UNEMPLOYMENT

Stratford Evening Post, Volume II, Issue 221, 15 April 1933, Page 7

UNEMPLOYMENT

ALLOCATION FOR CITIES The recent undertaking of the Unemployment Board in promising increased payments to the Wellington City Council for the provision of supervision and materials in connection with the employment of relief workers was the subject of inquiry by Mr. S. G. Smith, M.P., who telephoned the Hun. Adam Hamilton. Minister of Employment. Mr. Smith asked for a definite assurance that any extra allocations for the cities would not be marie at the expense of centres outside the cities.

A message received from Wellington on Wednesday stated that the Unemployment Board had created an important precedent by showing increased liberality in the allocations for relief works organised by local bodies. The Wellington City Council represented that its finances made it impossible to find the former amount of money from the revenue to supervise unemployed and provide material. As a result the board informed the council that it was prepared to pay for the supervision and material used by approximately half the number of unemployed under the city council's jurisdiction. Mr. Smith asked for full particulars. "In June last the Wellington City Council had in six months expended .£2300 on supervision and other overhead charges," states the Minister of Employment's telegraphed reply to Mr. Smith. "Wellington had an average of 4000 unemployed, no other city council having reached 2000 at any one time. With the assistance of money taken from a trading account the Wellington council agreed to carry 2000 for the remainder of the year—a still larger number than was carried by any other city council. "The Unemployment Board agreed to carry supervision and other overhead costs in respect of the balance of men over 2000, providing the cost to the board did not exceed 15 per cent, of the total costs, and this arrangement still stands." It was stated that Wellington complained that a considerable proportion of the men it was carrying should not be that city's responsibility as they had come from other districts.