HELP FOR UNEMPLOYED

Taranaki Daily News, 16 June 1931, Page 6

HELP FOR UNEMPLOYED

FIRST QUESTION IN SESSION

BOARD'S IMPOSSIBLE POSITION.

EXPENDITURE DOUBLES INCOME.

WILL THE LEVY BE INCREASED!

By Telegraph.—Press AssociationWellington, Last Night.. One of the first questions to be submitted to Parliament upon the opening of the session on June 25 will be that of unemployment, according to a statement made by/the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, in an interview to-day. An impossible position has been reached, by the Unemployment Board, whose weekly • expenditure of £40,000 is double the revenue received. Suspension of the No. 5 scheme from next Saturday will mean that thousands of men will be left without reljci work.

The Prime Minister said that more money would certainly have to be found for unemployment relief, and Parliament would be asked to consider the question during the coming, session. He was not in a position to say at present whether the levy would be increased or not, or whether some other way of finding the money required would be attempted. Suggestions have been made that a temporary scheme to assist the unemployed until Parliament, can deal with the situation will be drawn up. However, it is understood that the securing of finance to do this will be particularly difficult. GOVERNMENT URGED TO ACT. AUCKLAND BODIES’ OPINIONS. Auckland, June 15. Auckland members of Parliament and representatives of local bodies, interviewed to-day, were unanimous in their opinion that the Government could and should meet the emergency caused by the exhaustion of the Unemployment Board’s funds. They urge the Government to advance diffident money to enable the No. 5 scheme to be continued for a further 14 days, by which time Parliament would have validated the irregularity and made frosh provision- for the future. CHRISTCHURCH TAKES ACTION. appeal to the government Christchurch, Last Night. Means of meeting the situation created by the suspension of the Unemployment Boards No. 5 scheme were discussed by the Christchurch City Council to-night. While protesting to the Government that the scheme must be renewed immediately or some substitute provided, the council decided to call a meeting of representatives of all local bodies concerned in the operation of the scheme and to delegate power of action to the combined works and finance committees. , ' ‘. It was mentioned that the CanterburyHospital Board was already spending at the rate of £36,000 a year in the rdiei of distress, although the provision in the estimates for- this purpose was. only £20,000.