. J. G. Coates at the Ottawa Conference, is protesting strongly against; the allegations made by the Mayor of Eltham in regard to the treatment by farmers in ihs district of men employed under the 4A relief scheme. Fifty per cent, of the men so employed"rn his district, His Worship is alleged to have said, are getting nothing more than food, and every ifadn so employed is practically putting another out of work and beyond 1 the means of self-support. This statement, Mr. Hamilton declares, is entirely proposed to the principle of the scheme the. Government has laid down and sought to enforce. It is for the local committees, says the Minister, to see that the different schemes are abused as little as possible, and if‘the Mayor of Eltham has noticed irregularities he should report them to the responsible authorities at once.

• - Scanty Information The Dominion, taking up its cudgel on behalf of Mr. Hamilton, says that the Mayor of Eltham was not fully informed as to the distribution of relief work within his borough. “Any system of unemployment relief which is open to abuse,” it says, “is liable, to be the subject of suspicions and allegations. The best that can be hoped is that all parties concerned will play the game fairly.” But the ActingMinister of Employment refutes the allegations made by the Mayor of Eltham aiicl quotes figures to show that they Were based on inaccurate infoxmation. “The point to be noted,” emphasises the morning paper, is that the local committees are responsible for the prevention of abuses.” If this really is the case, then surely the local committees should be much more alert than some of them after a casual glance of their activities appear to be. * * * Lack of Oversight

That there are many indifferent, services rendered by “unemployed workers within easy reach of the Capital City has to be admitted. In the suburbs, from five to 15 miles from Parliament House, groups of from 10 to 20 fairly sturdy looking men may he seen handling a pick or a shovel at the rate of about six efforts to the minute with lengthy rests between the dozen. Then there are morning and afternoon teas harmonising with the midday meal, which properly runs into a full hour with the principal “snioke-oh” to follow. Of course with larger gangs and more effective (oversight the work proceeds less leisurely, but even here it is easy to see that the “unemployed” are not altogether satisfied with their remuneration. Mr. Hamilton estimates that two millions of the three and a half millions spent on relief works this year'will be remunerative. Why not the whole?

“The Best Service” Apropos of the value of gratuitous service offered to the State by pri. vate individuals, ami associated bodies, it is interesting to glance over (he outline of a speech delivered by Mr. J. W. Andrews at the annual meeting of the Lower Hutt Chamber of Commerce. Although not a su;pjrrter of Government interference, Mr. Andrews said, he considered the attacks made upon it were overdone. The permanent officer of one of the I bodies he had in min'd seemed to be [ engaged in working up the best cf a number of. poor cases against public bodies. At least one large undertaking had been delayed by the publication of these attacks. Practically all (ho moro' or less"important chambers. Andrews declared, were engaged 'm working up as best they could pom eases, against public bodies which "wore doing what they conceived to be lafiyisalile for the good of the community at large. _____