CONDITIONS OF PAYMENT

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1028, 19 July 1930, Page 1

CONDITIONS OF PAYMENT

UNEMPLOYMENT SUSTENANCE “SHOULD BE MORE LIBERAL” TflE SUN'S Parliamentary Reporter WELLINGTON, Friday. A plea that the conditions governing the payment of sustenance to those coming under the provisions of the Unemployment BUI be made more liberal was made in the House of Representatives today by Mr. W. J. Jordan (Labour—Manukau) during the debate on the second reading of the Bill. “The Labour members,” he said, “welcome this Bill, and the criticism offered is by no means hostile. We hope the Bill will become what the country desires, so that unfortunate people will be able to secure some food, clothing and shelter.” Mr. Jordan claimed that payment of the sustenance should be made irrespective of the time a man had been out of work, provided that he would accept work or if no work was available. He asked whether under the Bill men would have- to make a daily round of places to see if work were offering and whether they would have to line up daily in queues outside the Labour Bureaux. Why should a notice not be hung outside saying that nothing was doing? Speaking of the fitnes of men for relief works, Mr. Jordan said that during the war, out of 135,000 men examined for overseas service, it had been found that 34 per cent, had been classed “A” as fit for service overseas; 62 per cent, unfit for service overseas: and three per cent fit after operations. If a man were not fit for service overseas, then surely he was not fit for going on relief works to live in tents under trying conditions. W’hat were these men going to do if they were offered work by the Government and were unable to take it?

Mr. Jordan asked that provision be made to make up the amount of sustenance in the event of a man getting a couple of days’ casual Work. It was not equitable to make it hard and fast that because a man had had work he was ineligible for sustenance. Until this state of affairs had been altered in England it had been found that men were unwilling to accept casual work.